Help getting brothers back together

[degualot]

Ok i'll try and make this concise since it's a long story.

Had two brothers for over a year, Bobby, Taco. They live in two P@H cages put together with a tube connecting the two cages to form one large cage. I build a new cage for my new lone Degu Victor, (was alone in pet shop). So Victor has his own cage and Bobby and Taco have a double P@H cage which is ontop of Victors. A tower block of Degus.

Taco and Bobby caught Victors scent and now they fight in the play area each time I put them in it. Have changed play area to every possible location in house, even where Victor hasn't been. But Taco and Bobby continue to fight like strangers, Grunts, threats. Then they got serious, Biting, fur loss, a little blood. I had to seperate them for a whole day but when in their cage they were ok.

Now after the last attempt at playing in the play area together, they are now bitter enemies. They are both alone in seperate cages. I tried to put them back in the cage together but they went into a Degu death ball roll in which I immediately intervined sperating them with a towel. So for the past two days everybody has been in seperate cages. 3 Boys, 3 cages, what a mess everything has turned into. I never intended to introduce Victor to the other Boys but even him just being in the same house has upset the Degu apple cart.

I have no idea how to get Bobbdy and Taco back together in one cage, after all they are borthers from the same litter and were fine before Victors arrival.It has to be possible. I don't like seeing them like this all aggressive towards each other.

[deguconvert]

I just want to let you know that I have read your question . . . I am so sorry that the two boys are at each other full time now. I'm going to give this some thought . . . let it perk in the back of my mind for a bit . . . and I will come back to you. For now, let them rest apart . . . and give them all individual attention. You may want to be sure that you wash your hands after you handle each one so that they don't go ballistic on you. Take heart love, I'm sure we can figure this out!

[philbailey1806]

If I were you, I'd just test to see if either bobby or taco would get along with Victor, maybe the issue is that one wold like to meet him and the other wants to keep the duo going? This is just a complete guess, but I would put nthe two together that get along (if any two of the three can) and then leave the other alone in a cage nearby untill he can behave. This is my advice based on what I hae read, I've never been in this situation.

I hope this helps, or that someone with more experience in the matter can comment

[deguconvert]

Yeah . . . I have to say that the potential of introducing one of the boys to Victor has been in my thoughts as well. I suspect that if one of them is more agressive to Victor than the other, then we may well have found out who is causing the fights all around. Which in a way could make it easier to figure out what to do next. Hmmm . . . is this something you would be willing to try out, degualot? Having some one on one meets between Victor and Bobby and then Vic and Taco? Do you have any information already acquired about introducing strange degus? There are some good stickies in the introductions area.

[degualot]

Thanks for giving me options guys, that I had not thought of. Deguconvert thanks for your kind words.

I'm willing to try Bobby and Victor because I noticed Bobby didn't seem to pay too much attention to Victor when there cages were next to each other, Unlike Taco who turned into Jack nickelson from the shinning. I Agree to try Victor with Bobby because Bobby is clamer and more placid than Taco, But Taco is very aggressive lately and I think he would just gop for Victor. I don't want Victor to get hurt, he's very friendly, none aggressive, he's very gentle for a Degu, I mean not that all Degus are beasts but he's got a kind of sweetness to him that's hard to describe, poor guy, the pet shop sold his brother which is why i'm trying to sort him out but now I got to sort out the other two as well.

However if bobby does take to Victor, what happens to Taco, He's then losing his brother from birth. It's just how I feel.

I can tell you now Taco is the problem here, He is the aggressive one, which is weird because when I first got them he was not agressive at all but Degus change behaviour.

Taco is at the top of the stack of cages do you think I should move him down incase the height is making him think he's the king of the cages.
I can't believe he wasted a whole Parsley Bell over night, next morning, Parsley bell all over the floor, He didn't eat any, just destroyed it.

[deguconvert]

I know that degutopia recommends having horizontal divides between degus that you are trying to introduce, but in my experience that only seems to escalate any aggressions hugely. I would definitely take him down. In fact . . . if you are willing to consider this . . . I would put Bobby and Victor next to each other, so that they can look through the bars at each other on the same level. I would let them start to get aquainted for a few days, and then try a face to face in the bath tub.

Taco . . . I would move him across the room if at all possible. Keep an eye on him and see how he is doing. I think he needs some time alone away from the other two boys. He is fighting like he wants seclusion, so I would let him have some. I would give him at least 3-4 days, and then maybe move his cage back beside Bobby to see what he reacts like, Taco that is. If Taco starts wagging his tail and grunting, he is not ready to be in close contact yet. I would then keep on working with Bobby and Victor to introduce them to each other.

[degualot]

ok i'll try to do what you suggested. So do you think it's possible ventually I could get Taco back with Victor and Bobby or do you think that's not probabl, I mean of course taking it slowly do you think theirs a chance.

[deguconvert]

I do think there is a chance . . . depends on your patience and determination . . . but yes, I am hopeful that it can be done.

[degualot]

great News, I decided to first try Bobby and Taco side by side in their seprate cages. Yesterday they were going crazy, grunting, lunging at the wall. But today I come home and they are making the friendly whobbling sound, like the greeting they make. I think this is a great sign but I'm afraid of moving to quickly to reintroduce them. do you think I should leave it a couple of days. Basically they are now communicating is a none aggressive way, they look like they want to be together not fight.

What should I do now?

Might have something to do with Taco getting a brand new John Hopewell wheel so he's happy. Both have them now. I can't help spoiling them.

[fred]

Sorry I can't give any practical advice (no experience with fighting degus), just wanted to say I am following the story and keep my fingers crossed for your three boys. Your observations today sure sound promising

[deguconvert]

I think I would hold off a couple days yet, and then give them a face to face.

[degualot]

Yes I agree, what i'm going to do is for a week, leave them like this, then the next week, swap them every 1-2 days so they get the idea they're in the same cage. Then next weekend, i'll try introducing them in neutral territory.

My concern is, it was neutral territory where the fights broke out last time, not their cages which they use to share before they both fell out full time.

[deguconvert]

Yeah . . . that's a twist that has been experienced by other members, too. It's a little weird . . . and one that I've not really figured out a solution to yet. Just wish I could get the little crazies to lay on a couch and pour out their reasons . . . in english . . . so that I could devise something for it. However, the convoluted reasons remain firmly locked in the degu vault of secret knowledge. For the time being I can only recommend that you go with what you have and see how it goes. If it doesn't go well . . . back to step one.

[degualot]

well i've got no choice but to keep trying different things. So i'll stick with this idea for now. Yesterday they both wanted to share a hammock, you vcould tell, there hammocks are right next to each other in the seperate cages and Taco when sleepy looks like he just wants to crawl in with Bobby.

Yes these are very complicated animals with their very own weird intelligence that only they understand.

Degutopia shouldn't say they are easy to take care of in their descriptions of Degus as pets' what they should say is, Degus are easy pet's unless they go crazy then your screwed haha.

I know I wish I was like Dr Goolittle and then I could sort this out.

[degualot]

Update if anyone is still interested.

Bobby and Taco are still apart, tried to put them together last week but wasn't very successful. They seem ok with each other now and are talking but they Need more time.

Secondly, I took a gamble which paid off. I saw this lone baby Degu in the petstore in the corner. A blue Degu, never seen one in person but it caught my attention. He was 8 Weeks old which was bordering on old for an introduction but I thought. What the hell go for it. I thought well Victor is very friendly and even when the other Degus Bobby and Taco grunted at him, he did not back to them.

So I got a spatchula ready with oven mits and instead of normal introductions I put them both in the bathtub with a little cage top from the hamster cage on Casper (New Degu) and then put Victor in, I head them talking and to my surprise it was friendly, thank god, I pulled the hasmter cage top up ready for the worst, within 10 seconds they were grooming each other.

4 hours later at night they were snuggling up next to each other, Both very happy, they did the whole moninace thing of trying to mount each other, It's hilarious trying to watch a 8 week old Degu mount a 1 year old but it soon settled.

anyway I put there cage in my bedroom, hard to get to sleep but I needed to be prepared to jump up with spatchula ready incase of a fight. The next morning I work up, both of them were still cuddling, so without inccident.

It was a gamble which paid of this time. thank god, after all the bad luck i've had I needed this.


Now just got to work on Bobby and Taco.

[Jaiye]

Congrats on Casper and Victor! Fingers crossed that Bobby and Taco get along soon as well =)

[degualot]

thanks, I hope so too.