degu breeding

Question
i just recently aquired 2 degus from the local humane society.  they said they were both females, but one is pregnant (i've had them about 5 months), so obviously the not pregnant one is a male...  the pregnant one is blind.  i have never bred degus and i don't intend to continue, but how do i get through this litter? i know nothing ahout breeding them...

Answer
Greetings!
As you now know, people mess up the gender of degus quite often...they are expecting external testes like in rats, and they aren't there.  First, you need to make sure not to pick up your pregnant one...if she crawls onto you that's fine, but if she is large enough to know she's pregnant, she can easily miscarry.  Transfer her with a jar, let her do all the moving but handle with care.  Petting her and daily treats are still wonderful ways to interact.  Next, get some calf manna.  It can be purchased at Rural King or other farm supply stores, and it is a calcium supplement that smells like licorice.  It is pelletized, so it looks just like regular food...just mix in a little (I put in about 1/4 c. with one cup of regular food mix which is half guinea pig food and half chinchilla food) and they usually don't eat all of it, but it's there if they need it.  

Gestation is 89-92 days, and they are super at it--you won't need to do a thing, except be on your toes.  The downside to degu pregnancies is that you will have to decide what you want to do about your new family before it gets here.  Are you going to keep them all?  If not, are you going to keep the male and a baby male (or more than one baby male) or the mamma and one or more baby females?  Or are you going to keep the original pair, have the male neutered and give away all the babies?  Some things you should consider now are the actual logistics of the birth.  While we don't have to hire a Lamaze coach for our degus, we do need to do something with the dad because mom can get pregnant for a few days right after delivering.  We don't want him totally out of the picture though if you are planning on keeping him, as they really do need to be in pairs or more and unlike many animals degu dads are wonderful!  They are right in there keeping the babies warm to give mom a break (babies can't do that for a while) and tending to mom...but for the first couple of days after delivery it's not a good idea to let him be there.  That's why you need to  figure out now who's going to stay or go.  

Have you figured out the difference in male vs female?  It is the biggest factor you're going to be facing in deciding who stays where.  If you haven't already found reliable photos, go to http://degumania.110mb.com/degu_gender.html and get good at telling males from females now.  If you're having trouble deciding, put them in a glass jar and compare it to either the picture or one you know what it is.  Once you come up with a plan, the animals will be able to take care of themselves.  Make sure the water bottles can be reached by the babies by about 3 weeks, and that they are not in a cage with large gaps (like a rabbit cage) as the babies start wandering the cage in the first day.  They are born furred and the eyes open a few hours after birth, so they are really some of the cutest babies around.  Figure out what do do about homes for the babies (they will need to leave mamma around 5-6 weeks so she doesn't get pregnant by one) and at that time separate males from females.  If you have just one of a gender, you need to get it a home first...letting it stay with a member of the opposite sex so it won't get lonely is a recipe for disaster.  Degus are induced ovulators, so a female will only release eggs when in the presence of males--she's not on a schedule.  It's better to let the one of that gender get all your attention and love until you can pair it with another goo or a chinchilla (I haven't done it myself but hear it works fine).  

Good luck, and don't hesitate writing again if there's anything else that comes up.
Carol