forgetting anything? Please help

[roxanne]

I got three degus yesterday! Goober (3 1/2 years old) and two others (6 months old) that are yet to be named.

I have to clean their cage as it came quite dirty. Any recommendations to get the boys out without too much trauma, since they don't know me yet?

Also, I picked up some apple branch wood chews, bathing dust, timothy hay cubes, timothy hay (loose), some wood chew toys, guinea pig food that has been approved by degutopia (I read the labels to check for molasses and the % of fiber, protein and fat).

If the wood chews are approved for other small animals, can you assume that they would be ok for degus?

The bedding I bought is from Kaytee and it is processed wood fiber with rose petals added for aroma. I figured since degus can eat roses, this bedding would be ok.

Also, I saw loose timothy hay with peppermint leaves added as well as dried carrots...are these degu approved?

I read somewhere that melba toast is a good treat for them, but when I read the label, it mentioned sugar (or some type of it). Is this ok or not?

Thanks for reading!

I might just try opening up their cage in the bathroom, hope they come out of it so I can clean it and then try to catch them again to put them back.

[deguconvert]

Do you have any exercise balls that they can jump into? Or maybe a tube/chube toy that they would crawl into? Don't just let them out into your room, you will have a terrible time getting them back in. If there is some way of getting them into a box or something, then you could maybe put them into your bathroom, after making sure that it is safe and the toilet seat lid is down, no holes they can crawl into, or electrical cords, plastic things to chew, or anything else they might try to eat or chew, and they can run about in there while you clean.

Don't assume that because the wood is safe for other small animals that it will be OK for degus. Most woods are in some way toxic to degus, and so you have to be very careful with that you expose them to.

Melba toast is OK but in moderation.

[franksl87]

once the cage is up provided the doors big enough then have a big enough box for the three and small enough to fit through the door and then putthe box straight into the cage and they wil come out to investigate once they feel like it