QUESTION-
Sexing Degus |
ANSWER |
How do I tell if
my degus are male or female? |
The best
way is to compare their genitals. Gently lift your degu's tail, supporting
their body, and examine the distance between the cone and anus. If both
your degus' genitals appear the same, they're the same sex. To tell if
they're a boy or a girl, have a look at the pictures on the degu
sexing guide to compare and teach you how. |
QUESTION-
Breeding Season |
ANSWER |
My two degus were
mating and then started fighting, what was the problem? |
The most
likely explanation here is that your female is either not in oestrus, or
not familiar with the male. Remember that the act of one degu mounting the
other is also a sign of dominance of the top degu and submission of the
bottom degu. If your female is unfamiliar with the male, she may not have
been happy with what he was doing and started fighting with him to get him
to back off. Also, females not in oestrus will not let males mount them
and will show signs of aggression toward the male to discourage him from
mating. To correct both these problems there is one solution. Put your
male's cage alongside the female's cage (it's best not to let them mix as
this could lead to further fighting and injury) to allow them to become
familiar. After a month or so, your female
should be more tolerant of the male. |
QUESTION-
Pup Care |
ANSWER |
I rescued 2 moms
and their litters a little while ago. The babies are 2.5 weeks old and are
very active, drinking from the water bottle, and nibbling up food. When I
hold them they just sprint up and down my arms and some of them leap. Is
this just because they are babies or because I am not taming them enough?
I sometimes don't get to hold them all daily and the moms are already
skittish enough. I have 11 right now, 9 of them reserved to go to homes. I
don't want the future owners to have to deal with crazy degus. Are babies
normally like this? |
It
sounds a lot to me like your babies are hyper as they aren't used to you
yet. The running around and leaping is a classic escape response and shows
they feel insecure when you pick them up and are trying to get back to a
place where they feel safer. It sounds like they need a bit of work to get
them tamer! Instead of picking them up, try just sitting next to their
cage with your arm/hand in it to allow the pups to familiarise with your
scent. Don't move too much and the pups will come and explore you. You can
then progress on to picking them up, but don't lift them all the way out
of the cage. The closer they are to their mum the better as this will help
them to relax (they're still weaning and their mother provides comfort for
them). They're never too young to do a bit of training
work! |
The baby degus
are 6 weeks old tomorrow and I was wondering when to separate the boys
from the gals. The gals I am going to leave in the tank and put the boys
in plastic tubs (large ones) until they go to their reserved homes. When
should I remove the males? 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks? I don't want more
babies!! |
The age
of sexual maturity of degus is highly variable and can be anywhere between
around now and when they are about 6 months old. The average
age of sexual maturity in females is around 7 weeks, in males it is
slightly longer at around 12 weeks. To be safe I always separate our pups
as soon as they are fully weaned at 6 weeks old. |
Right now we have
babies which I am assuming they are under 6 months old but I could be
wrong there. Anyway at what age do they start showing the characteristics
of being full grown degus? At what age are pet stores allowed to sell
them? And finally how can you really be 100% positive the sex of your
degus? |
Juvenile
degus become fully adult at around 1 year old. Although degus become
sexually mature between 7-12 weeks old, it takes a while for all their
adult characteristics to develop. These include growth to full size
(including full bone growth), full maturation of reproductive organs and
teeth maturity. It is around this age that the degus will begin shedding
winter fur during shedding season as well.
Pet stores should
sell degus after they are four weeks old at the very least, as at this age they should be
fully weaned, however whether this actually happens or not is
questionable. It isn't healthy to wean pups before they are three weeks
old and all reputable degu breeders aim to have pups fully weaned after
four to six weeks.
As for sexing the
degus, this is actually simple once you know what to look for and can be
done from birth. To sex your degus, hold one in
your hand and gently lift up the tail. You should be able to see the anus
and the urethra (a projection of conical skin- this is NOT the penis, both
sexes have it). Female degus have virtually no gap between the urethra and
anus, whereas males have quite a large gap (about a finger width in adult
males) between the two. This is the only real way to tell as the female's
vaginal opening is often concealed and males have internal testicles and a
penis that they retract inside their body when not in use. A full guide to
help you do this (even with pups!) can be found here.
|
About
five months ago, we bought two degus, who we were told wouldn't breed, but
they were also being fed on hamster food, so I'm now aware that the person
we got them from didn't really know much. Anyway, as you may have guessed,
we noticed one of them getting larger and on Jan 5th she gave birth to
five babies. One died, four are still with us. We don't know how he got
out, but yesterday we found one of the babies was out of his cage and had
been chased under the sofa by one of the cats. He seemed to be ok,
although a little panicky of course, with two small nicks/scratches, one
on his back left foot and one on his tummy. Yesterday afternoon and
evening he seemed fine and normal, and was running around the cage as
normal, but tonight he seems to have become lethargic and withdrawn,
although the cuts seemed to have healed nicely. Our local vets had never
seen a degu before we took the father in to be neutered the other day, so
I'm not sure if taking the baby there will do any good, as there are no
visible outward signs of injury. What would you advise? |
I
would suggest one of two things could be causing this lethargy in your
pup:
1. He's exhausted- if he's
been out for a long time, and being chased on top of that, he will have
been using up a lot of energy. He probably won't have slept during this
time, or eaten, and he will have been very stressed by the whole
experience. Remember that he is still very young and has just about been
weaned (I am guessing), so frequent feeding is still very important to
allow him to maintain his energy levels. I would say the most likely
explanation is that he is exhausted mentally and physically by the ordeal
and needs a little time to recover. However:
2. He has internal injuries-
you need to be very careful about this possibility. If he has scratches,
there is the chance that he may have internal injuries, also. For example,
he might have been pounced on by the cat, or become trapped under
something. Internal injuries are very hard to spot- classic symptoms are
lethargy and rapid deterioration of health, sometimes there may be
swelling (e.g. around the abdomen). Internal injuries are very serious and
your degu could die very quickly from them, so although I hypothesise it
is exhaustion, I would still get him checked over by a vet as they will be
able to give him a thorough examination.
It's worth pointing out that
stress can have very serious consequences for a young degu as they are
less able to cope with it and often take longer to recover, especially
when so young. You will need to keep a very close eye on him over the next
few days and monitor his eating, drinking and social behaviour. If you
haven't been weighing him, you might want to start keeping a daily weight
record so you can check he's not losing weight. You also need to know how
he got out- baby degus are notorious for squeezing out between bars that
are too small for an adult degu to get through- although I don't think
he'll be doing it again in a hurry!
|
QUESTION-
Weaning & Lactation |
ANSWER |
I thought I
bought two males but ended up with a liter anyway. I'd like to know how
old they should be before separating them from the mother? Any advice on
making this easy would be appreciated.
|
Weaning
for degus should take at least four weeks. You should not separate the
babies from the mother before they are four weeks old. More information on
weaning and everything you need to know about can be found here.
As a side point,
it's worth checking the sexes of your degus to make sure they are both
females, or you could end up with even more babies. Remember that degus
have a post-partum oestrus which means they can become pregnant again
immediately after giving birth if the male is still present. To avoid
this, remove the male for a few days, then you can re-introduce him again.
More information on sexing degus can be found in the appearance
section and in this special guide.
|
QUESTION-
Pregnancy |
ANSWER |
Help!!!!!! What
does a pregnant goo act like? Mine wants to bite you when you go to pet
her. She doubled in size in a 4 day period is this normal? We got her from
a pet store in 1st week of Oct so I know it's not my boys who did it- so
not sure of due date hence why I asked about behavior. She normally wants
to be petted and held now just wants out of the cage regardless of the
scratches you get! We noticed 2 weeks ago she went from normal size to
pear shape and now a pregnant pear:) Also very irritable! |
It's
highly probable your degu is pregnant. Degus tend to only 'show' (i.e.
exhibit a noticeable weight increase/bulge) a couple of weeks before they
are due to give birth. I would say your degu will have her pups any time
soon, so get ready! Pregnant degus become increasingly irritable when they
are so close to parturition. This is mostly due to their large size- they
find it harder to move around and do 'normal' degu things. This is coupled
with hormone level changes which also affect their behaviour. My advice is
to leave her alone for a week or so until the pups are born. Please don't
handle her during this time (from now until parturition) as you may
inadvertently cause her to miscarry, which is not only fatal for the pups
but could also put her at risk. It's a sad fact that many degus bought
from pet shops are already pregnant, this is due to inexperienced staff
mixing up sexes accidentally and being ignorant of the information about
degus available. It also means that her pups are likely to be inbred, as
almost certainly she will have been mated by a sibling. If you would like
any more help/advice, please don't hesitate to contact me. You might also
like to read through the degu
breeding section to pick up some top tips! |
I went to a Pet
Shop yesterday and bought a Degu, they said it was a female. Well she has
a really really big belly and she don't move around a lot. My mom thinks
she may be a very old grandma, but I think she may be pregnant! I don't
know how to tell for sure though. She is very sweet and tame, I named her
Leea. There were 6 other degu's in with her at the Pet Shop, an some were
males. Any ideas or advice would be great. |
It does
sound highly likely she's pregnant. The lack of movement is a complete
giveaway- plus her size. Degus only 'show' (i.e. become huge and obviously
pregnant) about 2 weeks before they are due to give birth. I would say
look out- she's likely to have the pups any time soon! If you would like
advice about how to cope with pups, mail or post a message any time, and I
suggest you read the 'breeding'
section for loads of tips.
HOWEVER, it is also possible that your degu is obese. This could occur if
she was fed ad lib. at the pet shop, and may also be indicative of
a stress related disorder. If this is the case, It is likely to be
aggravated by the fact she is kept alone. Degus are highly social animals
and can become depressed and ill if housed on their own. All is not lost
though- single degus often form a unique bond with their owners and rely
on their company much more than socially housed degus. She will therefore
need much more attention from you- whether she's pregnant or not. I would
say that it would be a good idea to go back to the shop and check her
brothers/sisters environment- see if they're all a little fat and check
how much leftover food there is around. If all else fails, wait three
months (the gestation period of a degu) and if she's still fat and no pups
appear than there's something else going on. |
QUESTION-
Genetics & Inbreeding |
ANSWER |
I used to
volunteer at our local SPCA and there have been lots of degus coming into
rescue this year. I have two females with teeth problems which is another
genetic trait. They have to have their back teeth filed under anaesthesia
every few months. This is a common problem in guinea pigs, rabbits and
rodents. Obviously the problem with degus is that they have such small
mouths and few vets can manage to treat them. Just for your information as
this is a trait common in all animals whose teeth grow [continually]. It
would be nice to breed it out. |
Yes, I
agree it would be much better for our pets if we could breed this out.
It's very hard to do this currently, for two main reasons: 1. Degu's
molars are VERY hard to examine! Often, we don't know there's a problem
until it becomes one, if you see what I mean. The only real way to check
our degu's molars thoroughly is to have them examined under general
anaesthesia. If we had to do this routinely as a precautionary check it
would put our pets at increased risk from having anaesthesia- the smaller
the animal the higher the risk. To check our degus molars for the sake of
breeding purposes is an unnecessary risk. The only way that would be
feasible is not to breed from any degu with a history of molar complaint.
It may also be beneficial to only breed from degus who have good incisor
teeth in terms of absence of malocclusion, etc. However it has not yet
been proven there is a direct correlation between incisor and molar teeth
abnormality (interesting area for research,
though). 2. We correct our degus problems! This is completely normal for
human pet owners to do- after all we want what's best for them. But we may
also be hindering them by doing this. In the wild, degus are actively
pressurised by natural selection- I'm sure you know about survival of the
fittest. Any degu with molar problems in the wild would quickly be
affected in a dramatic way-infection would lead to eating problems which
would eventually lead to death, removing it from the breeding population.
This degu would then be unable to pass on its 'faulty' teeth genes thus
keeping down the molar problem in the population. Us humans interfering
with our pets actually overcomes the molar problem as we can help them
outlive the disease- giving them more opportunity to breed and pass on
defective molar genetics. Of course the more degu breeders there are who
are aware of the problems the better the chance of outbreeding unhealthy
conditions. Perhaps the best way to expand our pets gene pools and
increase their general health is to cross with a wild importee- Degutopia
is actively looking into this. This will produce what we hope will be
hybrid vigour and push the first step in changing our degus health for the
better. Thanks for your interest and support, we couldn't do it without
people like you to spread the word! |
QUESTION-
Neutering |
ANSWER |
I have just got a
pair of degu's and have discovered they are male and female, so I have
enquired with a vet about neutering. could you let me know a bit more
about it and the risks involved. Would it be best to castrate the male as
opposed to operating on the female. |
First
let me congratulate you on spotting the 'difference' and second for not
wanting to split them up. I think in your case, neutering your male would
be the best option. Neutering is a much higher risk in females of any
species than it is in males, as in females it is much more invasive and
takes a lot longer. The male's operation itself is not high risk, however
there is the risk carried by having to put your degu through a general
anaesthetic. This is quite dangerous for small animals, but a good vet
will be well aware of this and can minimise that risk for your degu. Of
course the quicker the operation the better for your degu, as the less
time spent 'under' the smaller the risk. Male neutering takes different
amounts of time dependant on animal species, size, ability of vet and
individual complications. Neutering is one of the most routine operations
vets perform, and I know some that can neuter a cat in under five minutes,
including knocking the animal out! It's likely to take a little longer
than that in a degu due to their small size, but I would think you're
looking at maximum of half an hour. In terms of finding a vets, this is
the most important part. Please try and find a vet with degu experience,
or at least one that has performed neutering operations on similar animals
such as chinchillas and guinea pigs. So many vets treat degus like any
other rodent when they clearly need special treatment. The other thing to
consider is your male degu itself. How old is he? You are going to have to
wait until he is fully adult before neutering him or you may stunt his
growth. Degus reach full maturity/adulthood at around 1 year old- bear in
mind that you will need to separate him from the female during this time
as he will reach sexual maturity before then. If he's older than 1 year, any time is fine to neuter him- but remember that neutering could
change his behaviour and you may notice a difference in his personality.
This is not always the case, however. After neutering, it's best to keep
him separate from the female for a couple of days to let him recover.
Remember to keep his wound clean (it will only be small and should heal
quickly) and check it regularly. After this you may reintroduce, generally
neutered males have no problems getting along with any degu, but you might
want to keep an eye on the female just to check she's OK with him. I would
advise that you read the neutering
section- it contains a list of the pro's and con's of neutering to
help you make your mind up. Remember that if you decide not to neuter, you
can't put him back with a female unless you want him to breed (and please
make sure they aren't related!) or pair him with another male, so he will
probably have to be housed alone. I strongly advise against this since
he's used to company, but of course the decision is yours. Hope this
clears things up, If you would like any more advice, don't hesitate to
ask! |
QUESTION-
Mating |
ANSWER |
I would
like to know please why only one of my degus sits and chirps for at least
an hour twice a week. It's driving me potty, I have put the radio on for
him to no avail; I have offered tit bits, he does take them, but munches
and still chirps at the same time arhhhhhh! |
Could
I ask you what sex this degu is, and what sex is his companion? I am
asking as it sounds very much like the 'bark'
which is most often used by males after mating or dominance mounting with another degu- be it male or female.
This call is very loud, short, and continues for many hours at a time. It
basically acts as a warning to other degus in hearing range that he is the
alpha male of the group- a territorial display.
I would say you should check
the sex of the other degu he lives with (just to be sure!). Remember that
dominant male degus will often 'mate' with the subordinate male in the
group to confirm their superiority. Unfortunately, short of neutering the
offending male, there is nothing you can do to stop him from barking. The
best tactic I have used is to distract the male as soon has he starts
barking- use a bit of his favourite food, or let him explore a new area.
You might want to check the sounds
page for some more information on degu vocalisations.
|
When my
degu bred for the first time he did his typical bragging chirping and then
2 weeks later he started again. Concerned, I checked him and he was fine,
so I checked her and found a white cartilage type of ‘plug.’ After
much research I could find no information on this with degus but did find
that chinchillas do have a plug discharge that occurs a couple weeks after
mating. Could this be an argument for their closer relationship to
chinchillas as opposed to rodents or rabbits? |
Males,
as you have noticed, emit a characteristic 'bark' after mating with a female (or sometimes with a
male/themselves!). This is a very loud, short and repetitive squeak that
goes on for several hours, and is thought to be a territorial warning to
other males that may be in ear range. When you hear your male doing this,
it's a sure sign he has had some sort of sexual activity fairly recently.
After the first mating with a female, some of the semen/mucous ejaculated
will remain inside the female's vagina, in front of the cervix. This
hardens to form a 'plug' which acts as a barrier, protecting the pups that
will develop inside from harmful external bacteria. After the plug has
formed, if the male attempts to mate with the female again, the plug must
be removed in order for the semen to get into the female's uterus. This
happens when the male inserts his penis- it pushes into the plug and barbs
which point backwards on the male's penis hold it in place, so that when
the male withdraws from the female, the plug is pulled out with it. Any
mating attempts after this will allow semen to reach the eggs of the
female. Sorry for all the gory details! Chinchillas- chins are directly
related to degus, as are guinea pigs. They all belong to the suborder
Caviomorpha. Caviomorphs are still classed as rodents, unlike rabbits
which were classed into their own order a few years ago (order Lagomorpha).
It's hotly debated whether caviomorphs should have their own order and
also be separated from Rodentia like rabbits were. For the latest on the
debate and more info on degu class, you can visit the controversy
and family sections. |
QUESTION-
Other |
ANSWER |
My degu,
Roger, is 6 and a half, today I noticed that his penis is out and will not
go back in. He does this a lot but today is different, it won't go back in
and there is a large bulge at the top, and his penis seems to be drying
up. I have no idea if he can pee, and he seems rather uncomfortable, but
other then that everything with him is normal. I have no idea what to do
with him, he is my baby and I want to help him. |
It
sounds as though he has a prolapsed penis, the
result of an infection in his penis- either in the skin or
inside the urethra. The infection causes swelling which means that he
cannot retract his penis inside his body, making it even more sore and
swollen. Don't worry, if you take him to the vets now they will be able to
give him antibiotics and possibly an antiseptic cream for you to put on
it. When you start giving him this medicine, it should clear up within a
week or two and he'll be back to his good old self! The sooner you get him
to the vets the sooner he'll start feeling better, so it's best if you get
an appointment right away as he must be feeling quite uncomfortable. |