We are assisting a local animal shelter with the rescue of ninety or so degus.

Current Status: November 12, 2008

The original rescue site has been stabilized, but there are a large number of adoptables in foster care. They are located in Boston, Bedford, Dedham and Lowell, MA, and we can transport reasonable distances (and sometimes even unreasonable ones, with a little help from our friends!)

Beyond New England: We can take advantage of upcoming holiday travel to transport degus to new homes. Travellers, we can use your help! Contact us for more info about adopting or volunteering to transport degus. Degus come with travel housing, food and supplies for their trip. With mild Fall weather, animal transport is greatly simplified.

Given their sheer numbers, it's no surprise these degus are not very well socialized. However there are many young animals, and degus are smart enough to be resocialized. We'll share our resocialization experiences with Foster and Smith to help you think about whether you, too, would love a 'goo!

Taming of the Goos

Mar 7. Pickup. Pick up seven boys in the Boston shelter. They all hide under their half-log. Drop off two in Wayland; the rest to my home in Bedford. When the room is quiet, they emerge,then scatter back to their log when someone passes by. Fill a large jar with sunflower seeds and every household member offers a treat as we pass by. Only the bravest dare accept, but when they run back under the half-log to eat it, we hear a lot of chirpy cries of "Not fair!" in degu.

Mar 8. Tough Love for Goos. All this hiding is not helping at all. Took away their half log. They huddle under the shelf instead, but a thaw is underway. All five will now come out for a seed, even eat out of our hand with no biting.

Mar 9. More out. Mid-day, using gloves, grab three of the five for a trip to their new home in NH. New mom calls in the evening, "They are mating!" Web links are exchanged; further review suggests they are all boys, mating is dominance behavior, but mom did get a nasty bite figuring it out. I advise her to watch their diet for excess carbs, which leads to urinary tract infections and stimulates dominance mating. And to use gloves for any mandatory procedures.

Mar 10. Retraining. Just the two of them now, Foster and Smith get their picture up on the available page. We are "shaping" socialized behavior now, gradually asking for a bit more each time to get earn a treat. Now, both goos must come to the open front door and put their paws up on the edge to get their seed. After a few hours, they will now walk out on the door of their cage and put their paws on my hands. I can see they are anxious now to explore, which means we will need to move to the kennel soon, where walls and doors can keep them safe should they make a run for it. They "wheek" like guinea pigs as they scrutinize me.

Mar 11. Interference. The cats interrupted our morning visit, which further convinces me I need to move the goos to a safe spot where they can come out. But where? Good practice requires keeping a quarantine from other animals, but there are few cat-free, goo-safe rooms in the house. The cage could use changing too, but moving them will create a setback I would like to delay. Hmm.

Mar 13. Moving Day. Couldn't wait any longer. The cage stank, and Smith wants to explore. We set up a new cage in the basement. Smith is brave now. He will come out on my hands, while Foster scolds and squeaks from the cage.

Mar. 14. Goo Adventures. Up in New Hampshire, the goos' personalities emerge. Their mom writes: "Porthos is a wanderer and a glutton. Arimas has been won over by my middle daughter and will eat out of her hand (I can't come near him) and Athos just sits back and bosses everyone around." Porthos also managed to slip out and have a stroll around the house, while the dogs thrilled to see the living squeaky toy clatter across the floor. Alert Mom and her heavy gloves brought about a swift and happy resolution.

Mar. 21. Daily Care. The goos are part of the household now. They gain confidence gradually. Smith will come out on my hand and be lifted a few inches, but then darts back into his house. Foster is more shy but his singing is delightful.

Mar. 23. Trust. Porthos, left, has been thoroughly won over by his new mom. He will come out, perch lightly, and eat a seed from her hand. He's also begun socializing with the family dog, Nappy. His brothers Aramis and and Athos are not quite as far along but 'goo jealousy goes a long way to leading the reluctant forward.

Mar. 26. Goos in the News. Finally, it isn't just me saying how smart degus are! An article in the New York Times today summarizes a study by Dr. Atshushi Iriki of the Riken Institute in Tokyo, who has learned that degus can use tools to get at - what else - a food treat. If they are smart enough to use tools, they are smart enough to be retamed! Watch the adorable video of the 'goo in this article!

Apr. 6. Lucky Day. One of our wonderful gerbil families from Winchester, MA, came by to drop off the boys from a litter they'd raised for us. In the process we got to admiring Foster and Smith and...they decided to take them home to get to know them better. Goos and all their belongings go off with great excitement to their new foster home.

Apr. 9. Forever Home. Happy endings! Patty and her family fell in love with the goos! A new cage and accessories have been purchased and the 'goos have found their forever home!

THE END.