A BUNCH of Degu questions!

[panicdevil]

Hi guys, I'm new here

So I have a few questions, please don't call me a bad owner unless you read the story I will put in the bottom in bold. For those of you seeking just to answer my questions, please answer them kindly. Thank you very much!

- Is it okay to let my degus run around in my room if I'm in there? I've "degu-proofed" my room by putting all the wires up off the ground and cleaning it completely.

- What can I do about their poor little feet hurting or being blistered from walking on a wired cage? (Read the story below if you're concerned about this question)

- My degus don't really like me. Granted they have never bit me and accept food out of my hand, but they never come to me and dislike being picked up. When I didn't know much about them I'd make the wrong decision of trying to pick them up by force because I had no idea how intelligent they were (again, read the story below) and I feel really really bad about doing this. Is there any way I can make my degus less afraid/mad at me? I'd really like to get closer to them.

- I found someone giving away a singular degu on Craigslist. I feel so bad for this degu because I know they get lonely and I know they can become anti-social so I'd rather welcome the degu into my home than let some ignorant pet owner make it's life even more miserable. How hard would it be to implement this possibly anti-social degu into the life of my other two degus?

Those are my questions, here's the story if you're a concerned Degu owner.

A few months ago, my classmate asked me if I wanted a degu. He said that if he didn't give them all away that he was going to feed them to his snake. Horrified, I went home and looked up what these creatures were. I wouldn't want these poor things to be killed before they even had a chance to live! (And my friend breeds rats so it's not like the snakes starving...)

I dug out my old Hamsters cage (which is quite large for a hamster cage, it cost me over 100 dollars) and immediately took two of them, not really knowing what they are. I only knew that they needed to be kept in at least pairs. I constantly would put cardboard down on the wired floors because I also found out that the wire could harm them and I did not want that, but my ignorant family members constantly took it out. After 2 or so months of having to cut more and more cardboard to size, fitting it in, then having family members take it out I gave up and let them walk on it (because only one level has wire on it) which I know was very wrong to do, but it's better than being eaten by a snake, right?

So I think it's been maybe 6 months with these degus and I'm realizing how intelligent they really are, how much space they truly need and how badly I have been treating the poor things. Granted I've never intentionally hurt them, I wanted to save them from getting eaten, but I didn't really research a whole lot into them. I'm intending on building them the biggest cage I can fit into my room, and learning much more about them. For now all I can do is let them run about in my room way more often until I can get some wood (which will be sometime this week)

So please don't call me a bad owner, I'd never intentionally hurt any animal. I love animals, I'm a vegetarian, and I volunteer for the SPCA. I'm ignorant and it was stupid of me, you don't need to make me feel any worse

If you would like to view my thread asking for help about this cage, look here: deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Cage&thread=8823&page=1

Edit: I have put the question about introducting the new degu into the proper forum, I'm still looking for proper places to put the other questions but I think this is the place. Thanks guys

[amie]

Welcome to the forum

No one's going to make you feel guilty! It sounds like you're doing that to yourself. Sometimes we take on things that we don't truly understand. You did it for the right reasons though and you shouldn't beat yourself up.

Cardboard is the best thing to cover wire with, but if family members keep taking it out, perhaps an old towel or jumper could be put over the mesh? You could always, wear an old tee shirt over night (on that you don't want anymore!) to get your scent on it and then place it on the wire mesh. Two birds, one stone! You've covered the wire to make it safe for their feet and you've added your scent to their cage to help them get used to you and see you as a friend rather than a threat.

[panicdevil]

Thank you for the kind reply!
I've tried to put my shirt in the degus cage but unfortunately that ALSO gets taken out by pestering family members Perhaps I will try it once more and see if I have more luck.

[amie]

Have you asked them WHY they keep removing something that is GOOD for the degus? How are the little guys feet looking? Are they ok?

I think I speak for everyone here.... we'd love to see some pictures of your degus and get to know you and them also

[panicdevil]

They think that when they chew on it, it's "bad for them" -,-
And I may take some pictures of them, never considered taking pictures
They're both very fat, hahaha =P

[amie]

What diet are they on? Might be some helpful info for you on here about how to get the little fatties to lose some weight!

Cardboard is quite good for them to chew on! Old cereal boxes and toilet rolls go down a treat!

[panicdevil]

I had no idea cardboard was good for them
I always give them toilet rolls and they seem to like to take it down to the first level.

When I was asleep my boyfriend witnessed them pick up a toilet paper roll and move it to the first floor as if it was a couch, quite funny mental image.

Here are a few pictures of the little fatties, I have no idea if they're big or not for Degus. I feed them something called "Degu Nature" it looked really yummy for them.

They don't really have names yet, I mockingly named the bigger one "Tyler Durden" and the other "Not Tyler Durden" because when I got them home they began to chirp and box. *Fight Club reference for those of you who are clueless as to what I'm talking about

Even the sound of me turning on the camera spooked the poor little guys so it was difficult to get a photo.

[deguconvert]

Aug 25, 2011 0:47:09 GMT panicdevil said:

Hi guys, I'm new here

So I have a few questions, please don't call me a bad owner unless you read the story I will put in the bottom in bold. For those of you seeking just to answer my questions, please answer them kindly. Thank you very much!

- Is it okay to let my degus run around in my room if I'm in there? I've "degu-proofed" my room by putting all the wires up off the ground and cleaning it completely.

It is actually very good for them that you let them run around your room. It is something that we recommend to new owners and any inquirers, that they arrange for daily runs outside the cage. Degus LOVE this kind of activity, it encourages their natural sense of curiousity, helps to keep them active and enjoying life, and can work wonders in promoting their relationship with their owner. So, go for it, and get down on the floor with them! Let them crawl all over you, and if you can hide some treats in a pocket or something, give them a little treat everytime they come on to you. Some excellent treats for them are sunflower seeds IN the shell, puffed rice, raw pasta like spaghetti stikes, and raw porrige oats. One of these is bound to be an enticement they can't resist!

- What can I do about their poor little feet hurting or being blistered from walking on a wired cage? (Read the story below if you're concerned about this question)

One option to cover wire is to use ceramic tiles. These can be pretty cheap to come by if you go to a DYI store and look in their clearance area. Degus aren't too concerned about colors or designs, so whatever fits your budget, grab it and put it in on top of your wires and these will protect their feet. The degus will not chew them, and you can explain to your family that they are safe and healthy. If you are willing, you can also put a layer of bedding/substrate over the ceramic tiles, and that will even increase their comfort.


- My degus don't really like me. Granted they have never bit me and accept food out of my hand, but they never come to me and dislike being picked up. When I didn't know much about them I'd make the wrong decision of trying to pick them up by force because I had no idea how intelligent they were (again, read the story below) and I feel really really bad about doing this. Is there any way I can make my degus less afraid/mad at me? I'd really like to get closer to them.

As I said above, laying on the floor and letting them run over you when you have them out will work wonders in helping them to build trust in you. The treats will make you very attractive, too. LOL!

- I found someone giving away a singular degu on Craigslist. I feel so bad for this degu because I know they get lonely and I know they can become anti-social so I'd rather welcome the degu into my home than let some ignorant pet owner make it's life even more miserable. How hard would it be to implement this possibly anti-social degu into the life of my other two degus?

It is very possible to introduce him to your current two boys. One thing I would suggest first, is ensuring that you truly do have two boys, and then that the single degus is also male. Male and female degus have what is called the Urethral Cone, and it so closely resembles a male appendage, that degus are frequently mis-sexed as male as a result. Have a look at the following link - deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&thread=3145 - the photos and description will help you to understand how to sex degus accurately. If this is still confusing, you can always post photos of their nether regions for help from the other forum members. Once you know what you are looking at, it is much easier to discern their gender.

The next thing I would highly recommend is that you read through the Training and Introductions threads, just to get a feel for what other people have encountered so that you can have a more informed understanding of what you may face. Then . . . decide what you want to take on and go for it. There is LOTS of help here on the forum and many successful introduction stories. We can, and will, cheer you on.
Those are my questions, here's the story if you're a concerned Degu owner.

A few months ago, my classmate asked me if I wanted a degu. He said that if he didn't give them all away that he was going to feed them to his snake. Horrified, I went home and looked up what these creatures were. I wouldn't want these poor things to be killed before they even had a chance to live! (And my friend breeds rats so it's not like the snakes starving...)

I dug out my old Hamsters cage (which is quite large for a hamster cage, it cost me over 100 dollars) and immediately took two of them, not really knowing what they are. I only knew that they needed to be kept in at least pairs. I constantly would put cardboard down on the wired floors because I also found out that the wire could harm them and I did not want that, but my ignorant family members constantly took it out. After 2 or so months of having to cut more and more cardboard to size, fitting it in, then having family members take it out I gave up and let them walk on it (because only one level has wire on it) which I know was very wrong to do, but it's better than being eaten by a snake, right?

So I think it's been maybe 6 months with these degus and I'm realizing how intelligent they really are, how much space they truly need and how badly I have been treating the poor things. Granted I've never intentionally hurt them, I wanted to save them from getting eaten, but I didn't really research a whole lot into them. I'm intending on building them the biggest cage I can fit into my room, and learning much more about them. For now all I can do is let them run about in my room way more often until I can get some wood (which will be sometime this week)

So please don't call me a bad owner, I'd never intentionally hurt any animal. I love animals, I'm a vegetarian, and I volunteer for the SPCA. I'm ignorant and it was stupid of me, you don't need to make me feel any worse

If you would like to view my thread asking for help about this cage, look here: deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=Cage&thread=8823&page=1

Edit: I have put the question about introducting the new degu into the proper forum, I'm still looking for proper places to put the other questions but I think this is the place. Thanks guys

Welcome to the forum, love!! I want to say I admire your efforts to learn about your degus and to give them a home where they are loved and wanted. I think that the first step to accomplishing the best good you can for them is recognising that you can do better! I am really glad for you and your two boys that you want to build them a new, bigger cage. They will certainly be wanting it at this age now. Degus that are in confined space will become very combative, and it can get very violent. That you are getting wood next week is excellent! Before you know it, you will have a beautiful new cage and your degus will feel like they've gone to heaven. As you see, I have replied to you questions above. If you have more questions, and I'm sure you will, ask away!!! We really don't mind, that's how we all learned ourselves.

[NightwishRaven999]

@ panicdevil

Hello there ! Welcome to the forum !
Amie has given you some good advice.

The fact that you want to learn more about your pets and how to properly care for them, shows that you are a good pet owner. We all make mistakes, learn from them and become more experienced with time. The good thing about forums is that you can talk to other pet owners and learn from their experiences. We are here to help each other learn about degus.

On the matter of getting your degus to become friendlier, I believe you will find this guide on taming to be helpful. octodondegus.weebly.com/how-to-tame-degus.html
I believe you will find the guide on cage building to be quite helpful as well.

[panicdevil]

My boyfriend actually directed me to your site earlier on this week, hence why we are building a cage out of wood =)
Very helpful site, thank you!

[aya0aya]

I'm getting new cage as soon as store get it, so I'm giving away the old one for free (it costs 140 eur and almost new), but only for people that care for a little creatures. If you're not that far away from Slovenia (Austria, Italy maybe), you can pick it up. It's not much, with plastic bottom, a bit of metal screwed on parts they chew, but better than hamster one But hey, they found out they can chew on it from outside. But if your cage can be built soon it should be fine. It's true they can get aggressive in a small place. Sometimes when nobody is home to watch on them I have to clean their cage, I put them in a transport cage for that time. My god, they can get seriously mad at each other.

I didn't read careful other advices (from night ship, sleepy and lazy)

You can find advices not to force them with your presence. Le them out, sit on the floor and wait them to came to you, then give them nice treats. I used oat flakes. I gently talk to them (good thing is they don't understand me, they'd die laughing if they would know what I'm saying to them). Now they're even ready to do tricks for oat flakes. And they're so ready to trim all my finger nails too.
Never pick them up by a force, put some treats on open palm. It worked for me, I had their trust in a day or two. Now crazy goos climbing everywhere and knowing my hands are close to take them down if they dont dare to came down by theirselves. Just waiting and watching me; "hey, put me down" And now they're fine been picking up with both hands to prevent them falling.

I don't have any experiences in introducing so I'm not sure about that. Try to read the introduction sections, there are a lot of good advices.

It's sure fine to let them out, but they'll chew on everything. remove all the expensive stuff My door have a hole now Erm..cleaning room? Won't do. Forget on a clean room, get used to poo everywhere, stored food in every corner. Mine are making their nice bed under my bed. I have loads of paper and god know what else there. Let it be


Patience, treats and nice voice is the answer. Sorry if I wrote something stupid as I said I'm sleepy as hell

[panicdevil]

Thanks for the reply!
Unfortunately I live in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, but maybe some other degu owner closer to you will find the cage handy
Also I will be sure to use those tips =)

[panicdevil]

Oh yes, and a bit of an update:
I put a shirt I wore for a while in their cage, they seemed to ignore it but they burrowed underneath it a bit to get to the bottom level. I think I caught one of them trying to pull the whole shirt through the tiny square opening to get it to the bottom level!

Only one of them actually comes to me for food when I put out my hand, he will put his paws on my hand and I will immediately give him a treat. After he gets the treat he will immediately run back into the cage and eat it in the corner. Unfortunately this same degu is very adventurous and will dash out of the cage at any possibility he can. He tricked me by walking on to my hand, looking around a moment then hopping off my hand on to the ground and running about in the room. The only way to get him back in is to either wait for him to go in himself or wait for him to walk into the hamster ball I have lying around. The degus seem to be trained to crawl in it when I put it down but I have no idea how they picked that up. (I dont put them in the ball at all, I just use it to transport them to their cage. I know the balls can break their backs.)

The other degu doesn't like to come out of the hanging sock tunnel when Im near the cage and is terrified if someone even moves in the room.

So I don't think these poor guys will ever trust me =(

[deguconvert]

Don't give up just yet. It is still possible with time and the RIGHT TREATS! Do look in the food and feeding board at the edible treats thread and several of the others for feeding. Then start trying some things until you find that one something that they will turn themselves inside out to have, and you start making great headway. Degus LIVE to eat. LOL!

[amie]

They sure do live to eat! and DESTROY! Lol

[shaz]

Keep going and trying you will get there in time with the other degu.

I fond my love porridge oats. I atarted byn puttinhg some on my hand and letting them eat it from there.

Sorry i cant be of more help Im a fairly new owner myself but like ive already said keep going you have done the right thing by giving them a home

[molly]

Yeah, I agree it needs persistence...i've had mine just over 2 months now and we are making slow progress with handling! They are starting to come to us rather than running away when we open the cage doors. They've taken a big step backwards today though, we had a new wheel delivered today after they broke the rolly they had! They aren't interested in us anymore! lol.

We've found that our really love sunflower seeds and dried sweetcorn kernells but we try not to give them too many as these are quite fatty...degutopia has some good treat recipies, mine love the oaty/herby balls I made from that site!

[marracraighead]

molly I have only seen the receipe for the not eating treats I will look for others ty for the tip