Howdy from Canada

[Karma]

Hey everyone! I'm a new degu owner from Calgary, Alberta (Canada). I fell in love with two babies we got in at my work - a large pet store. I just had to take them home. So I now have Einstein who was the littlest out of all 14 babies and Hercules which is his brother.

I'm not sure about ages but both still have the baby long fur and quite tiny so I'm guessing about 6-8 weeks old. Have to remember to ask my manager if we know their birthdays.

I am very jealous of all you UK people - you guys have the best cages!! Over here in Canada degus aren't that popular so I'm very limited in cages, food etc. I'm trying to get my hands on a midwest critter nation but even that is proven VERY difficult. So I guess for now the babies get my small tank (30 gallon) until I can find a suitable cage. All of the solid metal cages available to me have 1" bar spacing which the youngens can fit through (already tried - they fit through going after treats)

You should see me around often - pictures will be coming as soon as the goos settle in a bit more (had them since thursday).

[malteser60]

Hi karma, welcome to the forum!

We have a few degu owners here from Canada, our global moderator (deguconvert) is Canadian, and another moderator NightwishRaven is also from Canada. I'm sure they'll be able to give you lots of advice where to get degu items in Canada.

[davx]

Hello,

welcome to our forum .
There are in fact some owners here from Canada.
But cages are also here a problem. Well, we have in fact more possibilities, but most cages in the pet shops here aren't suitable for degus, the terrariums and aquariums mostly are to small or they are heavy and expensive. So most people have to build their own cages or have to find a professional cage builder. IKEA for example became a good surrogate for pet shops: they provide cheap furniture, which can be used as base for a new degu cage. In combination with wiremesh, metal stripe (=protection against gnawing the edges) and a jigsaw (for the "windows") it is easy to transform a wardrobe to a degu cage.

Here is an example of such a selfmade degu cage:

[Karma]

hehehe that is the same pantry we have our food in. The problem with making a cage is that I have absolutely NO experience and no tools. However I might be able to get my brother to help me .... but not for a while.

[davx]

That is in fact a problem. Do it yourself isn't a big topic in Canada?

However I might be able to get my brother to help me .... but not for a while.

Good idea. And yes, building cages takes time. I make plans for a new cage for severlal years. Probably I start next year... In 2008 I built my recent one.

[smithomatic]

Hey Karma and welcome!!

BUILD BUILD BUILD!

I had 0% experience of any kind of DIY. My degu cage is the first ever thing I have built. Like you I have no tools so I had to borrow most of them from my grandad ( I have bought some tools now though). It was a very rewarding experience!

I would recommend asking your brother for help as you suggested, I had my brother and friend help me build.

The final product is excellent, you will be so happy with it when its ready, I garuntee!

There are plenty of guides on how to build degu cages that are starting to float around the web, see nightwishravens chanel on utube for some great inspiration.

The most important thing is to take your time, I spend 3months just planning my 1st cage! I wish you luck in advance as I am sure you will undertake the building process, it is inevitable!

welcome aboard!

[Ady]

I didn't have any DIY experience either before building my cage. I never hold a saw in my hand before and although my cage isn't perfect, it's the best thing I did since getting my goos. Just like been said, if you do a lots of research and planning, you will be ok.

[deguconvert]

HOWWWWWDYYYYYY KARMA!!!! Sorta thought your howdy indicated that we were from the same woods!!! Welcome to the forum!!
My first experience with power tools was building my degu cage. Like the others have said, it was the best thing I've done for them. You would be surprised how well you will do! There are tons of different ideas on here for degu cages, so have a look through the cages board. You'll see lots of alternatives that will be sure to get your mind working on ideas of your own. I suggest that you might also look on Kijiji Calgary and see what furniture is on there that you could flip into a cage.

Have to ask, did you get your babies from the Petland Deerfoot Meadows store?

[Karma]

Nope, my babies are from my work - Pisces Pet Emporium. It up in the north - deerfoot and mcknight.

I thought the howdy would work - I want to find a small cowboy hat and see if I can get a picture of my goos wearing it but I'll let them get use to me first

[deguconvert]

LOL! Pisces Pet Emporium?? I'm way down south so don't get up north a lot. Might have to drop in sometime though. ;D

As for cowboy hats that are small, maybe look for Barbie type clothing in the toy stores.

[yasmin]

Hi. I'm from Ottawa, Canada. The cages I use are the "Midwest Critter Nation Double-Unit" cages (Not the Ferret Nation...The Critter Nation. The Critter Nation has the right bar-spacing). I ordered mine from Flowertown Chinchillas in Brampton Ontario.

They also make deep metal trays that keep the bedding from being thrown out the bars. These cages are super easy to clean, are huge, give the goos four-storeys to climb up and down from, and are on casters so they can be moved. They ship ready to assemble. I love them so much, I have three of them.

[Karma]

yasmin: That is the cage I want and it looks like we should be able to stock it in the store Yay!! Finally one decent cage for degus now hopefully it won't be $500 through our wholesaler.

[yasmin]

Glad I could help.

I get the cage for under $300 each from Flower Town Chinchillas. For the top metal tray (that holds in the bedding) they charge about $40 and for the bottom tray they charge about $30. Then you have to add taxes and shipping to this. For me in Ottawa, it comes to under $500.

[NightwishRaven999]

@ Karma
Salut ! Welcome to the forum !
Continue looking through the forum topics. I am certain you will find many more useful gems of insight.

Several degu owners here have been working on a beginner's guide to degus.
Here is the link: octodondegus.weebly.com/ten-steps-to-keeping-happier-and-healthier-degus.html

It is great to meet someone who finds herself in a position to help others learn about degus. In another thread, you mentioned degus were gaining popularity quickly and that clients often had questions or inquiries about them.

Our goal here is to help each other learn new things and to help promote good pet keeping standards. Working in public, you can have a really good impact on the way degus are viewed in your area and the way they are housed, fed and cared for.

Very glad to have you with us !
Make yourself at home

[ostrich]

Hey all!

First time poster.

My 8 year old son, who is an animal lover, has been working for 2 years now to get his grades up to earn the ultimate prize of his choice which is a couple of Degus. He went to an animal camp for a couple weeks last year where he fell in love with them.

The school year is coming to an end (hopefully the grades are there!!!) and I have been doing my research on all things Degus. The one thing I have not been able to find is a breeder in the southern Ontario area. DOes anyone here know of any? I really want to avoid getting them at a chain pet store. We live in Toronto and I would definitely be willing to travel a couple hours to get them for our family.

Any info is greatly appreciated and thanks for this great Degu resource!

[yasmin]

Hi ostrich. Welcome to the forum.

You might want to try your local humane society or RSPCA. Degus are often abandoned by their owners because they are alot more work and require alot more specialized care than most people expect.
Also, accidental pregnancies are fairly common because it is very difficult to tell the males and females apart – so these babies are often surrendered or given away.

Another way to find degus is by checking the Adoption Centre on this site.

Also, you can try the Petfinder site – there you can enter in your postal code and how far you are willing to travel and it will bring up any degus that might be awaiting adoption.

Good luck with your search.

[littlepaws1999]

ostrich I would look on kijiji, there's lots of listings of younger and older, male or female degus.

Also you mention you don't want to buy from a pet store, but there is one in Cortice, On (Pet Valu) which has started to breed their own degus. I recently went and bought 2 from them, but I believe they are all sold now. That female is most likely pregnant again so it might be useful I call them and possibly ask about it.

[ostrich]

Thanks for the help all! I like how a Pet Valu has started breeding their own. I will definitely give them a call. I also, as part of the adding to our family, want my wife, son and I to visit some before making the plunge as I want us all to understand what we would be adding. They aren't fish in a tank. These guys will be interacting with us and be part of the fam just like our cats.

[moletteuk]

Have a good look around the forum to get idea of what it is like to have them in your family. In particular feeding involves collecting or buying plants for forage, and they need a big cage like a Double Critter Nation or a home built cage, and you will need a safe room or playpen for interacting with them, and be prepared for them trying to escape every time you open the cage, and they aren't necessarily cuddly although they can be affectionate in their own way.

[ostrich]

I have been definitely diving into the forum here as well as the google and youtube. The cage size is not a problem and an open space that is secure is not an issue either. I appreciate this resource so much. We are not taking bringing Degus, or any animal for that matter, into our family lightly. I hope I am not coming across that way! Thanks again all!