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Post by sparkiesnaps on Aug 3, 2009 19:23:07 GMT
We have had our 2 boys, Arnold and Bruce, almost a week now, having adopted them from previous owners who found them too much to cope with- they are about 6 months old. Arnold is shy, but will eat from your hand and stand on it brefly, though never takes his hind legs off the cage door. Bruce is dominant and VERY friendly and loves to be handled, which is lovely except that as soon as the door is opened, he springs into your hands and is very good at escaping (at least from me- my boyfriend has more luck keeping hold of him)
This is a problem for 2 reasons: firstly, Bruce requires so much attention and supervision that Arnold misses out, and secondly, it's nearly impossible to do anything in the cage such as feeding, moving things etc, without Bruce escaping!
I know it seems daft to complain about a friendly degu- that's what we're all aiming for, but he's becoming a menace!
Does anyone have any tips on how to teach him not to jump out through the door at every oppurtunity?
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Post by gemmagreaves on Aug 3, 2009 21:06:09 GMT
does food work? lol i have a little girl like that and if i feed them all a dried piece of carrot before i open the cage they're too busy munching to even notice that the cage doors open? otherwise put him in a hamster ball when he comes out - we got all of ours a hamster ball each - 25p at tesco on the offer aisle - and they love them - running round while we clean the cage out - much more exciting than being put in a box or something - of course you'l get the odd one that eats the plastic ball but if you nudge them with your foot when they start knawing then they run a bit more. :-D
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Post by zerkonia on Aug 3, 2009 21:29:00 GMT
How big are the hamster balls?  |
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Post by gemmagreaves on Aug 3, 2009 21:51:51 GMT
ive PMd you
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 3, 2009 23:44:05 GMT
Something else that can help is to have your cage up on a desk or something that is high enough off the floor to give them pause about running out and leaping off. We have ours on a table very capable of holding the cage safely, but on top of the table we have an even larger square of plywood. This slab of wood creates a lip around the bottom of the cage that the degus love to run around on and have a look out from, but they are not keen on jumping from it. That makes it MUCH easier to control them, as well as pursuading them to go back into the cage. Is this something you can do?
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Post by sparkiesnaps on Aug 4, 2009 21:51:32 GMT
Thanks for the tips, I'll give it a go! The table is a great idea; I never would have thought of that! It's so simple! Might have to rearrange my living room a bit, as the cage is below a window at the moment. Bruce loves his ball, and it's a great place to put him when he gets over excited, giving Arnold a chance to get some attention  I'll give the food idea a go too; I suppose the best way to get him to like being in his cage rather than escaping is to teach him that treats come while he is in there. My boyfriend has a habit of only giving treats when they are in his hands; great for training them to like being handled, not so great for discouraging escape attempts. Cheers guys! |
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 4, 2009 23:03:45 GMT
Once you feel that you have them well aquainted with your hands, and a trust relationship is in good standing, stop giving them treats for being on you. Then start giving them treats when it is time to back into the cage after a run about. This will start training them to come to you when it is time to go back. I have to run now, but if you want to know more about this, let me know and I will try to detail it out for you.
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Post by sparkiesnaps on Aug 5, 2009 14:30:22 GMT
Well, my boyfriend, almost as hyperactive and impatient as a degu, jumped at the suggestion of putting the cage on a table with full force! He went out and found a desk for half price, set it up, rearranged the living room and moved the cage onto it- all while I was having a nap!!! Anyway, it's working- even though Bruce is still climbing out, he's at least doing it slowly enough for us to catch him now, and with a little more training, hopefully his escape attempts will stop altogether. Also, the added height has other benefits; now Arnold can see us coming when we enter the room- he used to regularly get a fright and run to hide when we appeared suddenly. He seems much happier up high (makes sense, goo's love heights), and much more confident (there was a dog in their previous home, I think Arnold was rather frightened of it) Not only has it benefited the boys, the desk has drawers underneath for their food and toys etc, and my living room is much tidier! Success!  |
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