|
Post by thewildhair on Aug 12, 2011 14:30:00 GMT
I have had my two degus for almost a year. Both presumable males, as that is what I was told. About 10 days ago I cleaned out the cage nad tried to give hem a dust bath. I do it outside the cage b/c they always pee in it. One bit me and it was quite painful and shocking as they had never been aggressive before. Yesterday I again went to clean the cage and discovered two babies. Again I was shocked and ran to my computer. I found an article that said they could eat from day one and that the mother could get pregnant right away, so I removed the male (after learning how to sex) and finished cleaning out the cage. I tried to provide the infant with food and water. They showed no interest and chirped. I put them back, but bought a nesting box. Today I read that the father can still be in there, so I put him back and they had a nice reunion. I am also excited to see that they will eat from the mother. How can I prevent another pregnancy without traumatizing my "pair". I don't know what he will do without her. I also have my cage set up so that the food and water is at the top of the cage. (to help keep them clean) Will the babies be able to get to it when they need it? Mostly I want to know how bad it is that the "brother and sister" had babies!
|
|
|
Post by philbailey1806 on Aug 12, 2011 15:24:46 GMT
oh oh, this happened with me and my degus from P@H basically, the male needs to be separated from the female for roughly a week after the birth, just to be on the safe side so that your female doesn't become pregnant straight away. After this initial week off, I read that he can then be put back in the cage until the pups are roughly 4 weeks old, but in my experience, he started trying to mate with the female again after around 3 weeks after the pups were born, so I separated him at 3 weeks post birth and gave him some of the male babies when they were 5 weeks old as cagemates.
Just out of interest did you get your degus from P@H?
|
|
|
Post by thewildhair on Aug 12, 2011 16:00:24 GMT
What is p@h? I am not sure when they were born. With in a week ago. I didn't even know she was pregnant and I have them in a pretty expansive cage. I really couldn't see the bottom until I was cleaning it. There were only 2 babies and they are both female, so what do I do to keep him from becoming depressed when he has to be removed?
|
|
|
Post by amie on Aug 12, 2011 16:26:28 GMT
P@H = Pets at home pet shop.
|
|
|
Post by Ady on Aug 12, 2011 16:28:15 GMT
u could get the male neutered or get him male cagemate and keep them in second cage or give him up for adoption if u able to let him go. babies will nibble on food when they about 4 days old but wil start eating solids properly in they own time. i would move the food and water close to nest. it's even better for mum to reach as she usually needs to stay in nest to keep babies warm ( they can't regulate they temperature yet). if u got deep bowl for water don't leave it close to babies. About that bite she gave u (i'm assuming it was her). pregnant degu can get a bit nervous and protective. i think that was it. p@h - pets at home shop
|
|
|
Post by thewildhair on Aug 12, 2011 16:52:03 GMT
I got them from someone who bred them at home. They are so sweet nad I love them. The male is actually my favorite. If I had him neutered, would he still be able to re-enter the environment after a few days absent, even with the babies in there. I plan to keep them all and I don't want any to die. (since there are only two, it's really no big deal.)
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Aug 12, 2011 17:54:50 GMT
How old are your original pair, Mom and Dad degus? How is Mommy degu doing?
|
|
|
Post by Ady on Aug 12, 2011 18:07:22 GMT
after neutering he needs to be kept alone for few days until healed. but u can keep their cages close and give them some supervised time together so they will 'keep in touch'. then u don't need to re-introduced them. also he is still fertile for up to 4 weeks after op. if u do decide to get him neutered please make sure your vet done this surgery before couple of times. u said u had them for year so am assuming he's old enough to be neutered. oh and congratulations. babies are lots of fun
|
|