Degus babies

Question
Hello, Thanks for taking the time to read this. The Degus are having babies and I am not sure if we should separate the male and female. Any other information that I should know would be helpful. Thanks, Dan

Answer
The dad is a really big help in raising the babies, however they can impregnate the female again immediately after birth.  Are you intentionally breeding them?  They should be kept separate for a while (4 or 5 days after birth is plenty) and then she'll be safe until after the babies are weaned.  If you do not want to breed them again, you need to get one of them altered at the vets.  Do NOT let the babies all stay together with the mom and dad past 5 weeks, or you could end up with lots more unintended (and unhealthy) babies.  Inbreeding is not something you want to deal with.  You'll need to separate them by gender at that point and find homes for them if you're going to.  

Make sure mom is getting plenty of calcium in the form of Calf Manna (available at farm supply stores like Rural King) to keep her healthy while she's nursing, and keep the water full as she'll be drinking for all of them right now.  

Good luck, and enjoy them while you can--they grow up so fast!
Carol