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My twin boys have been fighting each other since i got them when they were weaned from mum. They were born in March.

Nothing serious just general roughness and a lot of noise. But since i have the girls it's got worse, they don't actually do each other any damage but they do chuck each other downstairs and stuff Shock

They have always had to have separate food dishes as this was a big issue with them at one time but now that's sorted.

Today i noticed them sitting facing the girls, they were both making a funny sort of clicking noise and swishing their tails. With my chins this means one thing, is it the same with degus ?

So what i really want to know is.........

Does it look like the one/both girls are in season?
If yes how long/often will this happen?
Will the fighting get worse with the boys?
Didi read it was degus that only come in season of a male is around?

I'm hoping I'm not now going to start getting problems with the degus they are all pretty settled with me and i dont really want to start moving them about the house.
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* Ann *

The boy's Pete n Repete, and the girl's Dot n Dash.

Plus 20 Chinchilla's Gerbil brothers Maca n Roni
and my two Whippet Girls.

All degu's squabble and play fight thats natural, it normally just a lot of noise and one pushing their weight around as you mentioned. It normally dies down as quick as it starts and they can normally be found cuddled up like nothing has happened a few minutes later Wink

Males tend to squabble slightly more than females basically because they are more territorial (usually over the food bowl). Males on a whole live peacefully but sometimes when you bring other degus into the equation normally females (although i've seen it happen with males too) it can cause friction and two normally happy degus can become sworn enemies.

In your case it sounds like the males are competing for the females attention and they are squabbling as only one can be the top degu and have the females. The clicking noise basically is a warning sound they make, they are warning each other to keep away. The tail wagging can symbolise two things. Firstly degus do it when they are annoyed as a way of warning one another and males also do it when they are excited for example when they see a female. Was they facing each other when they was doing this or the females? The fighting could get worse and if it does you might have to seperate them as degus can and do fight to the death and if the fighting did turn severe you would have to step in. But thats only a IF so i wouldn't worry about that at the moment and cross that bridge if you come to it.

Females degu's don't come into season periodically they are induced ovulators and are only brought into season when they are in the prescence of males. And the cycle lasts around 3 weeks. So there is every chance if they are next to each other and can hear and smell the boys one or both might have come into season depending on their age.

I think there are two reasons your boys could be fighting:

(a). The females have come into season and they are fighting to be the top degu and have the females. Which makes sense if everything has been ok till now and it does make sense on a whole with everything you have described.

(b). They can see there are other degus there and see them as a threat. As sometimes the prescence of other degus can cause them to squabble more amongst themselves and exhibit warning signs to each other and the other degus as they see it as a threat to there hierarchy. Which could be whats happening if they was making the noise and tail wagging at the other degus as they could be warning them to keep away this is their territory.

I'm more inclined to think it is to do with the females coming into season but either way i think the only way you are probably going to resolve it is to move one of the cages away from the other so they can't hear or smell each other Ya winkles

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Thanks you have given me plenty to think over there.

I will watch them carefully over the next couple of days and see if i think the fighting is getting serious. I think they are trying to attract the girl's attention as they were looking at them when they tail swishing thing was going on.
I may well have to move them about by the sound of it.
The girls are about a year i was told, i only took them on as they were advertised as free to a good home and i was worried they would end up somewhere unsuitable Sad

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* Ann *

The boy's Pete n Repete, and the girl's Dot n Dash.

Plus 20 Chinchilla's Gerbil brothers Maca n Roni
and my two Whippet Girls.

Great advice from amethystbelle Smile

I just wanted to add that whenever my boys see my girls (even from 3 feet away) they go crazy and start making little squeaky noises and climb their cage to get a better look. It's really cute but I always have to block their view of the girls before the fighting breaks out. How close are your boys to your girls? If they're in view maybe it can help if you put some kind of divider between them so that they can't see each other Smile

Good luck and I hope you can figure out what's causing the fighting and put it to an end Smile

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~ 4 Chinchillas ~
~ Girl: Chilla
~ Boys: Cadbury, Punkin, and Casper

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