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Post by fred on Nov 10, 2011 11:56:36 GMT
Just wanted to say that Mäuschen had the first oestrus after the one when she displayed different behaviour. This time: nothing noticeable, nothing at all. Maybe the last one was the odd one out, which would of course be most welcome. More likely, it may indicate that the hypothesis of slowly increasing oestrus display, with some variation as to the degree, is correct.
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Post by blossombrooks on Nov 10, 2011 18:31:58 GMT
Thanks Fred :-) that's interesting. Keep me posted what happens over the next few if you would. Well I'm expecting an interesting display from Daisy this month, we now have Dougal living next door and it's either going to whip her into a frenzy or calm her down. Either way I'll post the outcome but I'm hoping for a harmonious household by the time her next cycle rolls around.
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 15, 2011 1:13:12 GMT
Just a question . . . do degus have two ova, just like human females do? It is known that some women have a different menstruation reaction depending on which ovary releases the egg. Many notice no difference from left to right side, where as others always know which side is ovulating because of the different sensations or intensity of pain. So . . . just wondering if there can be a similar difference in degus?
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Post by blossombrooks on Nov 15, 2011 19:49:22 GMT
www.biolreprod.org/content/84/4/664.abstractWell have a read of this, it seems to suggest two like us. I still don't know why some exhibit more than others but more research comes out all the time so one day I'm sure someone will crack it. It's possibly daisy's peak day today and if anything so far she is a *little* calmer but I haven't been to let them out yet which is when I usually can confirm what sort of month she's having. Please, please let Dougal google be working his manly magic on her! God, there's a sentence I never thought I'd type......
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Post by fred on Nov 15, 2011 19:58:38 GMT
@ blossombrooks I have a copy of the full paper if you are interested. Would have to send it by email, can't put on the forum because of copyright.
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Post by blossombrooks on Nov 15, 2011 22:16:31 GMT
Hi Fred, I think I may have read the full version but yes please an email would be lovely! I'll pm you my email address. :-)
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Post by fred on Dec 14, 2011 23:19:52 GMT
Two months ago I reported a strong oestrus display by Mäuschen. Since then she has been through two further cycles with no noticeable changes in behaviour. Last weekend now it was Ratte's turn, who hadn't shown anything before. She was hyperactive on their running disc, lost and by now regained 14g, and did 1 1/2 days of context-free squeaking. It was a striking display. What I have noticed now is that these two strong displays fell within two days of a full moon. Maybe it's just coincidence but I wouldn't be surprised if it's more.
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Post by blossombrooks on Dec 20, 2011 22:40:03 GMT
Update: Well since I last updated our degu household has been changing dramatically for the better! Since I started introducing Dougal to pepper and daisy I honestly cannot tell if daisy has been in oestrus or not!! It seems to have completely altered her hormones by having a boy about. They haven't mated but just him being around seems to have calmed her down entirely. I have my lovely little sweetheart back all the time, she isn't frustrated or stressed. It's great! Her peak day last month didn't really come to it's usual frenzy and this months has been and gone but as I said, no outward symptoms. It could be a fluke but I hope this is how daisy will be from now on. She's even gained a little weight! She was borderline underweight (shes the runt anyway) but now I'm much happier with her weight. Now if I can just get them all to live together that'll make my year....
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 21, 2011 5:03:43 GMT
How lovely it would be!! Perhaps a very intimate heart to heart talk about learning to get along and thereby greatly improving their lives and yours, would work? I'm only half ways kidding . . . .
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Post by Kins on Dec 21, 2011 9:56:53 GMT
I'm so pleased to hear Daisy has calmed down so much. As a woman we all know what our 'cycles' can be like, so to hear she is feeling much better is lovely!
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Post by blossombrooks on Dec 21, 2011 10:59:07 GMT
Thanks Kins! It's such a relief and she really is an absolute petal when she's not in heat, we had cuddles and belly rubs last night, awwwww. DC we actually made progress with the co habiting! Yay! It's still tiny steps but after a humdinger of a boxing session Pepper and Dougal are seemingly happy to be in each others company, phew! Daisy humped Dougal but I can see a fight will have to happen there too before we make more progress. It's working though and I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever get to say that. I've had to learn to grit my teeth and wait the fight out, it's very hard to watch but I was so proud of Pepper, she's still boss even with a big strong boy about.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 21, 2011 15:34:50 GMT
WOOHOO!! That is good news indeed!! Daisy is feeling better, Pepper is still boss . . . you are so close to getting them all together!!! Well done, love! I'm hoping it won't be long now before you see a pile of three VERY happy degus.
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Post by blossombrooks on Dec 23, 2011 21:44:43 GMT
So daisy has come into heat this month after all, same pattern but not quite as frantic. However....I am writing this while being an unfortunate witness to Dougal de-flowering my little daisy!!!!! she seems to very much LIKE Dougal all of a sudden. Lol. Looks like my little group has formed!! Dougal's tail wagged so fast when he caught her scent I thought it might fall off!! Well colour me educated.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 24, 2011 5:49:19 GMT
ROTFL!!!
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Post by blossombrooks on Oct 19, 2013 23:24:34 GMT
Well it's been a while but here we are again! Daisy is on her peak day today, well I hope it's today anyway because the poor thing is driving herself nuts and I hate to watch her like this. It's the first big oestrus of the breeding season from what I can tell and it's lasting longer than usual. She's in a lot of distress, wheel running manically, letting out loud squeaks and pips and marking everywhere with urine. Last year was the same, despite Dougal now living with the girls Daisy still has her crazy start to the season. It *should* calm down after today and the next time *should* be easier but I don't know. Last year Dougal and Daisy mated often and it really did seem to help but this so far this time he's shown little interest. Here's an interesting question, does the male degu mate less when they get older? Doog is 5, maybe 5 and a half, he's certainly not ancient by degu standards but I guess he's slightly senior. Pep still wants no 'funny business' thank you very much and batters poor Doog if he tries but she is insanely jealous of Daisy having alone time with him. It's like watching a degu soap opera sometimes! Dougal def has a soft spot for Pep too though, he gives her food and tucks her up in bed with his prized tissues which I thought was so adorable I teared up when I first saw him do it. So back to my Daisy-pickle, it's a case of making sure she gets extra food at this point as due to the excessive wheel running her body weight plummets. She's had some linseeds to herself just now which should help. I'm in two minds about leaving the wheel in but it won't help her frustrations if I remove it, only ease mine. Please, please let today be the worst of it, my poor baby.
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Post by ntg on Oct 20, 2013 0:38:28 GMT
I'm sorry to hear you're having problems again Blossom, I hope it is near the end for her cycle!
As far as degu age goes, I don't think it makes much of a difference. My old boy, Gandalf, was estimated to be 6 year old when he came into the rescue we got him from as part of a mixed group. He'd gotten the two females pregnant, then caught at least one after they gave birth (there were so many pups they felt the nickname "Big Daddy" suited him). How long ago was Dougal neutered?
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Post by blossombrooks on Oct 20, 2013 8:56:20 GMT
Oh bless him, lol, very virile then!
It's 2 years aprox. since Dougal was neutered, I'm sure I saw him trying to mate with Daisy a few weeks back (she wasn't very interested then) so that's why I'm confused he's not reacting now. Maybe I'll start studying his patterns too? I wonder if they're just out of sync.
I've checked on Daisy this morning and given her a treat, she was pretty sleepy so it looks like she's at least had some rest.
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Post by ntg on Oct 20, 2013 11:19:14 GMT
Lol males of all species tend to stay virile all their lives, it's usually just that sperm count/quality will decrease. Maybe he's that scared of Pepper's wrath that he doesn't dare go near Daisy? I was wondering if it could have had something to do with the decrease in testosterone from the op, but if it was two years ago then I think it would have balanced out long ago. It's possible that he's just not feeling up to it this month, particularly if Daisy is in one of her crazy modes.
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 20, 2013 17:01:23 GMT
This sounds so tough to watch and go through.
Is her first cycle of the breeding season suddenly worse than the previous cycle or does it build up and then wane again through the winter?
Did you ever look into hormone therapy? I don't really know anything about it, but I've seen on programmes like Monkey Life that they seem to put quite a lot of the monkey species of all different sizes either on the pill or more commonly give them implants. I just wondered if dosing could be scaled down even further to degu size.
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Post by blossombrooks on Oct 20, 2013 22:59:37 GMT
Thanks for the support you two, I really appreciate it @ntg Yeah poor Dougal, Pep is as scary as she is gorgeous @molette It's very tough to see, it's like she's on self-destruct sometimes. The last cycle she had was very slightly worse than the ones over the summer, which to the untrained eye would go unnoticed, but there isn't a lot of build up, the next one should be easier but she'll have noticeable cycles now until February(ish). I haven't looked into HRT for her, mainly because our vet at the time was only willing to cover the basics but we have a new vet now so it could be worth checking out with him. Of course the ultimate option is to have Daisy neutered too but I just can't risk it, I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to her. That's why I went to great lengths to get a male degu who had already been done so I didn't have the worry. I'm sure I'll figure something out one day, I really thought I'd cracked it getting Dougal but time will tell how the next few months will be. She's certainly past the peak today, she's a lot less distressed, still wheel running and scent marking but much calmer.
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