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Post by jbaggs92 on Oct 26, 2011 3:33:44 GMT
Is it possible to train Degus to only poo and pee in a certain place? I know that you can teach ferrets, and Degus have to be smarter than ferrets. If it is possible, how could I do it? It would help a whole lit when it come to how often I'd have to clean the cage. I'm planning on making them a pretty large cage anyway, so it won't get too bad very often, but there will still be three of them in one cage (not very many in a cage, I know, but that's still a whole lot of degu crap!). So yeah, I guess that's a behavior question. But what do y'all have to say about that?
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 26, 2011 3:50:52 GMT
No . . . not really. It actually goes against their nature to only poo and pee in one place. They use their urine as a trail marker and to communicate important information (who is ready to mate, who is boss, health status etc) to other degus. The poos . . . well . . . probably less information in them than in the urine, but still gets well spread about. You can give it a try, but when it goes against their nature like this would, it won't happen easily, and will be difficult to completely integrate into their brains.
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Post by winic1 on Oct 26, 2011 15:57:35 GMT
Over time our two boys have decided to mostly pee down in the bottom level of the cage where the chips are, and mostly near/in the wheel (it's mesh, what fun!). They used to pee just everywhere, even in their hut, and then would rip up more of the coconut hull mat that covers the upper floors to layer over it. But now, they rarely hit the coco-mat, or the grass mats on the half-levels, or in the dustbath. Occasionally they send one down the side bars of the cage (my daughter seems to observe, or maybe trigger, this). But finally, after 2 years, they are controlling their pees.
The poos, however, are everywhere. They do seem to push them out of their huts as their are piles just outside the edges. And somehow, nobody knows just how, when there is apparently no degu out and moving around, a single poo will fly out smack into the middle of the room. We're talking a good 8 feet or more (2.5 meters or more) away. Have seen it suddenly appear.
I think they built a little catapult out of their chewsticks, inside their hut.
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Post by jbaggs92 on Oct 26, 2011 16:24:25 GMT
Ah, ok. I found an article saying it is possible, but I think I'm gonna go with y'all on this one. Thanks!
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 27, 2011 2:40:25 GMT
And somehow, nobody knows just how, when there is apparently no degu out and moving around, a single poo will fly out smack into the middle of the room. We're talking a good 8 feet or more (2.5 meters or more) away. Have seen it suddenly appear. I think they built a little catapult out of their chewsticks, inside their hut. LOL!! This is a skill that has been much discussed and has been likened to Olympic events such as the discus and shotput. I do believe there is a very distinct pride taken by degus in their "pooput and pooscus" abilities! |
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Post by amie on Oct 27, 2011 3:02:50 GMT
They certainly do like to throw their poo! My rat's don't do it, just the degus! lol.
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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Oct 27, 2011 4:38:26 GMT
James, you have already received some great answers.
I will just add that in your wooden cage you will notice the degu poo much less.
With only three degus in the size of cage you are planning, the cage will only need cleaning on a monthly basis.
It can be hard to imagine right now, but once you get your enclosure up and running you will be surprised to find the cage stay clean even after one, two and three weeks.
Also a little something I want to mention...degus are indeed complex, and very interesting.
But I dont think we can say they are smarter than rats or ferrets....they are simply, different ;D
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Post by jbaggs92 on Oct 27, 2011 4:53:51 GMT
Thanks you guys! All of these answers help. And when you said that we can't really say that degus are smarter than rats or ferrets, I guess that is true, degus are just so much more... I don't know. I've had three sets of two rats growing up, and they just didn't have the personality that my degus have.
PS
I gave my degus some toilet paper today after all of the hullabaloo you can read about in the 'More Biting!!!' post, and they loved the crap out of it! It was so cute to watch them try to pull it away from one another and to drag it around! I love them so much!
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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Oct 27, 2011 5:08:28 GMT
I gave my degus some toilet paper today after all of the hullabaloo you can read about in the 'More Biting!!!' post, and they loved the crap out of it! It was so cute to watch them try to pull it away from one another and to drag it around! I love them so much! They really do enjoy soft tissue ;D Next time take an egg box cardboard and fill it up with toilet paper...you will laugh your head of watching the degus trying to open the box and drag the toilet paper out ! |
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