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Post by cleocat on Oct 4, 2011 22:09:37 GMT
My degu was neutered a month ago after surprising us with a litter (we thought both goos were male as one was adopted and we had no idea she was a girl!), and since the operation I've caught him on several occasions trying to hump the babies! We had the pups sexed by our vet who proclaimed them both boys which was what we thought, so could it be that Basil (dad) is just a bit confused after the operation? I was thinking maybe something to do with hormone levels etc...
Also, I've noticed he's had a growth spurt too, not nessecarily getting fatter but he's definitely looking larger as a whole - is he more at risk of getting obese after the op?
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Post by smithomatic on Oct 4, 2011 22:58:41 GMT
I think its just a dominence thing, dad is showing the little ones hes the boss..
As for weight gain post op, I dont really have the expertise to give you advice. Perhaps you can modify his diet to prevent obesity. It may well just be a growth spurt. I didnt actually realise how big my degus were (they are not overweight) till I got a puppy, then I realised!
Hope this helps
Smithomatic
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 5, 2011 1:07:06 GMT
The humping of the pups of pretty normal, no matter if the hump"er" is neutered or not. I'm not so sure about the growth spurt. It's not been mentioned before following other surgeries. However, I don't feel alarmed by it. It is likely that he was going to grow a bit more either way. Degus seem to grow up to about a year of age, so if he is less than that, he was likely due to grow a bit anyway. If you are concerned, you might just want to weigh him on a weekly basis and keep a log of what you are seeing. If he continues to grow and gain weight, I would report it here, along with what you have recorded, as well as his age as close as you know it.
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Post by malteser60 on Oct 5, 2011 11:02:35 GMT
My older girls carried on 'growing' even after a year old. Up until about 3 months ago they looked sleeker and more toned. Then in the past few months they have increased in girth, and a bit in weight (although still within the healthy range) and now look like proper adult degus. They just have become 'stockier' i guess is the right word. But all this happened when the were over the 1 year mark.
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Post by cleocat on Oct 7, 2011 20:42:17 GMT
Thanks everyone. Yeah he was neutered at just over 6 months so I guess that's probably why he's growing, just wondered if hormone levels might be making him get chubby or something! As for the humping though, it seemed like he wasn't just mounting them for dominance he was really "going for it" and chewing on his bits afterwards..? :s
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Post by malteser60 on Oct 7, 2011 21:34:23 GMT
According to other forum members who have neutered males they will still 'go for it' but no pregnancy. And apparently it makes for a more settled degu colony!
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 8, 2011 3:32:25 GMT
Don't worry, he wasn't self mutilating . . . he was doing . . . indepth . . . self cleaning. Also VERY normal for any male degu . . . fully equipped or neutered.
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