# Handrearing Baby degus



## PricklyHogletsLiverpool (Apr 27, 2013)

So the vets were I used to work gave me a call last week . They had done an emergency C section on a mother degu and unfortunately when she came around she rejected her pups and had asked me to hand rear them as the owners wanted to keep them but unfortunately they both work full time so did not have the time. 

There were 4 in total . I have been feeding them every 2 hours and keeping temperature at 37 degrees . 

Unfortunately last night at around 7pm I came in to find a dead baby . It was healthy before this and drank as normal and went to the toilet fine . Their were no signs of an unhealthy baby from what I could see (but then I am not a vet). 

Then this morning at 6am I came down to find another 2 had died . I only fed and toileted them at 4am and both were fine . They both looked healthy and were snuggled in with the last baby still warm just not breathing ?

I am worrying now the last baby seems perfectly fine to me he had eaten and toileted this morning as normal but just to be on the safe side will be taking him to the vets to have a little check over .

Is their anything I need to look out for with this last baby ? Has anybody who has hand reared degu babies had the same problem ? Could it be I am doing something wrong ? What is the survival rate of baby degus ? 

Thank you in advance x


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## lessthanthree (Mar 24, 2010)

I'm no expert at all, but seeing as it sounds you were doing everything right, maybe hey were just too weak- maybe didn't fully form their organs? If there is a deficiency of something such as calcium in the mother, that can hugely effect the babies. Or maybe with the loss of their mother and siblings, they were too cold?


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## lessthanthree (Mar 24, 2010)

And if you haven't already got rid of the other babies' bodies, I would take them for a post mortem at the vet, that's your best bet at finding if anything went wrong!


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## Stickytoes (Aug 9, 2010)

I've raised baby rodents before, it can be quite difficult if they're young. 

If they don't get the first milk from their mother, they don't get the colostrum which contains vital antibodies and gut bacteria that would kick start their digestive and immune systems. 
You can try mixing in some supplements to aid gut function- maybe lacto B9 if you can get any. Electrolytes are also good.
Unfortunately there's not much you can do about the antibodies, just keep everything super clean! 

Sounds like you're doing it all right, sometimes baby animals just don't make it without mum 
But keep up the good work and hopefully the little one will be ok!! 


Edit: You may also want to increase the feeds to every hour, or hour and a half if they are new born. Just due to the fact that milk supplements are never as nutritious as mums milk! Just an idea


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## Loderuna (Mar 9, 2010)

I had a similar issue with the litter of skunks I am hand rearing. Baby animals are very prone to bloat and twisted guts, which is fatal within hours. One of my kits was checked as ok by a good vet at 4pm and was dead at 6pm. It's the unfortunate reality of hand rearing small animals. All you can take from it is the experience and that you tried your best for them. It's heart breaking.


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