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Post by violetfae on Jun 14, 2011 19:00:31 GMT
I think i may have been mistaken in Sparkle being a female, i found sparkle with something protuding quite some way out and it being cleaned well either that or it was being enjoyed..... anyhoo I presume this is a thingy protruding.. please feel free to explain I am googling the hell out of this situation
my next dilemma do I get sparkle "done" or rehome him he gets on with my girls so fantastically :s
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 14, 2011 19:16:28 GMT
oh oh! Where did you get sparkle? how old is he and the females? and could you possibly post a picture of his/her bits? (it doesn't have to be protruding, just so we can have a look for ourselves and see what we think). It certainly sounds like you have a boy on your hands and possibly some pups on the way, but as I say, a pic would be helpful. The best way I find of doing it is to feed his/ her fave treat from the front and then (very gently) lift the BASE of his her tail untill you can see the urethral cone and anus.
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Post by violetfae on Jun 14, 2011 19:36:34 GMT
I acquired Sparkle from freecycle all alone approx 1 year old and my baby girls currently 13+ weeks, vets for pets said probably girl, i thought girl from closeness of everying but what i saw earlier would suggest otherwise ( and what i thought was urine drying white- stains on the ledges) fecckity feck feck feck.... i have a friend close by who has goos I am just finding out what she has maybe she'll re home
i shall endeveour to get a pic up
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 14, 2011 20:14:36 GMT
urine does dry white and powdery whether boys or girls, I'd advise posting a pic of everyones bits up just to check that the other 2 are also definately girls (you never know) but if the 1 year old is a boy and the other 2 are girls at over 7 weeks old, then you'll more than likely have baby goos on your hands!
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 14, 2011 20:18:38 GMT
DEFINITELY a male if you have see "the appendage!" Urine will dry to leave white stains, so that doesn't mean that you are seeing seimen there . . . could be it is a feature of male urine. I would consider looking in to having him neutered. If you have a great bond between them all, I wouldn't encourage breaking it up . . . unless having him neutered is not something you can finacially afford. I would hate to see him end up all alone again . . . but if you keep him but leave him unaltered, can you handle babies? Or a second cage and finding him a male pup or two to become his new cage mates?
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 14, 2011 20:19:28 GMT
Ive noticed on another thread that you have said that he has been making regular barking sounds? If they are rhythmatic and don't stop whatever you do, these are more than likely mating barks I'm afraid.
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Post by violetfae on Jun 14, 2011 20:27:25 GMT
they only last about an hour and he has only done it it 3 times and actually now i think back letting him sunggle in my hoody calmed him down quite nicely, i shall ring my vets tomorrow to see how much they charge for the chop, I definately can not afford a second cage  don't think he'll want to bunk up with rainbow the hamster lol |
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Post by violetfae on Jun 14, 2011 20:28:17 GMT
and thanks for the dried urine info lol
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 14, 2011 20:33:59 GMT
lol, you're welcome! If he's mated though the females (If there are any) may already be pregnant, so thats a worry, also having the chop, he'll need some time alone in a separate cage (I think they usually advise 4 weeks for the sperm reserves to die and 6 weeks for the testosterone to dissipate). Sorry to be the bearer of bad news! Do you have any P@H near cheshire, I know its not th best solution, but if you can't find homes for any of the babies, they'll always take them in for adoption. I've just had pups myself, and I'm going to have to give away 4 boys, and if noone on here can take them in then I know pets at home is my last resort.
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Post by violetfae on Jun 14, 2011 20:47:27 GMT
randomly we have two pets at home in chester..... and suprisingly only one other pet store that is pretty bad, she couldnt tell me if her sawdust was dust extracted but she does use it for the rabbits.... ok here is a pic and looking at it myself now yes its a boy, not enough research and not a lot of handling experience when i first had him is to blame i fear  |
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 14, 2011 23:03:59 GMT
Yep, boy I'm afraid. Oh dear, and you've checked the others and they're definately girls? It also sounds like he's been making mating calls so if I were you I'd expect the worst and presume they're pregnant. In any case I'd separate him now just in case he hasn't managed to impregnate the girls, get him neutered if you're after keeping him with the girls, and just keep him in a separate cage nearby the girls for about six weeks before putting him back in.
I know it's a bit of bad news as you may be inundated with babies if you do end up with 2 pregnant females (my Edna had 8!) but at least you'll have a heads up and have the opportunity to research degu pregnancy online so that you know what your in for and how to prepare yourself. Also the fixed male and the mums will all help look after all the babies (not just their own) so no need to panic about babies being attacked etc by jealous mums, degus make great parents.
Hope this helps! Keep us updated!
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 14, 2011 23:05:22 GMT
P.S. Have you noticed any size/weight increase in your females?
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Post by violetfae on Jun 15, 2011 0:15:02 GMT
well they are only young so yeah ^_^
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 15, 2011 7:50:20 GMT
Lol, I mean have you noticed them them getting a little fatter just around their middle? The pregnancy lasts around 3 months, but it's only in the last month they'll start to show, they will usually (unless they have a very small litter) start widening around the tummy and hips, it will look a bit lumpy and be firm to the touch, and they will look like a teardrop shape from above. You'll notice if this happen because it sort of happens overnight and they get really big really quick.
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 15, 2011 12:22:18 GMT
Obviously it differs from degu to degu which is why you have to wait the full 3 months before you can be certain, what I was getting at was that since the females have been left with a male and are more thn likely fertile, if they are getting plump around their middle it is safe to say you can be expecing babies.
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Post by violetfae on Jun 15, 2011 22:48:41 GMT
hmmm so opinions on my baby girl??  |
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Post by violetfae on Jun 15, 2011 22:55:41 GMT
and my other baby girl  |
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 15, 2011 23:06:02 GMT
definately baby girls I'm afraid, only time will tell whether or not they were fertile when sparkle mated with them, but I would separate him into another cage just in case he hasn't managed to impregnate them yet and get him neutered. 6 weeks after the operation though he can safely be put back in with the females whether they be pregnant or not. (He's not going to eat the babies, and they will even benefit with him being around). In the meantime I suggest you do some research on degu pregnancy and baby care, and if you have any questions (there are some gaps in information on the internet when it comes to degu babies and what to do) there are a few people on here that have had degu pups and can give advice. It's the main reason I joined this forum TBH. Good luck! Keep us updated on what you decide to do.
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Post by violetfae on Jun 15, 2011 23:19:31 GMT
had the a quote for the neutering today @ £45 which isnt bad but out of reach till pay day then there is expense of second cage have had somebody offer to re home him today she has recetly lost ratties and was consider goos so torn atm |
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 15, 2011 23:51:54 GMT
Oh dear, I don't mean to sound insensitive about the loss of her poor ratties, but if your friends old rat cage is suitable for a lone degu, would she not consider lending it you just while you got sparkle fixed? This way you would not need another cage at all unless you were planning on keeping any of the possible babies.
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don't think he'll want to bunk up with rainbow the hamster lol