The girls without names
On Tuesday I picked up the new girls. Marco was so kind to drive me because he has a bigger car and the only one the cage fitted in.
Yes, those two brought their own home with them Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to take them. The aqua Lilo and Charlie are residing in is much to small for four degus.
So those two are 11 months old. Makes them adult but still they are a bit smaller than Charlie who is 1 1/2 years old.
On the way home they didn't make a move or sound, very much like Charlie. Scared to death you might say. When we got home Marco helped to re-assemble the aviary. Provisional of course because finishing the cage will take some time. I want to arrange several levels with wooden planks and have to figure out how to apply them to the cage. So it was only hay, food, water and the hut for the girls.
When I took them out of the transport box I saw that one of them had managed to get her neck into a loop of thread. She nearly choked herself on that. Of course I tried to cut the thread but she was so wiggly that it was a bit difficult. In the end the thread was cut the the degu was free again. Phew.
Of course they were curious about the new place. They are not tame but not quiet as shy as Charlie. They will come to the front of the cage and sniff at my fingers. Also they take food from me. But I haven't tried to grab or pet them because the woman I got them from said they would bite. I'll give them time, maybe they loose that someday.
So the first night was okay. None of them died out of stress. I put the aviary next to the aqua. So they could hear and maybe see each other. I heard a lot of tweeting going on so I know they are all aware of each other.
Yesterday my plan was to assemble the wooden leves but I hurt myself so I'll leave that to someone else. Charlie, the rascal that he is, took the opportunity of an opened lid and escaped to visit the girls. I noticed that when it was too late and he already was running around on the floor. Then followed an hour of hiding behind and under my living room furniture on Charlie's part, crouching and crawling behind him on my part. As soon as he noticed that I was after him he got into his frantic mode and did a lot of artistic jumps to escape me. In the end I was able to catch him mid-flight (he really looked like Superman for a moment) with the transport box. He seemed to be a bit miffed to be put back into the aqua to Lilo. But his goal, to introduce himself to the girls, was attained. (I'm not assuming that he wanted anything else, like sex or something. We can't have that).
I think, if the two groups someday will become one group he will be happy with his little harem.
That is when he gets over his fear of humans and Lilo and the girls won't nick all the best bits of food while he is hiding. Lol.
Ah yes. I refer to the girls as the girls because they don't have names yet. I have no real idea about that. I think I'll wait a bit to figure out their characters. And I yet have to learn to tell them apart.
Yes, those two brought their own home with them Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to take them. The aqua Lilo and Charlie are residing in is much to small for four degus.
So those two are 11 months old. Makes them adult but still they are a bit smaller than Charlie who is 1 1/2 years old.
On the way home they didn't make a move or sound, very much like Charlie. Scared to death you might say. When we got home Marco helped to re-assemble the aviary. Provisional of course because finishing the cage will take some time. I want to arrange several levels with wooden planks and have to figure out how to apply them to the cage. So it was only hay, food, water and the hut for the girls.
When I took them out of the transport box I saw that one of them had managed to get her neck into a loop of thread. She nearly choked herself on that. Of course I tried to cut the thread but she was so wiggly that it was a bit difficult. In the end the thread was cut the the degu was free again. Phew.
Of course they were curious about the new place. They are not tame but not quiet as shy as Charlie. They will come to the front of the cage and sniff at my fingers. Also they take food from me. But I haven't tried to grab or pet them because the woman I got them from said they would bite. I'll give them time, maybe they loose that someday.
So the first night was okay. None of them died out of stress. I put the aviary next to the aqua. So they could hear and maybe see each other. I heard a lot of tweeting going on so I know they are all aware of each other.
Yesterday my plan was to assemble the wooden leves but I hurt myself so I'll leave that to someone else. Charlie, the rascal that he is, took the opportunity of an opened lid and escaped to visit the girls. I noticed that when it was too late and he already was running around on the floor. Then followed an hour of hiding behind and under my living room furniture on Charlie's part, crouching and crawling behind him on my part. As soon as he noticed that I was after him he got into his frantic mode and did a lot of artistic jumps to escape me. In the end I was able to catch him mid-flight (he really looked like Superman for a moment) with the transport box. He seemed to be a bit miffed to be put back into the aqua to Lilo. But his goal, to introduce himself to the girls, was attained. (I'm not assuming that he wanted anything else, like sex or something. We can't have that).
I think, if the two groups someday will become one group he will be happy with his little harem.
That is when he gets over his fear of humans and Lilo and the girls won't nick all the best bits of food while he is hiding. Lol.
Ah yes. I refer to the girls as the girls because they don't have names yet. I have no real idea about that. I think I'll wait a bit to figure out their characters. And I yet have to learn to tell them apart.