Hello
All went well at the petshop on Saturday, we took the cage back, received a full
refund AND they gave us a bag of stuff to say sorry - a bag of degu nuggets, a
pack of carefresh bedding and a pet disinfectant. All useful, especially the
carefresh bedding.
We originally had wood shavings in the bottom of the cage - and that went all
over the floor of my house! Everyday they threw it out! I'm sure they just liked
to see me vacuum up! (They have no fear of the vac noise!) They don't throw the
carefresh out.
Since the wheel arrived Dale has constantly been running. Chip has had a few
goes but even though he is the bigger degu Dale just shoves him off! It is funny
to watch as Dale cons Chip into stopping - and as he jumps on one side he knocks
Chip off the other! But when Chip jumps back on and they both decide to run
together, in opposite directions, Dale loses! I was wondering if it would be
worth it to have two wheels - or would a wheel each be classed as overkill?
Would they probably still fight over the same wheel?
The only thing I have noticed with the wheel is that Dale prefers to run on the
wheel than come out of the cage sometimes. I don't want him to lose the tameness
he has - but I don't want to force him out of the cage! Has anyone else
experienced anything like this?
Saying that, the wheel is a godsend though! There has been hardly any
fighting/dominance issues and they are both a lot more chilled. Chip has calmed
right down - I think he has even realised I'm in charge!
Although on Sunday he did climb onto my shoulder to disappear into my hood, and
when Roy lifted him out he couldn't stop laughing. Yes, Chip had peed in my
hood! Eeugh! Lovely!
Ohh, we gave them half a Shreddies each (I wasn't sure how much they should have
cos of the sugar/diabetes issue) and they loved it! Devoured in seconds - and
then they wanted more! They came to the door of the cage and chattered to me (at
me) for about an hour! Had to give one to my chihuahua too so he wasn't left
out!
Speak soon
Rachel xxx

I wouldnt call it amazing, you get used to it if you spend enough time with
them, which I have more time on my hands than I care for.  Sparky and Tayla have
certain looks to them, he has big eye's and pulled back ears, while her eye's
are more narrow, or at least she never opens them wide LOL.  The babies all look
like him, but are her size.  All 9 of them are brats, and try my patience at
times, but I never regretted keeping them after they were born.


> that's amazing that u can tell the difference like that. i know the male b/c
he has a slit in his ear, he's bigger then the female, and he churps really
loudly maybe once a day. atleast he as been the past 2 days. he even did it when
i was i the room w/ them. he wouldn't stop till i distracted him w/food, lol. u
can never spend too much time w/ ur animals. atleast we all know u love them.
that's what counts. ^_^
>

that's awesome that they refund u b/c it was their fault for sending u a bad
cage. when we first got rats they came in a plastic bottom cage as well. they
chewed every corner and tried so hard to get out. only once did they fully get
out and we found them quickly. we eventually had to get an all new cage. rodents
chew like crazy. even rabbits! i'm not sure what family their from but they're
much like rodents when it comes to chewing. wow, it might be b/c they're both
males. it really sounds like they're bored.

--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "R" <Rachhilton@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Maureen
> Firstly, YES, the metal chewing noise is driving me around the bend, they are
mainly chewing at the door of the cage - they are clever, could it be their way
of saying they want to come out (even though they have already been out and had
a great time escaping and running around the living room)?? I'm putting a lot of
hope in this wheel arriving! The cage is in my living room and they are noiser
than my TV - no matter how loud I turn it up! Haha!
> Chip is a little sod! I shall try what you have suggested and let you know how
it goes. I can't believe Chip is like that and Dale is just so laid back.
Should've called them Chalk and Cheese! LOL!
> But they are great fun to have as pets.
> On the cage front, the petshop which sold us the one with the plastic base
have offered a full refund - and ageed that it was totally unsuitable cage for
degus. Seeing that was double the price of the bigger, fully metal one we had by
then purchased elsewhere, it's a good result!
> Rachel xx
>
>
> --- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "Maureen Ranson" <mpranson@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Rachel
> > My goos have always had the wheels in at all times - I dread to think of the
noise I would get from the metal chewing otherwise!
> > Re Chip nipping at you - whenever he does it, flick him with your fingers,
or bat him away - he DOES need to know you're the boss! At the same time, say
firmly "No!" and he'll soon get the idea. It's normal for young goos to try this
out, and stopping him early will soon put an end to it - especially if you're
offering him a treat and he loses it!
> > I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with the cage chewing till the wheel
arrives. The good news is that they do eventually get bored with doing it anyway
- though that might not be for a year or two, LOL.
> > Maureen
> >
> >   ----- Original Message -----
> >   From: R
> >   To: degumail@yahoogroups.com
> >   Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 12:18 PM
> >   Subject: [degumail] Degu domination!
> >
> >
> >
> >   Hi
> >   As you may know, if you've been reading my messages, Chip grew to be
larger than Dale in a week. (Chip appears to be the ever expanding degu! Is this
normal? I am being careful with his food but unfortunately this means Dale has a
little less too.) Anyway, Chip now dominates Dale - and this morning he started
nipping at me and trying to punch and kick my hand as he does with Dale. Do you
think Chip may've become a little too brave - trying to dominate me? He won't
win!
> >   Also they are both chewing at the cage ALL THE TIME - this one is
completely metal - no plastic to chew! I'm wondering if they are bored even
though they do have toys. I have a wheel on order which should be here in a day
or two, one of the wire mesh types. Do you leave the wheel in the cage all the
time?
> >   Still learning!
> >   Thank you!
> >   Rachel xx
> >
>

--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "R" <Rachhilton@...> wrote:
>
> Hi
> As you may know, if you've been reading my messages, Chip grew to be larger
than Dale in a week. (Chip appears to be the ever expanding degu! Is this
normal? I am being careful with his food but unfortunately this means Dale has a
little less too.) Anyway, Chip now dominates Dale - and this morning he started
nipping at me and trying to punch and kick my hand as he does with Dale. Do you
think Chip may've become a little too brave - trying to dominate me? He won't
win!
> Also they are both chewing at the cage ALL THE TIME - this one is completely
metal - no plastic to chew! I'm wondering if they are bored even though they do
have toys. I have a wheel on order which should be here in a day or two, one of
the wire mesh types. Do you leave the wheel in the cage all the time?
> Still learning!
> Thank you!
> Rachel xx

   i've read that degus can get to be 11 1/2 inches in the body. they say the
females are supposed to be bigger but i haven't noticed it. our male is quite
big. it seems they're trying to work out a dominance order. maybe they love u so
much they want to let u know they're taking over, lol. wheels and tree branches
work like a charm. i have a wooden cage and wires in between the wood so they
can only chew so far and they're going to hit a fence. they chewed the wood for
every till i got some branches outside and they've been going nuts at chewing
them. they also take turns on the wheel. a wheel is a rodents favorite toy.
never go w/out one, lol. i know my dad's hamsters would go nuts if i took their
wheel out. they'd try so hard to chew something in the cage or try and get out.
just to get me to put it back in. i never knew hamsters had such a personality.
i prefer rats and degus. they're easier to train and much cuter!! if u would
like to see the cage check out the form of degus age and my website is in the
first message. it's extreamly big!! the wheel in the pic is a rat wheel! hope it
gives u some ideas.
>

--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "bdonald1964" <bdonald1964@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> >    so yeah i'll see what happens and go from there. i'd really like >ppl to
understand the creatures better then they do. they're so cute >and i love their
noises they make. it's so differen't from a rat or >gerbil. They really are an
awesome little critter. ^_^
>
> Yeah, would be nice if they did. They really do have personalities, and each
of mine have their own little traits that are distinguishable.  Maybe it's just
that I spend wayyyy too much time around them, that's why I notice.  I have the
daddy, mama and 4 girls in 1 cage, and I can tell the mom and dad apart from
across the room, but the only way I can tell the 4 girls are from their little
quirks.
>
> Bob
>
that's amazing that u can tell the difference like that. i know the male b/c he
has a slit in his ear, he's bigger then the female, and he churps really loudly
maybe once a day. atleast he as been the past 2 days. he even did it when i was
i the room w/ them. he wouldn't stop till i distracted him w/food, lol. u can
never spend too much time w/ ur animals. atleast we all know u love them. that's
what counts. ^_^

>    so yeah i'll see what happens and go from there. i'd really like >ppl to
understand the creatures better then they do. they're so cute >and i love their
noises they make. it's so differen't from a rat or >gerbil. They really are an
awesome little critter. ^_^

Yeah, would be nice if they did. They really do have personalities, and each of
mine have their own little traits that are distinguishable.  Maybe it's just
that I spend wayyyy too much time around them, that's why I notice.  I have the
daddy, mama and 4 girls in 1 cage, and I can tell the mom and dad apart from
across the room, but the only way I can tell the 4 girls are from their little
quirks.

Bob

One of mine tries to dig on the metal shelf and I'm sure
> it's because it makes a funny sound.  He also drags a piece of wood along
> the bars on the shelf for a xylophone effect

Yeah, my little guy buster figured that dragging his food dish under the wheel
with just the right amount of bedding underneath to prop it high enough, makes
enough racket to get me over there to groom him when he runs on it and makes the
scraping noise.  Funny how they can find just the right buttons to push to
irritate you, and they know it! The girls cage in the living room, they pull the
wheels off and bang them against the side of the cage, while Sparky just rips it
right off and drags it around the cage.  I was going to clamp it down, but he
thinks it's too fun to make me get up and put it back to do it again.

Hi Rachel
I wouldnt use the size as a hard and fast rule, at least not in my opinion. 
Tayla <I call her lil bit, sometimes lil bit&H!>, the mama, is the smallest in
the cage, but even big daddy Sparky has learned not to mess with her.  In the
boy's dept, Spot is a little bigger than CC, and they will fight to the point of
blood, then I have to seperate them <they are from the same litter>, and spend
3/4 of the year living in a divided cage, the other 1/4 living together until
the fighting starts again.  Chip may be getting a little attitude, I went
through the same thing with Spot.  We had a dominance fight and he lost, 3 years
ago.  To this day he is fearful of me and only climbs on my hand to sleep if
it's palm down in the cage, and even then he sleeps with 1 eye open ready to
jump across the cage if I flinch.

Mine chew on the metal cages sometimes too, no matter how much wood or toys are
in there.  I have 5 girls and the daddy in one cage with 4 wheels, and all of
the 3 boys have their own wheels in their individual cages, and they still do
it.  I dont know if it's so much boredom as it is something ELSE to do.  They
will go from running on the wheel one second to chewing on the bars the next,
then back to the wheel in a flash.  They are strange creatures!!!

I have the wheels mounted on the sides of the cage, and all of them have access
24/7.  It's a big part of their life, sometimes they will even sleep on it, or
sit and rock on it while I have music running in the background. Mine seem to
respond differently to different kinds of music, and I was thinking about adding
some low wattage speakers into the cages I'm building :)  I drew the line at
putting one of those little tv's in there LOL

Bob


--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "R" <Rachhilton@...> wrote:
>
> Hi
> As you may know, if you've been reading my messages, Chip grew to be larger
than Dale in a week. (Chip appears to be the ever expanding degu! Is this
normal? I am being careful with his food but unfortunately this means Dale has a
little less too.) Anyway, Chip now dominates Dale - and this morning he started
nipping at me and trying to punch and kick my hand as he does with Dale. Do you
think Chip may've become a little too brave - trying to dominate me? He won't
win!
> Also they are both chewing at the cage ALL THE TIME - this one is completely
metal - no plastic to chew! I'm wondering if they are bored even though they do
have toys. I have a wheel on order which should be here in a day or two, one of
the wire mesh types. Do you leave the wheel in the cage all the time?
> Still learning!
> Thank you!
> Rachel xx
>

Thank you all for ur help. I do want to breed them b/c there aren't many
people who breed them in pa. If u checked out my website u'll see that we have
many animals. we like to go out and educate the public during festivals and such
that the town has. Many people don't know what some animals are or how long they
get, how old they can be, and such things like that. it's good to educate b/c
there's a lot of things ppl don't know about.
    In both our pet stores in our area they sell degu food. after all this food
is used up i'm going to stick w/ degu food mixed w/ guinea pig food. i've looked
at ingredients and they're almost the same thing. guinea pig food actually has
more vit. C in it to help w/ their health. i didn't want to throw all the rabbit
food out that the guy gave me. he'd mixed it w/ degu food so i didn't want to
throw it out. it's amost the same as guinea pig food anyways. it just has more
timothy hay in it. all the foods have alfalfa. i feed timothy hay atleast once a
week. we give it to our rabbits as well. it's great for all of them.
    The male has been screaming a lot! just this morning around 5am i heard him
screaming. i wasn't sure what was wrong so i went to calm him down. when i came
in the room he stopped. he was churping so loud! he's also been following the
female around and making noises while cleaning her face. it all seems like their
ritual they do so i hope it goes threw. that'll atleast tell me that they are
happier here w/ us then where they were b4.
    unfortunitly i know about the 90 days. it's so sad they have to hold them so
long. if anything ever happens to the in the wild it's going to be hard to bring
them back w/such a gestation period. i won't hold her b/c she's a little more
shy then the male and i don't want to take chances on the pregnancy thing.
unless she decides to climb up on me that's fine but i won't hold her around the
belly. the male is coming around just great. i have him food tamed by not hand
tamed yet.
    so yeah i'll see what happens and go from there. i'd really like ppl to
understand the creatures better then they do. they're so cute and i love their
noises they make. it's so differen't from a rat or gerbil. They really are an
awesome little critter. ^_^
    i will keep u all posted!


--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "Maureen Ranson" <mpranson@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Amanda
> If the goos are around two years old and haven't bred yet, I seriously doubt
whether they ever will.
> Goo females can get pregnant at 6 months old (or even younger) and males are
fertile even younger than that.
> Personally, I'd check the sex yourself - http://degumania.110mb.com/ has
excellent photos to help you out.
>
> Seeing babies born and developing is a lot of fun, but you do need to plan how
you'll tackle the issue of what to do when the female's had a couple of litters.
> The one drawback to keeping fertile opposite sex pairs is that they'll keep on
breeding unless they're neutered or separated. Obviously repeated pregnancies
aren't good for the female, so tough decisions need to be made. This was the
position we were in when we found out our "same sex" pair were in fact male and
female. Because neutering is so risky for degus, we chose to separate them,
though it was so sad to do that because, like yours' they seemed so contented
together. Those were quite a few tough days for the male (Flash), who REALLY
just wanted to be back in with the rest of the crew, but especially his mate.
The female (Cherry) didn't seem to notice, but she was busy with the babies
anyway. Although Flash had his son with him, he was still frantic for quite a
while, though he did eventually get over it, and lived his life out peacefully
(for the most part) with Jack.
>
> I'd wait a while before you decide to get more females, and see what happens.
There's just a possibility that their diet may have been inadequate, resulting
in lack of breeding success. If you ever hear your male chirping constantly for
anything up to two hours (and continuing even while he's eating) you'll know
he's mated with her. These guys certainly like to let the whole world know about
it! If the male's infertile though, even successful mating won't produce babies.
>
> With regard to finding out how old your goos are, I really can't help you - as
far as I know, there's no real way to tell once they're reached their full adult
size. An elderly goo may become less active, but young goos can be quite lazy!
>
> Maureen
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Amanda
>   To: degumail@yahoogroups.com
>   Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 3:40 PM
>   Subject: [degumail] How to find out your degus age?
>
>
>
>   hi, i'm new to this group. My boyfriend and I just bought 2 degus, a male
and a female. We would like to breed them since they're such great partners. We
bought them from a local pet store but we contacted the original owner to get
his supplies and such. He told us that when he bought them they were 2 years
old. He had them for around 4 months. We're not sure on their actual age. They
never had babies for him and we've only had them for a week, so we're not sure
yet. They seemed to be displaying a courtship ritual yesterday but i'm not for
sure what's going on. Is there any way of being able to tell a degus age? I was
told that hairloss on the tail can tell you. This guy was feeding them degu food
mixed w/ rabbit food. I didn't like that so I mixed it all w/ guinea pig food.
I've also put vit. in their food. It's made for small animals like degus. I
figured maybe they were lacking in Vit. C. I would really like to figure out
their age so I know if they'll breed or not. If not i'm going to get 2 other
females(young for sure) and add them to the family. I'm hoping someone here can
help us out. here's a website we have just created. if u go into photo's of our
animals catagory u'll see pics of them and their habitat. ^_^
>
>   http://aloveforanimals.webs.com/
>

----- Original Message -----

From: Amanda

To: degumail@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2009 3:40 PM

Subject: [degumail] How to find out your degus age?

 

hi, i'm new to this group. My boyfriend and I just bought 2 degus, a male and a female. We would like to breed them since they're such great partners. We bought them from a local pet store but we contacted the original owner to get his supplies and such. He told us that when he bought them they were 2 years old. He had them for around 4 months. We're not sure on their actual age. They never had babies for him and we've only had them for a week, so we're not sure yet. They seemed to be displaying a courtship ritual yesterday but i'm not for sure what's going on. Is there any way of being able to tell a degus age? I was told that hairloss on the tail can tell you. This guy was feeding them degu food mixed w/ rabbit food. I didn't like that so I mixed it all w/ guinea pig food. I've also put vit. in their food. It's made for small animals like degus. I figured maybe they were lacking in Vit. C. I would really like to figure out their age so I know if they'll breed or not. If not i'm going to get 2 other females(young for sure) and add them to the family. I'm hoping someone here can help us out. here's a website we have just created. if u go into photo's of our animals catagory u'll see pics of them and their habitat. ^_^

http://aloveforanimals.webs.com/

hi, i'm new to this group. My boyfriend and I just bought 2 degus, a male and
a female. We would like to breed them since they're such great partners. We
bought them from a local pet store but we contacted the original owner to get
his supplies and such. He told us that when he bought them they were 2 years
old. He had them for around 4 months. We're not sure on their actual age. They
never had babies for him and we've only had them for a week, so we're not sure
yet. They seemed to be displaying a courtship ritual yesterday but i'm not for
sure what's going on. Is there any way of being able to tell a degus age? I was
told that hairloss on the tail can tell you. This guy was feeding them degu food
mixed w/ rabbit food. I didn't like that so I mixed it all w/ guinea pig food.
I've also put vit. in their food. It's made for small animals like degus. I
figured maybe they were lacking in Vit. C. I would really like to figure out
their age so I know if they'll breed or not. If not i'm going to get 2 other
females(young for sure) and add them to the family. I'm hoping someone here can
help us out. here's a website we have just created. if u go into photo's of our
animals catagory u'll see pics of them and their habitat. ^_^

http://aloveforanimals.webs.com/

Hello
Yes, they were running on the wheel ALL last evening! And when I came downstairs
this morning they were running again! They stopped when food was offered....but
as soon as that was finished, they were off again! And no dominance fights OR
cage chewing! RESULT!
I'm not really sure where to put them while we (I say WE cos I'm not getting
stuck with cleaning OUR pets out! Just kidding, Roy has been great) anyway,
while we are cleaning the cage out - last time wasn't a problem as they were
transfering from the old plastic based cage to the new metal cage. But this week
may be a bit mad! Someone suggested putting them in a bucket - but I'm certain
they will jump out, they can leap far and high!
The goos we have came from the pet store, but under the adoption scheme they
run. They have been owned previously but for one reason or another they were
returned, so they go up for adoption (you give a donation to the store which
goes to an animal charity - usually half the price of a 'brand new' pair of
goos.) Yes, they aren't babies but they have been tamed a little - they can't
wait to come out and sit in our hands. Or rather come out and run around, from
one hand to the other, up our arms to sit on our shoulders, to climb all round
us and then poop in our hands for their grand finale!
They are slowly learning their names, it's taking time but we are getting there.
We had a minor problem at first - we were going to call them Tom and Jerry, but
my dog is called Charlie and he thought we were calling him when we said Jerry.
Confusion reigned for about 5 minutes - and we had a name change (for the goos,
not my poor confused Chihuahua!)
We have heard all kinds of noises - we had a look on the internet and found
sites which had examples of noises they may make - we have now heard most of
these....plus more besides!
Rachel
xxx

--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "Maureen Ranson" <mpranson@...> wrote:
>
> We told you they'd like it, didn't we, Rachel?
> Hee hee, yes - they LOVE wheels, even my lazy pair! Of course it should all
keep them too busy to be having dominance fights, so a double star purchase in
my book.
> Now your next problem will be getting them out of it when you're trying to
clean the cage out . . .
> BTW, great to hear that they're coming to you so freely. Some goos never get
that tame, though I did hear of one girl who's goo would follow her all around
her apartment, and would come to her when she called it's name!
> Have fun watching and listening to your guys - have you had the cooing or
warbling sounds yet?
> Maureen
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: R
>   To: degumail@yahoogroups.com
>   Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 10:41 PM
>   Subject: [degumail] Re: THE WHEEL HAS ARRIVED......
>
>
>
>   It's not huge but it's big enough for the two them to run side by side on
it. I think it's 22cm diameter and about 10cm wide. And they ARE still running
now! They are o cool, I agree!
>   I have lowered the lights in the vain hope they would feel tired and go to
bed! Huh, not likely! They are still going strong! :-) I'm off to bed - I just
hope they do soon!
>   R
>   xx
>
>   --- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "Joanna Schofer" <joannaschofer@> wrote:
>   >
>   > Is it one of those giant wheels? I don't have any rescued goos at the
>   > moment, but when I did I loved watching them run together. So cool!
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > From: degumail@yahoogroups.com [mailto:degumail@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
>   > Of R
>   > Sent: November-12-09 2:19 PM
>   > To: degumail@yahoogroups.com
>   > Subject: [degumail] Re: THE WHEEL HAS ARRIVED......
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   >
>   > THREE HOURS LATER AND THEY ARE STILL RUNNING! THEY ARE IN THE WHEEL -
>   > TOGETHER! I've never seen anything like it! It's great, they love it! And
NO
>   > chewing of the cage! YES!!! It has worked! Tonight I don't have headache -
>   > the TV is at a normal level. And they are having fun together, well, they
>   > look as if they are!
>   > Need to buy them a new chew toy as they totally destroyed the original
one,
>   > think the wheel will keep them busy till the weekend though!
>   > Rachel xx
>   >
>   > --- In degumail@yahoogroups.com <mailto:degumail%40yahoogroups.com> , "R"
>   > <Rachhilton@> wrote:
>   > >
>   > > ...AND THEY LOVE IT!!! YAY!!!
>   > > They were unsure at first - Chip had a good look around, smelled it, bit
>   > it, climbed around it and studied it from every angle. He then jumped on
and
>   > ran - but on top of the wheel! He had to leap to the side of the crate so
as
>   > not to fall far! Dingbat! He then had a closer look and climbed in it and
>   > ran a little using it as it should be! Haha!
>   > > Dale on the other hand, after Chip had his moment, jumped on the wheel
and
>   > sat down. The wheel moved slightly and he stood up - and ran. He hasn't
been
>   > of it since. Haha! Chip has jumped on and run with him but Dale isn't
>   > getting off! He turned round and ran the other way, which Chip didn't
>   > expect! It's the best toy they have - they think so, and so do I! They
>   > aren't chewing the crate! (BIG sigh of relief!)
>   > > Rachel
>   > > xxx
>   > >
>   >
>

----- Original Message -----

From: R

To: degumail@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 10:41 PM

Subject: [degumail] Re: THE WHEEL HAS ARRIVED......

 

It's not huge but it's big enough for the two them to run side by side on it. I think it's 22cm diameter and about 10cm wide. And they ARE still running now! They are o cool, I agree!
I have lowered the lights in the vain hope they would feel tired and go to bed! Huh, not likely! They are still going strong! :-) I'm off to bed - I just hope they do soon!
R
xx

--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "Joanna Schofer" <joannaschofer@...> wrote:
>
> Is it one of those giant wheels? I don't have any rescued goos at the
> moment, but when I did I loved watching them run together. So cool!
>
>
>
> From: degumail@yahoogroups.com [mailto:degumail@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
> Of R
> Sent: November-12-09 2:19 PM
> To: degumail@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [degumail] Re: THE WHEEL HAS ARRIVED......
>
>
>
>
>
>
> THREE HOURS LATER AND THEY ARE STILL RUNNING! THEY ARE IN THE WHEEL -
> TOGETHER! I've never seen anything like it! It's great, they love it! And NO
> chewing of the cage! YES!!! It has worked! Tonight I don't have headache -
> the TV is at a normal level. And they are having fun together, well, they
> look as if they are!
> Need to buy them a new chew toy as they totally destroyed the original one,
> think the wheel will keep them busy till the weekend though!
> Rachel xx
>
> --- In degumail@yahoogroups.com <mailto:degumail%40yahoogroups.com> , "R"
> <Rachhilton@> wrote:
> >
> > ...AND THEY LOVE IT!!! YAY!!!
> > They were unsure at first - Chip had a good look around, smelled it, bit
> it, climbed around it and studied it from every angle. He then jumped on and
> ran - but on top of the wheel! He had to leap to the side of the crate so as
> not to fall far! Dingbat! He then had a closer look and climbed in it and
> ran a little using it as it should be! Haha!
> > Dale on the other hand, after Chip had his moment, jumped on the wheel and
> sat down. The wheel moved slightly and he stood up - and ran. He hasn't been
> of it since. Haha! Chip has jumped on and run with him but Dale isn't
> getting off! He turned round and ran the other way, which Chip didn't
> expect! It's the best toy they have - they think so, and so do I! They
> aren't chewing the crate! (BIG sigh of relief!)
> > Rachel
> > xxx
> >
>

It's not huge but it's big enough for the two them to run side by side on it. I
think it's 22cm diameter and about 10cm wide. And they ARE still running now!
They are o cool, I agree!
I have lowered the lights in the vain hope they would feel tired and go to bed!
Huh, not likely! They are still going strong! :-) I'm off to bed - I just hope
they do soon!
R
xx

--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "Joanna Schofer" <joannaschofer@...> wrote:
>
> Is it one of those giant wheels?  I don't have any rescued goos at the
> moment, but when I did I loved watching them run together.  So cool!
>
>
>
> From: degumail@yahoogroups.com [mailto:degumail@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
> Of R
> Sent: November-12-09 2:19 PM
> To: degumail@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [degumail] Re: THE WHEEL HAS ARRIVED......
>
>
>
>
>
>
> THREE HOURS LATER AND THEY ARE STILL RUNNING! THEY ARE IN THE WHEEL -
> TOGETHER! I've never seen anything like it! It's great, they love it! And NO
> chewing of the cage! YES!!! It has worked! Tonight I don't have headache -
> the TV is at a normal level. And they are having fun together, well, they
> look as if they are!
> Need to buy them a new chew toy as they totally destroyed the original one,
> think the wheel will keep them busy till the weekend though!
> Rachel xx
>
> --- In degumail@yahoogroups.com <mailto:degumail%40yahoogroups.com> , "R"
> <Rachhilton@> wrote:
> >
> > ...AND THEY LOVE IT!!! YAY!!!
> > They were unsure at first - Chip had a good look around, smelled it, bit
> it, climbed around it and studied it from every angle. He then jumped on and
> ran - but on top of the wheel! He had to leap to the side of the crate so as
> not to fall far! Dingbat! He then had a closer look and climbed in it and
> ran a little using it as it should be! Haha!
> > Dale on the other hand, after Chip had his moment, jumped on the wheel and
> sat down. The wheel moved slightly and he stood up - and ran. He hasn't been
> of it since. Haha! Chip has jumped on and run with him but Dale isn't
> getting off! He turned round and ran the other way, which Chip didn't
> expect! It's the best toy they have - they think so, and so do I! They
> aren't chewing the crate! (BIG sigh of relief!)
> > Rachel
> > xxx
> >
>

THREE HOURS LATER AND THEY ARE STILL RUNNING! THEY ARE IN THE WHEEL - TOGETHER! 
I've never seen anything like it!  It's great, they love it! And NO chewing of
the cage!  YES!!! It has worked! Tonight I don't have headache - the TV is at a
normal level. And they are having fun together, well, they look as if they are!
Need to buy them a new chew toy as they totally destroyed the original one,
think the wheel will keep them busy till the weekend though!
Rachel xx



--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "R" <Rachhilton@...> wrote:
>
> ...AND THEY LOVE IT!!!  YAY!!!
> They were unsure at first - Chip had a good look around, smelled it, bit it,
climbed around it and studied it from every angle. He then jumped on and ran -
but on top of the wheel! He had to leap to the side of the crate so as not to
fall far! Dingbat! He then had a closer look and climbed in it and ran a little
using it as it should be! Haha!
> Dale on the other hand, after Chip had his moment, jumped on the wheel and sat
down. The wheel moved slightly and he stood up - and ran. He hasn't been of it
since. Haha! Chip has jumped on and run with him but Dale isn't getting off! He
turned round and ran the other way, which Chip didn't expect! It's the best toy
they have - they think so, and so do I! They aren't chewing the crate! (BIG sigh
of relief!)
> Rachel
> xxx
>

...AND THEY LOVE IT!!!  YAY!!!
They were unsure at first - Chip had a good look around, smelled it, bit it,
climbed around it and studied it from every angle. He then jumped on and ran -
but on top of the wheel! He had to leap to the side of the crate so as not to
fall far! Dingbat! He then had a closer look and climbed in it and ran a little
using it as it should be! Haha!
Dale on the other hand, after Chip had his moment, jumped on the wheel and sat
down. The wheel moved slightly and he stood up - and ran. He hasn't been of it
since. Haha! Chip has jumped on and run with him but Dale isn't getting off! He
turned round and ran the other way, which Chip didn't expect! It's the best toy
they have - they think so, and so do I! They aren't chewing the crate! (BIG sigh
of relief!)
Rachel
xxx

----- Original Message -----

From: Joanna Schofer

To: degumail@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 6:20 PM

Subject: RE: [degumail] Re: Degu domination!

 

Yes that is true!  One time I gave my degus a paper bag and they made SO much noise with it I didn’t give them another ;)
Joanna

From: degumail@yahoogroups.com [mailto:degumail@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of izmechera
Sent: November-12-09 9:45 AM
To: degumail@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [degumail] Re: Degu domination!

 

Ohhhh... never thought about the key ring thing... will have to give that a try because my girls do the machine gun cage chew AND the shelf digging, and they have PLENTY of wood things and a wheel. Thanks Ilene! :)

Cheryl Raines (Kansas City area)

--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, ilene <ilene.axup@...> wrote:
>
> I think part of the noise element is wanting to come out - I know one that
> my most tamed pair were pretty convinced they shouldn't live in a cage and
> would much rather be chasing me around the house in rodent balls or running
> riot in the bathroom. But I also think some of it is just that they like
> making sounds. One of mine tries to dig on the metal shelf and I'm sure
> it's because it makes a funny sound. He also drags a piece of wood along
> the bars on the shelf for a xylophone effect When we used to have them out
> in rodent balls one of them ALWAYS got a running start and bashed into my
> ex-husband's drum cymbals which were often propped against the wall. And if
> they weren't there - as soon as he'd realise he'd stop short and look at us
> like we'd taken away the bestest toy ever! As far as chewing the bars on
> the cage, one thing that worked with our worst bar chewer was we took an old
> keyring and hung it from the top of his cage. Trying to get it off would
> keep him occupied for ages and was a lot quieter than the mini machine gun
> impersonations he could manage when chewing the bars. After a while and
> once he knew his name we could say 'Monk, play with your quiet toy' and he
> would. lol I don't know if he understood the tone or if he actually knew it
> as his 'quiet toy' but it was better than my now ex hurling whatever
> happened to be within arms reach in that general direction to try and
> distract them.

Ohhhh... never thought about the key ring thing... will have to give that a try
because my girls do the machine gun cage chew AND the shelf digging, and they
have PLENTY of wood things and a wheel. Thanks Ilene! :)

Cheryl Raines (Kansas City area)

--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, ilene <ilene.axup@...> wrote:
>
> I think part of the noise element is wanting to come out - I know one that
> my most tamed pair were pretty convinced they shouldn't live in a cage and
> would much rather be chasing me around the house in rodent balls or running
> riot in the bathroom.   But I also think some of it is just that they like
> making sounds.   One of mine tries to dig on the metal shelf and I'm sure
> it's because it makes a funny sound.  He also drags a piece of wood along
> the bars on the shelf for a xylophone effect   When we used to have them out
> in rodent balls one of them ALWAYS got a running start and bashed into my
> ex-husband's drum cymbals which were often propped against the wall.  And if
> they weren't there - as soon as he'd realise he'd stop short and look at us
> like we'd taken away the bestest toy ever!   As far as chewing the bars on
> the cage, one thing that worked with our worst bar chewer was we took an old
> keyring and hung it from the top of his cage.   Trying to get it off would
> keep him occupied for ages and was a lot quieter than the mini machine gun
> impersonations he could manage when chewing the bars.   After a while and
> once he knew his name we could say 'Monk, play with your quiet toy' and he
> would. lol  I don't know if he understood the tone or if he actually knew it
> as his 'quiet toy' but it was better than my now ex hurling whatever
> happened to be within arms reach in that general direction to try and
> distract them.

Hi Maureen
Firstly, YES, the metal chewing noise is driving me around the bend, they are
mainly chewing at the door of the cage - they are clever, could it be their way
of saying they want to come out (even though they have already been out and had
a great time escaping and running around the living room)?? I'm putting a lot of
hope in this wheel arriving! The cage is in my living room and they are noiser
than my TV - no matter how loud I turn it up! Haha!
Chip is a little sod! I shall try what you have suggested and let you know how
it goes. I can't believe Chip is like that and Dale is just so laid back.
Should've called them Chalk and Cheese! LOL!
But they are great fun to have as pets.
On the cage front, the petshop which sold us the one with the plastic base have
offered a full refund - and ageed that it was totally unsuitable cage for degus.
Seeing that was double the price of the bigger, fully metal one we had by then
purchased elsewhere, it's a good result!
Rachel xx


--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, "Maureen Ranson" <mpranson@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Rachel
> My goos have always had the wheels in at all times - I dread to think of the
noise I would get from the metal chewing otherwise!
> Re Chip nipping at you - whenever he does it, flick him with your fingers, or
bat him away - he DOES need to know you're the boss! At the same time, say
firmly "No!" and he'll soon get the idea. It's normal for young goos to try this
out, and stopping him early will soon put an end to it - especially if you're
offering him a treat and he loses it!
> I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with the cage chewing till the wheel
arrives. The good news is that they do eventually get bored with doing it anyway
- though that might not be for a year or two, LOL.
> Maureen
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: R
>   To: degumail@yahoogroups.com
>   Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 12:18 PM
>   Subject: [degumail] Degu domination!
>
>
>
>   Hi
>   As you may know, if you've been reading my messages, Chip grew to be larger
than Dale in a week. (Chip appears to be the ever expanding degu! Is this
normal? I am being careful with his food but unfortunately this means Dale has a
little less too.) Anyway, Chip now dominates Dale - and this morning he started
nipping at me and trying to punch and kick my hand as he does with Dale. Do you
think Chip may've become a little too brave - trying to dominate me? He won't
win!
>   Also they are both chewing at the cage ALL THE TIME - this one is completely
metal - no plastic to chew! I'm wondering if they are bored even though they do
have toys. I have a wheel on order which should be here in a day or two, one of
the wire mesh types. Do you leave the wheel in the cage all the time?
>   Still learning!
>   Thank you!
>   Rachel xx
>

----- Original Message -----

From: R

To: degumail@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2009 12:18 PM

Subject: [degumail] Degu domination!

 

Hi
As you may know, if you've been reading my messages, Chip grew to be larger than Dale in a week. (Chip appears to be the ever expanding degu! Is this normal? I am being careful with his food but unfortunately this means Dale has a little less too.) Anyway, Chip now dominates Dale - and this morning he started nipping at me and trying to punch and kick my hand as he does with Dale. Do you think Chip may've become a little too brave - trying to dominate me? He won't win!
Also they are both chewing at the cage ALL THE TIME - this one is completely metal - no plastic to chew! I'm wondering if they are bored even though they do have toys. I have a wheel on order which should be here in a day or two, one of the wire mesh types. Do you leave the wheel in the cage all the time?
Still learning!
Thank you!
Rachel xx

Hi
As you may know, if you've been reading my messages, Chip grew to be larger than
Dale in a week. (Chip appears to be the ever expanding degu! Is this normal? I
am being careful with his food but unfortunately this means Dale has a little
less too.) Anyway, Chip now dominates Dale - and this morning he started nipping
at me and trying to punch and kick my hand as he does with Dale. Do you think
Chip may've become a little too brave - trying to dominate me? He won't win!
Also they are both chewing at the cage ALL THE TIME - this one is completely
metal - no plastic to chew! I'm wondering if they are bored even though they do
have toys. I have a wheel on order which should be here in a day or two, one of
the wire mesh types. Do you leave the wheel in the cage all the time?
Still learning!
Thank you!
Rachel xx

Hi Charlene,

Hope you're still looking at replies to your post, I always seem to be behind
reading them and end up replying really late to stuff!

I live near Harrisburg, PA and am current owner (or, more accurately am owned
by) 6 degus.  And assorted other pets.  :-)

From what I understand, it is perfectly legal to OWN degus in PA, it's just not
legal to sell them.    I do believe that sugar gliders are illegal in PA.  I
don't know anything about hedgehogs.  Ferrets are perfectly legal.  Many pet
stores sell them.  I also know of at least one ferret breeder in PA who's been
in the business for many years.  My hubby and I also have 3 pet ferrets.

My first 3 degus were actually purchased from a pet shop in PA.   I still have
one left, she is 5 1/2 years old.  That shop no longer sells degus, perhaps they
found out it wasn't legal to be selling them.   My other 5 goos I adopted from
rescue groups.

Have you tried looking on Petfinder.com?   I check it periodically just to see
what's there.  The last time I checked there were 2 shelters in PA that have
goos.  There is one in Pittsburgh that has several adult females.  There is also
one in Lansdale that has some young ones but that would be quite a long drive
for you.   Lansdale is in Montgomery County, diagonally across the state from
you.  There may also be some shelters in NY state that might have them and might
not be too long of a drive.

Hope that info. helped.   Good luck with the search!   It's always nice to hear
from other degu owners located in PA!

Anne



--- In degumail@yahoogroups.com, Charlene <foxracinggurl211981@...> wrote:
>
> I live by Erie Pennsylvania usa.
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Maureen Ranson <mpranson@...>
> To: degumail@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Fri, October 30, 2009 5:31:29 PM
> Subject: Re: [degumail] Lookin 4 a young Degu
>
>  
> Hi Charlene
> Where do you live? Our members are mostly in the UK and the US, but
widespread, so we need to know where you are.
> Maureen
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> >From: lala
> >To: degumail@yahoogroup s.com
> >Sent: Friday, October 30, 2009 9:04 PM
> >Subject: [degumail] Lookin 4 a young Degu
> >
> > 
> >Im lookin for a young degu prefably a girl. If u know of anyone e-mail me at
foxracinggurl211981 @yahoo.com
> >
> >thank you
> >
> >Charlene
> >
> >
>

As you know, the fighting was bad at the weekend. Dale, who was originally the
bigger goo, suddenly was the smaller one! And Chip took full advantage - and
kicked Dale's ass! So last night was quiet, Dale was very subdued, and sat out
of the way on the 3rd tier of the cage, as he had lost his dominance over Chip,
and Chip just left him alone.
Phew, I breathed a sigh of relief! Noone was injured, just a bit of dignity lost
- and a LOT of wood shavings on the floor! Tonight is back to normal (just about
- the odd flare up but nothing like the weekend.) I don't want to think what
will happen if Dale now grows to be bigger than Chip again!!!
I'm now looking to buy a mesh wheel - they look like a good idea, big thank you
to you, Elentarien! :)
Maureen, the nest box was £8, so not a great worry. I have noticed that Dale
carries the kitchen roll up to the 3rd tier of the cage, tripping over it,
dropping it and generally being funny. He makes a nest...falls asleep....then
about 30 minutes later he decides to carry it all down to the nest box again -
and falls asleep in the nest box! Are all goos this mad? Chip stands back and
just watches all this going on - then hops into the nest once it has all
finished!
I have found that these two aren't skittish - they are fast when they want to be
but they are not jumpy. They love being out of the cage - they sit on our
shoulders now. Chip even stood on his back legs on Roy's shoulder trying to
stretch as high as he could! He has incredible balance!
They LOVE the dust bath! It was hilarious when we first put it in the cage -
Dale was so excited he started rolling around and thrashing on the wooden shelf
(before he got in the bath!) It was fantastic to watch when he eventually
realised he needed to get INTO the dust bath! Chip had already leapt in and his
legs were flying all over the place!
Thank you to everyone for the brilliant messages! You've helped a lot! I'll keep
you up to date with the boys, if that is ok? Catch up with you soon.
Rachel xxx