Original Degus - accept no substitutes!

00goddess @ 12:29 am: No More Degus
A few days ago, my degu Isabell died. She was 9 years old, very old for a degu. She was happy and bright right up until the end; she had a stroke and then passed very quickly.

Her daughter, Daisy, was left alone. Daisy was sad. She sat in the wheel looking bummed. When we cleaned her cage, she made a hole in the bedding and buried her face in it. But yesterday and today she seemed to be perking up a little . . . and then today, she died in her sleep. She was 8 years old.

Isabell and Daisy were both born with us and lived with us, and together, their whole lives. They were both sweet girls who were loving and fun. I will miss their sweet faces.

jadededges @ 02:42 pm: a just curious question
How old was the oldest degu you ever had?

starfishthreads @ 01:13 pm: Looking for Degus near Raleigh, NC or Columbus, Ohio

Hello everyone,
My husband, Ben, and I have been searching for Degu breeders near our home in Creedmoor, NC (very close to Raleigh/Durham) or my mom's home in Columbus, Ohio.  It seems they are very hard to find.  We would love to adopt 2 or 3 baby/young degus in the next few months.
We have never kept them, but are about to lose yet another 2 year old rat to cancer and it is heartbreaking.  We have been researching them and watching videos on youtube and they seem perfect for us. 
There is one pet shop in Wake Forest, NC that says they may be able to special order them in a month or so, but I would much rather deal with a breeder.
If anybody has any information, please let me know.
Thanks so much,
Krista

eternalduck @ 01:17 am: chinchill breads little degus!
A month ago 8 degus were born


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Tags: funny, pictures

__sasami__ @ 02:01 am: Degu Survey
Hi guys :). I'm doing a survey of degu care and was hoping some of you might be able to fill it out. It's not for any particular project (yet) but more out of interest. If I get enough responses and/or learn anything significant, I'll definitely share the results.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YXGDBQD

If this isn't allowed, I apologize (I didn't see anything in the community rules that says so). There isn't anything commercial about this survey, it's really just for fun :).

Thanks in advance!

sweet_mel @ 03:17 pm: Tiki & Olivia
Enjoying morning breakfast with me. Cheerios for all.
Tiki:

Olivia:

spudjuice @ 05:48 pm: fur loss?
One of my degus has suddenly developed little bald spots. They're on her legs and around her eyes, with the most noticeable being on her left eye. The skin is fine - it does not appear swollen, red or flaky. She's otherwise the same as normal.

Could it be stress, or possibly the other degu? Dilly is a bit overpowering, and I have seen her grooming Tet-Tet's face. The third degu was recently put to sleep, which could be a source of stress.

EDIT: I really think the fur loss is because of Dilly. I just watched her grooming Tet-Tet's face and legs from the front. She's really yanking on the fur! I hope she cuts it out... poor Tet-Tet looks awful! =|

sweet_mel @ 02:00 pm: Sudden Personality Change
I have had my two degus for almost a year now and they have gotten along great. Nothing out of the ordinary. Up until two weeks ago.

Tiki is a bit bigger than Olivia is. Olivia used to be shy and just mind her own business during play time. Recently though they had a big scrap (some bleeding happened) while out of their cage and Olivia just stopped coming out of the cage. Tiki has no problems running around and playing on the table. But Olivia just won't bother.

I have now separated them because I couldn't get the fighting to stop. Everytime I'd let them out to play the horrible fights would start (with bleeding and cuts everytime). They are in separate cages side by side. But Olivia is really high-strung and can't seem to settle down. I notice that Tiki misses Olivia but they can't be in the same cage.

I'm not sure what to do or what the cause is. Why is Olivia all of a sudden the aggresive one? She has gone from being shy and mellow one day to suddenly angry. I don't understand. I've tried researching sicknesses but she's not lethargic or anything just really upset.

If I keep them separated should they be side by side so they can see each other? And Tiki seems lonely, do I try another friend for her? I'm just at a loss of what to do. HELP!?!

static_hiss @ 05:17 pm: degus suddenly nasty & violent toward each other :(
So I've had my boys Wakka and Chappu for about six and a half years, until Wakka passed away a couple months ago. A week and a half ago I picked up two new boys from a shelter, Diego and Charlie. Diego is about one and a half years old; Charlie is his grandson and is only about two and a half months old. Both Diego and Charlie are very friendly and snuggly with humans (as I type this, Charlie is chillin' in my shirt pocket) and they generally get along great with each other. I just put Chappu in with the new guys (after having them in side-by-side cages for a week) a couple days ago, and aside from some typical dominance scuffles and shoving matches, they seemed to be getting along just fine, all of them snuggling and grooming each other, no fights over food, etc.

And then suddenly last night, Charlie and Diego started FLIPPING OUT at each other, not just typical dominance scuffles, but really nasty fighting! I had to separate them, and they're still not getting along today. Every time I've tried to put them back together, Diego attacks Charlie, Charlie flips out and turns on Chappu. Even in side-by-side cages, Diego and Charlie have been staring at each other, Diego making some strange low sounds, and Charlie doing the "chirp! ...chirp! ...chirp! ...chirp!" thing I'm sure you've all seen an upset degu do.

I'm not sure what happened, and I hope they get over it soon. I don't really understand this, 'cause Diego and Chappu are getting along fine in there right now, until I put Charlie in too, and then suddenly Diego turns aggro. Anyone here got advice? I've never had this happen before. It's like I get Charlie and Diego near each other and they turn all I KEEL YOU DED in a picosecond. :/ They'll get over this, right? I just don't want them to get hurt, and I especially don't want my little old man Chappu getting hurt, either.

hey_kayla_jay @ 01:16 pm:

Our degu family recently grew by three, so we decided it was time to update their living situation. They used to have a large tank, and we've now replaced it with two big leveled cages, conjoined, with a divider in between so the family doesn't grow anymore. They seem to like the upgrade, but they've taken to chewing the bejeezus out of the bars, particularly at night. It's a horrible sound, and we've tried more than a few things to get them to stop. What do you gusy do,or suggest, to keep your critters from chewing at the bars of thier cages?
And I've already tried a bitter spray I researched online. It worked for a few days, then I guess they just got over the bad taste and were right back at the chewing again.

eternalduck @ 05:15 pm: degu + chinchill
Hi everyone!
I wanna share my rare experience to you. I keep chinchilla (male) and degu (female) in one big cell, I've bought them in pet store where they were living for a month together (now they are 10months old). As they have almost the same habits and ration I see no problem in keeping them side by side))
They never quarrel, neve bite each other or people..
Here they are, just unpacked

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By the way, the cat has no aggression to them! Just watching, wondering and trying to run away))

spudjuice @ 02:34 am: Cataract!
Oh no, Cammie has a cataract in one eye! Just the one, it's gone milky. And believe me, that was not there yesterday. She seems otherwise as healthy as ever, no changes in behaviour or water consumption or anything... so I don't know if this is a symptom of something else. She's two years old, so I don't think it's age. I know degus are prone to them, but!

*sigh*

ETA: UGH, no! I just lifted her up to the light to get a good look at the other eye, and I can see something developing there! Should I take her to the vet, just in case there's something going on?

__sasami__ @ 01:29 am: This is probably a longshot but...
Does anyone have or know of anyone with a female degu or degus for adoption in New York? They must be in the Hudson Valley area or willing to travel.

My degu's cage mate passed away. She was ok for the first month but is now visibly depressed even though she's rarely confined to a cage, has tons of new toys, etc. There are degus for sale at a local pet store but I'd hate to buy rather than adopt. Unfortunately, if I can't find a degu soon, I may have to do so =/. College is starting back up again soon and poor Brenda won't be able to spend all day out of her cage like she is now.

While I'm looking for just a single female degu (or MAYBE two), I would be happy to take a group provided that they came with a decent-sized cage (the reason for this is because my quarantine/introductions cage isn't large enough for a group of degus).

I have a good amount of degu experience and have been keeping them for quite a while now :). I am also familiar with degu introductions and have introduced multiple adults. My degus are let out every day to play, fed a high-quality diet (Sun Seed Sunscriptions pellets, non-alfalfa Oxbow hays, fresh grasses and herbs planted by myself, and various leafy green vegetables), and are taken to an experienced exotics vet if needed.

Thanks in advance! It figures that when I'm actually looking for a degu, none of the shelters have any! There is a group of degus listed on petfinder and while they're rather far away I've contacted the rescue to discuss transportation options. Wish me luck :).

spudjuice @ 01:45 am: Fur-Chewing
Okay, so, my Cammie's got a bit of a fur-pulling problem. Specifically, she's been yanking the hair of her paws out - I assumed that this was because she was on her own for over a year.

It took forever to get all the degus in the same cage, given that one of the pair - Dilly - is very dominant and rather aggressive (she's the only one who refuses to be handled! Even Cammie, when she was the dominant one of a pair, was easy to handle). The final approach involved drastically reducing their cage space for a couple of weeks by putting a horizontal divider into the two-tier cage. I admit to being somewhat surprised that it worked!

Anyway. It looks like Cammie is still pulling all the fur off her paws, a few months after the happy-degu-trio was formed. What's causing this? Any idea? Is it just a habit from when she was lonely? Is there a way to discourage it?

natanael @ 01:35 pm: tale about a tail
everybody talks about how we should be dead careful with those furry tips of degu tails. when i bought mine peoplle told me in the shot that degus shouldn't have wheels in their cage, as their tales can get trapped/damaged, etc.

but i looked through a couple of communities and people seem to have wheels (although i did come across the story that the wheel caused the tip to fall off)

so... wheels? should we have them, or should we just leave them for tailless hamsters? with the amount of energy these creatures have a wheel seems like a good idea, but equally they have only one tip of the tail...

xenocanis @ 12:44 am: Need Advice
I had two degus a mother and a daughter. The daughter just passed away from what appears to be cancer and the mother is naturally depressed. The mother is about 3 years old and very healthy and I don't want her to be sad but I don't know if getting another degu would help her or if she would fight with a strange female. Any ideas?

Also I have heard of some people keeping degus with other animals to keep the degu company. Any suggestions on compatible animals?

I just don't want to see my Chalupa suffer now going through her daughter's death was painful for my wife and I.

a11neon1ike @ 12:15 am: Sneezing Degu
Sick degu.

I have 4 degus currently. We just moved into a house in the country. They've always had their cage by a window but this house is a bit damp and maybe a little dustier than what they're used to. However, I recently cleaned out the room we're sharing together and noticed that one of the degus has been sneezing a lot. I pulled her out of the cage and have been holding her for the past 30 minutes. She sneezes every 5 seconds or so. I am worried sick...speaking of which I am actually sick with a cold. Is it possible for humans to pass a cold onto a degu? None of the other degus seem to be sneezing. Just this little one. She has had a little bit of discharge on her nose...it was solid. I pulled it off of her. I think tomorrow I will try to find a vet to take her to before the weekend starts. I have read online that adding vitamin C to their water is good for them. I have some tablets and will probably shave some of the tablet into their water.

I never take this degu out of her cage because she is so shy. But right now I have her in the pocket of my hoody and she isn't struggling to escape. She is lying in there just fidgeting around, sneezing...probably urinating...but whatever. Any suggestions anyone? similar experiences to share?

Thank you:(

spudjuice @ 03:43 pm: So, curiosity tells me to ask - how do you all tell your degus apart? What are their little quirks, or differences in appearance, that tell you which is which?

In my case, I have three girls.

Dilly is pretty easy, because she's the most dominant and aggressive of them - aaaand she bites. She also has slightly lighter fur, smaller white patches on her tummy, and a broader face than the others.

Tet-Tet is curious and easy to handle, though once you've gotten her in your hands she won't stay still. Her reaction to a finger is to take hold of it in her paws. She will casually walk onto anyone and explore them, and is the smallest of the lot.

Cammie is by FAR the easiest to identify, even ignoring her size (the other two aren't fully grown yet): she's a talker. She adores human attention, and if she so much as hears someone she will squeal for them and rush to the cage door. She responds to her name, loves being picked up, loves to cuddle into your arm and let you stroke and tickle her. However, she does seem to have a dislike of men, and will hide from them while sounding an alarm squeak. I have no idea why.

00goddess @ 04:35 pm: Mulberry Update
The mulberry wood has been a big success. They love this stuff, more than any purchased stick I've ever brought home. In addition to the chewy deliciousness, they enjoy using these sticks to play tug-of-war, stick-drag, steal-his-stick, and the ever popular hit-your-brother-with-a-stick.

Annoying late night meep-a-thons are handily resolved by giving everyone their own stick. The full mouth meeps not.

Yesterday we cut some large branches from the tree, and when they have dried we'll put them in the cage for climbing purposes. They'll be the Swiss Family Degu!

00goddess @ 02:56 am: We lost one of our boys Monday night. We found him lying in the cage, as though he had just been walking along and collapsed. There was no sign of struggle or seizure- he really did look like he just fell down. He had seemed perfectly fine just this morning. Tonight, gone. The only sign of anything wrong was a little bit of blood leaking from his nose after death.

I know they get old and they die. He was almost 6 years old, which is I think about average for degu death (the oldest degu I've ever had was almost 8, but all the others have died around 6.) But I'm still paranoid, afraid that maybe it was the mulberry wood (the only new thing.) All the others are fine, and the wood was completely untreated. But I still worry about my little guys.

I know rodents can get old and stroke out or hemorrhage. Could the nosebleed be evidence of this? I just worry. :(

His brothers were all timid tonight after we found him and took him out of the cage. We'll bury him tomorrow.

00goddess @ 11:58 am: Chewy sticks from fresh wood
Hi all, I have some questions for those of you who cut your own wood for your degus to chew. Awhile back I read that mulberry wood is a safe wood for pets. It turns out that I have a mulberry tree in my yard, so I have cut some branches from it for the degus. My question is this: do you think the wood needs to cure/dry in order to be safe for the degus? Realistically, I know that in the wild they chew on fresh live wood all the time, but I want to get your input anyway in the interest of safety.

I have put the cut branches aside to dry, but we're having very wet weather here and they are drying very, very slowly.

deguspice @ 03:22 am: Late Night Visitors
While sitting at my computer with some music playing, I heard a rustling noise coming from the papers next to me. Looking down, I saw a degu looking up at me. While I carefully backed my chair out from my desk the degu waddled off into Ann's room. I quickly went to the room with the degu cage and checked the cage I accidentally left open and determined that both degus were on the loose.

Going back to Ann's room, I quickly retrieved the degus and returned them to their cage. They seemed rather annoyed that I interrupted the fun the were having exploring the rooms.

cleoroses @ 10:43 am: Baby Degu Update
During the night two more babies appeared - either Shilo had some as well (I've looked at them and am 100% certain Shilo is a girl, so it looks like Amber did get knocked up at the pet store) or Amber had a couple more. Either way we're now up to 8, and I managed to get some pictures today as the two mommies are settled and happy.

All the pics and vids are at my journal here There's four large pictures and three videos, so if you're on a slow connection it might take a little while to load.



Tags: pictures

lovelychickadee @ 01:18 am: Prolapsed penis
My degu Bo seems to have injured his penis. It has a swollen lump on it that I first thought was a tumour. Are there any tips about dealing with this, aside from taking him to the vet? I plan to go in the morning but if I can help him asap at home, I would prefer that! Poor bugger.

cleoroses @ 10:30 am: Degu babies what the hell?
Ok, a couple of months ago I bought a pair of degus, Amber and Shilo, from Pets at Home. They assured me that they were two females. Well, I don't know if they were wrong, or if there was a male in their enclosure before I bought them, but Amber gave birth to 6 babies last night. I opened the cage to feed them this morning and when she stood up there were 6 babies underneath her in the nest. They are the most adorable things EVER I had no idea they would be so cute, but this is not at all what I wanted! I need some advice on:

How urgent is it to separate the babies? How long before they start mating with each other?
How do I tell the sex of the adult degus?
Best way to find homes for the little ones?
If Shilo is the father, should I move him out right away? Will they mate again this soon after giving birth?
Anything else I need to know?

I did no research on breeding because I was certain this would not happen. I'm not entirely impressed with them although the babies are rediculously adorable (pics will be coming).

EDIT: Internets tell me that degus are pregnant for 3 months, so seeing as there were about 20 degus all together in the pet store it is unlikely Shilo is the father. I'll still want to double check that but it might be ok.

leaveittoweaver @ 11:47 am: Housing
I'm thinking of getting a trio of degus. The metal cage I have is two levels. The dimensions are 30x14x31 inches. Is this suitable or no?

There just isn't enough accurate information about degus on the internet so I figured I'd ask here. Thanks!

remix22 @ 12:07 am: My old man, Henry, passed away about a month ago from old age (he was pushing 5 years old). I had adopted him, but I am not finding the rescue group I got him from on Petfinder anymore. Henry and his brother (who passed a few months before him) were kind of skittish, and I knew I wouldn't have them long, I was mainly giving them a quiet home to live out their days.

I would like to find a pair of young Degus, since I have heard that these guys are amazing when they're handled and human-friendly, Henry and Asher were not, although they would take the occassional sunflower seed from me, and Henry became slightly more interested in me after Asher passed.

I am in MI, but am not finding much from Google or Craigslist. I am not far from Toledo, either. I would like to keep travel to a minimum. Does anyone know where to find these guys?

mbwun @ 10:53 pm: Why own a degu? Because they are all heart!
As some of you know I lost Watanuki on Friday and perhaps that is part of the reason for this post.  This little revelation came to me as I was near tears wondering if I'd ever get a degu again.  I mean gerbils were smaller and more manageable and when the time came the many gerbils I've had through my childhood it was never a long drawn out ordeal just the surprise that one day you came home from school and found one lost in their sleep which hurt but not as much as watching your baby fade away in front of you and have nothing you can really do for it.  But, as I thought about it and bless all the gerbils I've had before because they were wonderful little companions, none of the gerbils ever exhibited the depth of personality that my degus have shown me.

That is the degu's best feature, their heart.  I mean this both ways.  Never before have I had a rodent that not only wakes when I come home for play time but is actually excited to see me again.  Risu and Watanuki if I didn't get to my room shortly after coming home I'd hear chirps or banging as they called for my attention.  Loving snuggles, cuddle time, and chin rubs were the orders of the day.  Watanuki and his love for pockets and Risu's love of puzzles were just one unique thing that made them who they were.

Anatomically speaking it is also one of their best features.  Sadly learning this was also an end of life ordeal.  For both Risu and Watanuki it seemed that it was the last part to give out.  Risu died of pneumonia last year and it was his little heart that just refused to stop that governed his last day.  He was weak but just didn't want to let go and was just perfectly happy to be snuggled on my chest watching tv until he finally showed to a stop.  Watanuki was the same way in the vet's office being told he was shutting down as the vet looked him over.  He was so weak yet his little heart was trying to carry the rest of him along.


I feel touched that he'd force himself so far along just to spend as much time as possible with me.  Yes, it hurt to watch both Risu and Watanuki fade from me but at the same time they faded because they did not want give up on their lives either.

spudjuice @ 01:29 pm: Hm...
So... these three are finally in the same cage as each other. They've been in there overnight - I'm pretty happy with how it's going so far.

There's a little aggression, but I don't think it's serious fighting - I'm sure it's just battling for dominance, because it's almost always preceeded by and followed by grooming, and it's usually a reaction to Cammie climbing on top of them. Five seconds of squealing, growling and boxing before back to snuggle-wibble chittering. It's hardly worse than when Dilly and Tet-Tet argue over food, so I'm not too worried. They slept together, in the same tube - Tet-Tet and Cammie piled on Dilly.

(Also, it's crazy adorable when one of the smaller ones - man they've grown - grooms Cammie's face and she does that | B face degus do when you rub their chin).

It's been more than twelve hours now.

But I gotta admit... I'm... kinda worried I'm not gonna be able to tell the difference between serious fighting and dominance. I'm going on the noises they make to each other, mostly, but also taking into account that there's no biting or rolling around or anything. How long does it normally take for them to settle into a social structure?

cleoroses @ 12:48 pm: Pets at Home give terrible degu advice D:
I'm getting a couple of degus on Thursday, so I went into town earlier this week to get all the things I'd need. I bought everything, and got a lot of advice from the staff who seemed to know what they were talking about, but I've heard contradictory stuff on the internet since then so I'm not sure if they were right. I've done some research since though and I have a few questions, if there's anything I need to change I can buy the other stuff on Thursday so please let me know.

In the shop, Pets at Home, their degus sleep in woven rope hammocks, I bought one on the advice of the staff. I've done some research since though and found that they're supposed to have a wooden box to sleep in - should I get one of these as well, or will they be happier sticking to what they've been used to in the store?

Pets at Home also advised me to use wood cat litter pellets on the floor. I bought a bag but since then I've been doing some research and most sites say to not use this as it is dangerous if the degus eat it. Does anyone use it, or is it really dangerous? I've not put any in the cage yet and I have some pine wood shavings I can put in instead.

The food advice I was given was to use a degu specific food pellet mix, give them access to hay, and occasional pieces of vegetables as treats. Most of my research backs that up and I'm aware they shouldn't have fruit or anything sugary, but is that diet missing anything?

Ugh, Pets at Home also didn't tell me about dust baths, but I should be able to get that set up this week easily enough. But it seems like the staff aren't well trained about degus, they've only got them in stock a few months ago and obviously haven't bothered to find out enough information.

Toys wise, I've got them a wheel, the rope hammock I mentioned, a wood ladder with dangly toys off it, a woven tunnel and a couple of basket weave balls with bells in. Is that a decent selection, or is there anything else major that they'll need? All the toys were labled degu safe and are made of wood/basket, and the wheel is plastic.

Thanks for any help you can give me, and sorry if I seem clueless. I just want to make sure they are happy and healthy, they are lovely animals and I've been meaning to get them for ages.

a11neon1ike @ 02:09 pm: Goodbye Degus
Life was going so well...I got accepted to my dream school> Rochester Institute of Technology. I've always wanted to go there. I'm going away for a summer program that begins June 1st. I've owned my degus for 2 years. I began with a male and a female and they gave birth to 8 little ones. I gave the males away. I was left with 4 females. I have grown attached to the mother and she has grown to love me. I'll click my tongue at her and she will look at me, her eyes half closed with love and trust. She'll fall asleep on my hand when I rest it in her cage.

I just found out a few hours ago that I can't take them to RIT. They only allow non-carnivorous fish in a 10-gallon tank. I called and asked if I could bring "two hamsters in a 10 gallon tank"...no. ONLY fish. My degus live in a monstrous cage with two wheels, a bunch of wooden ledges, a wooden hut, and a tube that hangs at the top where they all like to sleep in a mound.

All I wanted was to take a part of home with me...even if that meant getting rid of two degus and putting the remaining ones in a small fish tank. I would have built them things to play on. But I can't.

I'm heartbroken.

Is there anyone in Upstate NY looking for some degus? Cage included. Let me know. My friend may be able to take them, but I highly doubt it.

spudjuice @ 02:58 pm: I was right about one thing - Dilly is the problematic one.

Just to recap... Cammie is my older, bigger degu who's been on her own for just over a year. Tet-Tet and Dilly are the babies, who are tiny. Dilly is the slightly bigger one who doesn't like being picked up (except for today, apparently), and Tet-Tet is the one who I can't open the cage to feed without her running up my arm.

Tet-Tet is as fine as she can be. I can put her with Cammie in the bathtub, and it's all dominance and attempts at grooming, mostly on Cammie's part. I get snuggle-noises and stuff too. Dilly, however?

Well, I won't say she straight away goes for fighting, but she's definitely insistent on being dominant degu. She doesn't care that Cammie's twice her size at all. Along with general dominance behaviour - mounting and such - if Cammie attempts to groom her, like she does with Tet-Tet, Dilly goes ballistic. When I gave each of them something to nibble on, just to say "look, positive experience" Dilly would literally run up to Cammie and take whatever Cammie was eating and run off with it! Cammie would just sit there like :|

So! Sum of it is... Cammie's not bothered, Dilly wants to be in charge, and Tet-Tet wants snuggletimes.

For the last two days, the babies have been fighting over food, too... growly squeaks and chasing eachother around the cage. Looks like now Tet-Tet is all recovered and healthy after the diarrhea, she's taken over the food...

jennysteel @ 07:48 pm: I'm sorry if this is inappropriate, but I feel it's important to spread the word.

We all love animals, so please go here - http://www.uncaged-news.org.uk/hepetition.php and sign the petition to stop Herbal Essences testing on animals.

http://www.hurtfulessences.org/
http://www.uncaged.co.uk/

PLEASE read under the cut for more info - ( Frequently Asked QuestionsCollapse )

x-posted all over the place, sorry.

hanson_ark @ 01:22 pm: Degus lovers in Vancouver Canada?
I realize this is a long shot, but is there anyone here in or around Vancouver BC, Canada, who is looking for degus to adopt?  My ex abandoned her five degus with me, and I am unable to look after them much as I like them owing to allergies, other pets etc.

There is one female, about four years old, who lives alone.  She is a very sweet girl and sometimes comes to play on my desk while I'm working.  It would be really nice if she could be with a companion, because she has been alone for so long.  The four boys live together in a large cage I bought for them about a month ago.  They love watching people come and go, and are pretty rambunctious.

If I am not supposed to post for adoptions on this community, I apologize, but I would really like to find good homes for them with people who know about the needs and habits of degus, and I thought this would be the best place for that.  I wouldn't ask for an adoption fee if I was sure they were going to a good home, and of course I would give you their homes.

Does anyone want to adopt and/or have any advice for me on where else I could look?

jadededges @ 12:15 am: *sigh*
Okay, so as of last week I'm down to one degu. =\

Anyone have tips for keeping a single critter? I don't know where I'd get any more. They aren't sold around here and I haven't been able to get hold of the breeder I got my last pair from.

mbwun @ 10:27 pm: Our x-mas cards this year
This in and of itself is a x-mas miracle!   Storm (black cocker) loves to use Bailey (brown cocker) as a chew toy so understandably getting them to sit near each other is a task.  I think it surprises most people that the only one not causing problems while taking x-mas pictures was sir Watanuki who contentedly just sat in his blanket the entire time.

jamour_ma_vie @ 11:22 pm: What are some fun toys to give my little degus? I recently bought them a wooden birdhouse (which they LOVE going in and out of and chewing on!) and a mini stuffed toy for a puppy (not sure if this is ok to give them so I still haven't)... What are your favotires?

jamour_ma_vie @ 09:40 pm:

I have two 2 year old male degus and I have recently discovered that one of them has a bald spot about 1/3 of the size of his back leg... after doing some research online it looks like he could have ticks... but my question is, wouldn't they both have them? What is the treatment for ticks? Does the treatment harm the degus if they dont have ticks? Maybe it's just their wheel rubbing and I'm freaking out for no good reason?

I can also give pictures tomorrow if needed


:-/

leaveittoweaver @ 03:56 pm: Cage question.

The cage I currently have, has a plastic base. However the sides are covered by wire..it's just the bottom part that is not covered. My question is, will degus be able to chew this and demolish it or not?
Here's a picture of what I mean(I apologize for the mess heh):
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t249/leaveittoweaver/DSCF0180.jpg

Thanks in advance :)

leaveittoweaver @ 07:55 pm: Bar spacing and Disease
Is one inch bar spacing too wide for degus?

Also, Are there any diseases that are communacable between degus and rats? Are they able to pass on mites to eachother?

Thanks!

leaveittoweaver @ 04:12 pm: Three questions
I'm still in the research phase before actally getting my degus. And I just have three questions.

Question One: For their dust/sand baths do I use chinchilla sand or dust?

Question Two: Are degus very good jumpers/climbers? I'm putting in the ledges in my cage myself and I want to know if I'm going to have to buy them ladders to attach to go to each level or will they be able to do that themselves? How much space should be between each level so that they can comfortably go from level to level?

Question Three: What is the best bedding to use? I've heard a lot of conflicting stuff on this subject.

Thanks in advance :)

creativexangst @ 12:25 am: EMERGENCY!
My gu's tail is covered in little patches of missing fur and blood at these patches. It reminds me of mange or something. And he's bleeding on everything, its really bad. Any advice for what it is/ could be while i find a vet to take him to here?

zooy @ 11:14 am: Degus for Adoption

I'm fostering five degus that were on their last days at the Hamilton SPCA.
They are in Port Elgin, Ontario.
Unfortunately I don't drive or I could deliver.
2 are bonded, 3 not.
Very sweet guys, ones a bit skinny but we're working on it.
All males.
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tinygalaxies @ 10:24 pm: My only degu, Dobby, is getting yet another cage upgrade this week. His current cage is a 3 tier wire rat cage, which I don't like because of how easily it corrodes. Even with daily cleaning, the cage (which I bought used) is showing its use. I'm also not fond of the wire floors, which we all know aren't ideal for rodents.

What I'm planning on doing is something like this. I have an extra parrot cage, but only two ledges at the moment. The only ledges that I can find are on eBay in the UK; I'd rather not order from the UK (nothing personal!) 

Does anyone know where to buy ledges in the US? I'm thinking that it may be best for me to buy some plywood and make my own, replacing them as he chews. The idea is to build cardboard forts on the ledges, to protect the walls from urine.

Any help on where to find ledges would be appreciated. I'd love to find solid metal ledges but I've yet to come across those.

leaveittoweaver @ 12:19 am: Just a quick question. Is it better to keep two males together or two females?

Thanks :)

creativexangst @ 03:49 pm: Degu behavior
My gu is chasing his tail and chirping frantically, and I cant figure out why. I felt his tail and he was fine with it but still...Any ideas, its kinda freaking me out.

babydegu @ 07:07 pm: My degu has a poorly eye :(

Hi guys,

My degu has a poorly eye. Its got a bit of  white gunk around it and he can't open  it very well. Hes had it for about a day and a half. I've wiped it gently with a piece of damp cotton wool but its not improving.Hes acting normal, he does however have cataracts. I'm at university full time and cant easily get to a vet :/  Anyone experienced this before with their babies? 

 

remix22 @ 10:48 pm: Banish the urine smell?
A couple months ago, I opted to rescue a pair of male degus over going to PetCo/PetsMart to buy some sort of small rodent. My boys are shy, but fun nonetheless. They have been dubbed Henry and Floyd.

Lately, there's been a problem with stink. I did a lot of research into Degus before getting my boys, and everything I read said they don't smell like other rodents - at least not as strong. Even when I went to go look at the boys before bringing them home, the woman had many cages of Degus, and they didn't stink very badly. Because they're shy and skittish, I have them in our guest bedroom, kind of away from everything. But the guest bedroom has started to smell like rodent urine...even though I clean it weekly. I may have to go to twice weekly.

It was suggested to me to use shredded paper for their bedding, but I think I might have to go back to using Soft-sorbent, but even when I was using this, there was still the smell. I've been using a method-brand cleaner instead of bleach to clean the pan, and everything smells nice and clean and fresh for about 12 hours or so. They're in an open-air cage.

Is there anything else I can do/use to help get rid of this smell?

AND one of my boys, Henry, has a bald spot right behind his ears on his back. The woman I got them from (who rescued them a year ago) said it happened to him last summer, and she thought it was part of his "molting" process. Since I've had him, the spot has only gotten bigger - about the size of my thumb nail right now, a little bigger than a dime. Any ideas?

creativexangst @ 01:18 am: YAY! UPDATES!!!
Here's an updated pic of my girls Kodo and Podo, and I just got another degu who needed some serious socialization, excersise, etc, poor baby. He still doesnt have a name, so if you can help me, I'll love you forever.
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mbwun @ 08:30 pm: Picture post
Alright everyone... because we've been so quite I propose we post an updated degu shot.


Here is an updated Watanuki picture. I thought he was looking a little scrawny so I tossed im on the scale and he's back up to 285g must be degu muscle replacing all that pudge.