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Post by nonstopasltu on Sept 18, 2011 11:42:49 GMT
Well my degu is really really active right now he keeps diging everything to one place chews everything and runs everywhere i cant sleep and focus. his fur is changing too i found much hair in his nest.Maybe he need a female degu? He doesnt run so often in the wheel he just keeps diging...HELP!
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Post by Maravilla on Sept 18, 2011 16:16:00 GMT
How old is your degu? Younger degus are more active than older ones. Do you keep him alone? Is it a boy? Not neutered? In this case don't introduce him with girls but look for 1-2 boys. You cannot give him what he needs. Only other degus can provide the necessary company for these social animals. Or in other words: You need to be a degu to be a good member of a degu family.
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Post by nonstopasltu on Sept 21, 2011 13:14:12 GMT
Hes almost 2 yrs old, hes a boy and he never did this before. He never had a reliationship with other degus. And im scared if they will fight all the time
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Post by Maravilla on Sept 21, 2011 14:39:53 GMT
Degus are very social animals. They need other degus to be happy. A human can NEVER replace another degu: we do not behave like degus, we do no communicate like degus and we can't groom a degu properly. Introduction of degus is not easy. It depends very much on the character of the animals. But I think it's necesary to try it out when there is a lonely degu. He doesn't deserve being alone. So I really ask you to look for another 1-2 male degus. Ask the owner about the possibility of giving them back if it doesn't work out. But don't keep your degu alone for the rest of his life (5-6 more years are possible). It's just not fair.
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Post by nonstopasltu on Sept 23, 2011 7:30:22 GMT
Well he never did this before and if this will stop i will get him a friend but if not... I just dont know what to do. After about 2 weeks i will try to find a friend. But its gonna be hard to make the other one a friend of mine again.
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Post by Maravilla on Sept 23, 2011 15:20:49 GMT
I would get him a friend in any case!!!
Imagine you were a very social person who really needed other people to feel comfortable, protected, happy. You are born to be with others. Then, one day, you are sent to a lonely island. Just you, nobody else. Nobody to be with, nobody to talk with, nobody who gives you comfort, who helps or protects you. How do you think would you feel?
This is exactly how your little friend is feeling.
He needs a friend, another degu to be with!!! There is nothing to discuss about, there is no reason to deny him the company he needs and deserves.
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Post by harpic01 on Sept 25, 2011 9:00:17 GMT
I totally agree its the golden rule that goo's live in pairs at the least - of course if they are grieving they have some time on their own but i have 6 degu's 2 together and 4 in another cage- they spend all day talking to each other winding each other up - sleeping together and most importantly grooming - they love being out with me but they love being in a team or just the two of them - living on his own will cause him stress and loneliness that we as humans will not be able to understand, degu's should never be sold separately unless going to join another - it is cruel I'm sorry to say and in the wild they can live in groups of up to 40 - 60 but they certainly don't live alone - If its too hard to get him a friend in the same cage at least get another one next to him - get a baby they integrate better - if this is too much trouble then perhaps you should think about giving him away because the most important thing is making him happy. Im not a weirdo who's whole life is 100% degu but when i am at home they are very important and my friends and if i thought i was making them unhappy i would make sure someone could make them happy for me. Sorry but i agree totally with Maravilla
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Post by harpic01 on Sept 25, 2011 9:03:20 GMT
Sorry just like to state didn't mean offence by weirdo with goo's but what i mean is that i have a balanced view on the issues of getting another goo and integrating etc and am an animal lover but practical as well - hence the comment also not meant to offend that if its too much for you rehome him. Im not awake yet and coffee is needed - and bracing myself for the comments back
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Post by nonstopasltu on Sept 26, 2011 12:11:03 GMT
i was thinking about it and then i sayd it to my mom she said like if they both will do the same digging chewing, runing thing? If they wont stop. If i wont sleep at night more than now!?
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 26, 2011 17:24:50 GMT
Nontopasltu . . . I do appologise . . . I have been addressing you as though you are an adult living on your own, with your own money to do things with . . . and I now realize this is not the case, as I have just had a look at your profile. Would your Mom be willing to have a look on the forum here? Have left a comment on your other thread regarding the size of your cage, and I do believe this is a significant contributor to the mental state of your degu. However, if your Mom can have gain some understanding as well, then she can make some decisions based on what she has learned and join you in your efforts to help your degu become more settled.
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Post by harpic01 on Sept 26, 2011 18:32:44 GMT
Oh opps is a bit harder when its mum buying - well done deguconvert
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Post by malteser60 on Sept 26, 2011 18:57:58 GMT
nonstopasltu, I strongly agree with Deguconvert. Can you also involve your mum here on the forum so she can understand and make a balanced decision.
I also strongly advice to get another friend for your degu. I don't want to be negative but degu's should never ever live alone. In the wild they live in huge colonies, up to 40 or so (or even more). They are totally dependent on each other for support, grooming (very very important especially for hard to get to places like the ears), comfort, well being, and so on. Degu's living on their own have been known to fall into depression, change of character so they can become very angry, or very lethargic, and sometimes their life expectancy can decrease. To an extent you can that friend but your degu will spend lots of hours alone when you are at school for example.
Most likely having another degu will help calm him down and establish a routine.
Until you make that decision (which I'm really hoping you will try and get him a friend) we can try and calm your degu down a bit. I take it from your last comment that you are having trouble sleeping because of the noise. Degus are very hyperactive animals, and they also like to change their minds! For example, with my degus for a few months they were very calm, then after that they spent two months being very active. However you want the degu to be active during the day. You can try doing this by establishing a routine with your degu. For example, before you go to bed let your degu have a good run outside the cage, then feed the degu before light out and bed time. Do this regularly and hopefully he will start to settle down and sleep during the night.
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Post by nonstopasltu on Sept 27, 2011 10:38:48 GMT
Thanks!But my cage is small, i was at the other forum couple years and other guys said that for one degu is good the cage i have, but now u say that i need 100x60x100. Mine is 85x65x50cm. Im still young i live with my parents and i cant do what i want, i really love degu and i plan when i will be fulyl grown, have a job and have 4 degu big wooden cage... But now i think he will have to live alone...
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Post by fred on Sept 27, 2011 10:57:37 GMT
Hi nonstopasltu, first of all I would like to say that the difficult situation you and your degu are finding yourselves in is not your fault. You have informed yourself, and indeed Degutopia says that you can keep two degus in the cage you have. You were not to know that this advice is wrong and deeply irresponsible.
We are here to help you to make the best of the situation. The most important thing that we can say to you, and others have already explained it, is that your degu NEEDS a companion. This is really necessary and kind of not negotiable. Next is to make the best of the limited resources you have. Deguconvert got a bit carried away and the cage doesn't need to be that big. Let's see whether we can suggest to extend your cage in a way that makes it better suitable but doesn't cost much. Could you please post a pic of the whole cage?
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Post by nonstopasltu on Sept 27, 2011 11:11:53 GMT
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Post by Kat on Sept 27, 2011 11:36:48 GMT
Do you have a sandbath or a wheel? Are you able to let your degu out for a run around? He will really like that and it may help with the bar chewing. I do understand that you are tring to do the best that you can for your degu so if anything that I sounds "not nice" I don't mean it to. Kat x
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Post by fred on Sept 27, 2011 11:41:10 GMT
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 27, 2011 15:02:53 GMT
One of our other members, Amie, recently turned her cage over onto it's side, giving more length to the running room . . . what if Nonstop were to do that, Fred? (Here is a link to her thread, deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=8982 ) Would it change the dynamic of the cage enough to provide stress relief and greater interest for the degu?
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Post by fred on Sept 27, 2011 15:31:13 GMT
One of our other members, Amie, recently turned her cage over onto it's side, giving more length to the running room . . . what if Nonstop were to do that, Fred? (Here is a link to her thread, deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=8982 ) Would it change the dynamic of the cage enough to provide stress relief and greater interest for the degu? That was also my first thought but I think it would still require an extension of some sort. If I understood it correctly and nonstopasltu has made the cage himself, there should be some potential there.
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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Sept 28, 2011 2:48:26 GMT
You have received some very good advice here nonstopasltu.
We are really glad to hear you love your degu and that you plan on building a cage and housing more later on in life. Although your situation is different and your ressources limited, Fred makes an excellent point. You must use what you have and make the best of it for your degu.
As was already mentioned, your degu needs to have a companion. You will see a large difference in the behavior of your degu once he is living with a friend. As for the cage, I believe Fred, Deguconvert and Kat are raising the right questions and providing good solutions.
As an adolescent, you do have one ressource at your disposal. You must rely on a parent for financial support, so involving your mother on the forum would be the best way to help your degu.
This is something you should consider.
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