Hi All,

I have now been keeping Degus for a year and a half and during that time have done loads of research and now have a total of 11. 8 girls and 3 boys. I started off with 2 degus and successfully introduced another 2 and later a further 4. I then rescued 2 boys and last week rescued a third. The three boys have now been together for a little under a week and although they have been scrapping, it wasnt anything too bad or anything to be concerned about. I thought it was the same process that the girls had been through and that they were just sorting out their pecking order etc. There had been one bad scratch that drew a little blood but it happened when I was not about and when ever they fell asleep they have been falling asleep altogether in a little group all cuddled up.

I have been away this weekend but my fiancée has been looking after them. I have just got home and gone to say hello I was told that they had all been good with a little scrapping but nothing bad and that they had only just woken up from being all cuddled up. When I looked in the cage, I saw Franky (my newest Degu) with a bleeding tail which looks as though it has been scraped at the top and the tip was bleeding. He came to us with the end missing off his tail anyway but I was really shocked and upset to see the very end of his tail in the middle of the cage. I can only think that they had had another fight but a bad one. My fiancée has said that they have all been really quiet though and I am really confused as to what has happened. They all seamed calm (including Franky who was curled up asleep with one of the other boys) I have now taken Franky out and put him in a spare cage but he is looking for the other two who also look like they are looking for him. I am really upset and confused. I know Degus are good at hiding their pain but he is acting completely normally. I dont have a metal wheel or anything that he could have got his tail trapped in.

Any advice would be great as my fiancée is now saying that we should take Franky back to the shop to be put back up for adoption (this would be the third time that he would be back up for adoption).

Many thanks
x

Hi there,

For me to be able to help would you be able to describe how you went about bonding the goos?
Also has he had any pain relief?
Are the boys in the same room as the girls, if so can they see them?

Boys are notoriously difficult to bond, it is possible but sometimes it can take months for a group to get together.

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I sympathise, Billyalex, as I went through a similar situation myself and its so hard to know what to do.
I eventually realised I couldnt keep my 2 males together due to their fighting becoming more and more alarming and bloody, and one of my males toes was torn off, so I now have 2 cages of degus, a male and female in each cage.
Sorry not to offer useful advice other than what I ended up doing.
I do hope it works out xx

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Degus-Vic, Bob, Investigo, Scramble, Tufty, Casty
Huge German Shepherd, Indy
Tropical fish.