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Post by dyzired on Jun 17, 2011 13:10:34 GMT
I just woke up and went to my degus cage.. And usually he'll come to my voice.. Bur he wouldnt get up., and so i moved the little bed he was in and he finally Woke up and greeted me.. But when i picked him up he was so weak.. And he still moves around but hes kinda wobbly.. And just lookig at him he looks really weird. I dont know if he lost weight or if hes got a deformity. Idk. He also is having diahrrea. Right now hes Sleeping in my arms. I dont know what to do. Is there anythin i can do? Can i give him vitamins or something to give him strength? i dont want to lose him. For anyone that hasnt read my posts before... I completely handnreared him and weaned him myself from day one. So hes like my baby :/
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 17, 2011 13:32:48 GMT
oh no! he may be ill. Are there any vets nearby that have any experience with degus? or at least guinea pigs and chinchillas? He may need some antibiotics or something.
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Post by dyzired on Jun 17, 2011 13:58:18 GMT
Does anyone know if It is illegal to own a degu in the state of florida without some sort of license? My boss at the exotic animal sanctuary (where i got moose) said it was illegal.. Atleast a few years ago. Does anyone know if it still is? Im just afraid to take him in an them asking me for it. Idk. Maybe ill call the vet right now. I dont think anyone knows what degus are though where i live
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Post by fred on Jun 17, 2011 14:11:44 GMT
I am sure that if they need a license in Florida you can say that you hand-reared him for the sanctuary. There must be vets the sanctuary normally calls, they will probably be your best bet. Try to get Moose to them as fast as possible.
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 17, 2011 14:26:15 GMT
Oh NO! Oh honey, I'm so sorry to hear that he is ill!! Have you called a vet, or the vets used by the animal sanctuary? How is he doing? If he has diahrrea, he needs to have more fluids to stop him from becoming dehydrated, but that is difficult to achieve if it turns out he has no interest in drinking. I agree that getting him seen by a vet asap is needed. Please let us know how he is!
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Post by dyzired on Jun 17, 2011 14:46:50 GMT
I called a vet and asked if they had experience with degus. They said theyd call me back. I think they think i was pulling their leg. I doubt theyve heard of a degu before. Ugh. Im gonna call them back.
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Post by dyzired on Jun 17, 2011 15:11:09 GMT
I called them back. They cant take me in today. I have to go out of town tomorrow and i work all day on sunday he is looking a helluva lot better then when i took him out this morning. Ive been keepin him hydrated with a syrige and he happily drinks water from it. Hes much more energetic now. Not so wobbly. Still a little weak. And the diahrrea has gotten slighly better. Is it possible that he could just have a cold or is sick to his stomach? I did give him a couple treats on wednesday when i brought him in to work with me.. They mightve made him sick...idk :/
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 17, 2011 17:30:38 GMT
I've got my fingers crossed for Moose x Could you get some Bene-Bac for him? You can get it at Petco, it might be helpful for the diarhoea.
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 17, 2011 19:48:47 GMT
Just out of curiousity . . . what were the treats that you gave him? If we can count them out, or even say that one of them may have caused his diahrrea, then that will help you know to avoid something or to look a little more closely at what he has been exposed to.
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Post by dyzired on Jun 17, 2011 20:20:30 GMT
I gave him shredded pieces of carrot and oats..but i might have given him too much of the carrots?? Idk. He looks much better now but still not himself. Hes drinking and eating in his cage and is strong enough to climb and run now. Im hoping it was just an upset stomach
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Post by dyzired on Jun 17, 2011 20:21:24 GMT
And i donr think his diahrrea is too bad but i can go pick up some benebac
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Post by fred on Jun 17, 2011 21:51:50 GMT
Good to hear that Moose is doing better. Just one thought regarding possible causes. Degu pups get antibodies from their mums through the milk. Moose missed out on that and it may take him a bit longer to built up immunity. Just as a precaution, maybe you should take it slowly when taking him with you to work. I am not suggested that there are too may germs but possibly some he hasn't encountered so far.
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Post by dyzired on Jun 18, 2011 1:31:38 GMT
Yah when he's at work he's usually in with rocket in his cage.. Should i just stop taking him to work? The only reason i was taking him was to get him used to rocket. I ended up takin off work today and just loving on him. I kept giving him water with a syringe which seemed to make him feel better. Hes doing MUCH better now. Still looks not that great.. But hes more energetic and vocal now. This morning he couldnt even climb into my hand but now hes just running around climbing up my arm. I got him some benebac today. And im just hoping he'll get better soon forgood
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 18, 2011 3:34:00 GMT
I am so glad that he is doing better by the end of day! What a relief. However, don't assume that he is fully recovered just yet, still be giving him some extra attentions. I wonder if the carrot is what gave him trouble, fresh veg can cause bloat and diahrrea. Now usually we see this with too much fresh greens, but carrots may qualify for that in his case, on top of what has already been mentioned about him having none of the antibodies that would come through mothers milk . . . and from her poos which he would undoubtably have eaten had he grown up with her. Might sound totally disgusting . . . but I wonder if you could "harvest" some of the poos from the community of degus at work and . . . sprinkle some in his cage??? BLAH . . . I know . . . but it could be for his best health. Although I would go a little slow with this so that his system can assimilate what he needs instead of being overwhelmed by it.
IF you wish to give him carrot again in the future, try drying it out first, that could help him a bit.
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Post by fred on Jun 18, 2011 8:56:41 GMT
I am sorry I can't see how the antibody transfer through droppings should work. I may be wrong here but I believe it could do more harm than good (but please correct me if I'm wrong) and I would rather err on the side of caution.
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Post by dyzired on Jun 18, 2011 12:42:48 GMT
Lol as long as it wouldnt hurt him i dont mind getting some and taking them home... Ive seen him eatin his own but obviously thats not doing anything for him. I think ill give it a try. thank u guys so much for your support. Im gonna be away all day today..but i just called my mom and she said hes running around in his wheel he seems like hes doing pretty good today
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Post by woodchip on Jun 18, 2011 12:58:23 GMT
That's good to here. I read this thread yesterday, whilst at work and I really felt for you. I think Moose has grown a place in all of our hearts.
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Post by fred on Jun 18, 2011 13:02:16 GMT
Fred, when you don't believe something and would like other people to sway your belief through proof, you need to pinpoint exactly what part you don't believe and why, it makes their job easier :-P I need to be convinced that antibodies are transferred from blood to faeces and back to blood. If you can point me to any example where this has been shown, I'll happily shut up. Otherwise I would consider it too risky a strategy.
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Post by fred on Jun 18, 2011 14:15:36 GMT
@ smux – you are obviously confusing antigens with antibodies. In vaccines the virus / antigens are inactivated in a highly controlled process. Your advice means to potentially expose Moose to active antigens and could be very dangerous for him.
@ dyzired – DO NOT EXPOSE MOOSE TO DROPPINGS FROM WORK WITHOUT CONSULTING A VET FIRST. YOU MAY BE PUTTING HIS LIVE AT RISK.
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Post by dyzired on Jun 18, 2011 14:53:20 GMT
Thank you guys im sure moose would love all of you too
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