Data sheet degu
Latin name:
Octogon degus
Origin:
Chile
Size:
25cm – 31cm
age expectation:
6 – 8 years (in captivity)
Behavior / stocking:
lively
Groups vs. individual housing:
groups
Lining:
herbs and grasses
Difficulty level:
Simply Pierre Camateros, Degu eating a piece of dried banana, CC BY-SA 3.0
General introduction
The degu is in Central and Northern Chile native, where it lives in large groups. In the wild they live in sophisticated caves between the rocks and scrub of the western slopes of the Andes.
The females raise their young in a communal group. Degus are pets very intelligent and very sociable Animals who love to play and explore. You have a friendly being and are outgoing little rodents.
acquisition and maintenance
Degus breed frequently. Breeders and pet shops usually offer locally bred degus for sale. They cost between 25 and 100 euros. You can also try your luck rescuing a degu. Check with your local animal welfare organization about degus that are available for adoption.
Whether you contact a breeder, pet store, or adoption organization, ask them lots of questions. They should be able to provide you with the care plan, a feeding list, and some background information about where the animal is from.
Before buying, observe the animal closely and look at its enclosure. Look out for signs of illness such as nasal discharge, a watery mouth, cloudy eyes, or sores on your feet.
Requirements for the attitude (equipment)
Degus need a lot of space and should be in one large, multi-tiered cage be kept, as it is built for ferrets or chinchillas. The cage should have a solid floor. Provide sufficient bedding to allow rooting and accumulation of food.
A sturdy running wheel (without rungs) and tubes (or PVC tubes) for tunnels are important cage equipment to accommodate the degus’ natural activities and exercise needs.
litter
The litter should be made of both dust free shavings as well as hay. Your degu will eat some of the hay and use some to build a nest. Be sure to avoid cedar and pine shavings, as these woods are harmful to degus.
You should also include a nest box or flat-topped igloo. This gives the degus a sense of security, and since they like to climb, the box also gives them another place to climb up and sit. Clean, untreated branches from fruit trees placed in the cage can also provide climbing opportunities and entertainment.
Keep the cage away from direct sunlight, drafts and other pets such as dogs and cats. Source: Nippers – dog magazine
Gnaw
degus are pronounced rodents and need plenty of opportunity to do so. Untreated, unpainted wooden blocks or commercially available rabbit chews work well for degus. Like chinchillas, degus also need regular dust baths.
Set out a shallow bowl of chinchilla dust a few times a week. Usually you only need it for 20-30 minutes, then you can remove it.
gender differences
Knowing how to accurately distinguish male and female degus is extremely important. When purchasing or adopting your degu, do not rely on others to determine the sex.
It is important that you recognize the differences and are able to do the sex determination yourself. Locate your degu’s genital area. This is where you will find the anal and urethral openings in both males and females. The main difference between the sexes is the distance between the urethral cone and the anus.
- Female: In a female, the distance between these organs is very small – just a few millimeters. It includes only the vagina, which is mostly closed and difficult to see. Most of the time it can only be seen as a faint horizontal fold.
- Male: In males, on the other hand, the anal opening is farther from the cone – about 1 centimeter – and a gap between the cone and the anus is much more noticeable. Less noticeable, but noticeable upon closer inspection, is a vertical fold of skin that runs between the two and can be seen as a distinct line. It can be seen most clearly when the degu leans forward with its tail erect.
feed and nutrition
Degus should be fed a specially pelleted degu diet or a mix of 50% guinea pig pellets and 50% chinchilla pellets. Hay should always be available. A few fresh vegetables in small amounts can be given as rewards a few times a week.
This includes:
- -Sweet potatoes (peeled, uncooked)
- carrots
- green beans and
- Leafy vegetables
Degus bury their food. So remember to remove uneaten fresh vegetables before they spoil. A degus’ diet should be low in sugar, carbohydrates, and fat. Degus cannot metabolize sugar, so you should especially avoid sugary treats, including fresh or dried fruit.
Rodent mixes consisting of corn, grain, sunflower seeds, raisins, or dried fruit should be considered not be fed to degus. Clean, fresh water should be available at all times. Use an inverted bottle with a drinking tube that can be attached to the cage. Change the water daily.
acclimatization and handling
Start by hand-feeding the degu small treats. If the pet accepts the treats happily, use both hands to grasp them, making sure the buttocks are supported. Touch them regularly to boost their confidence. Once they are comfortable, they can learn to climb into your hand if you reach into the cage.
Degus move very quickly. If you carry or hold them, you should make sure that they are secured. Never try to catch a degu by grabbing its tail. As a natural protection from predators, the tail sheds slightly but does not grow back.
Other questions
Are degus suitable as pets for children?
Because of their tendency to bite when not handled often, as well as their tendency to injure their tails when handled roughly, degus do not make good pets for families with very young children, but they can make great pets for children of elementary school age and older, as long as they are of age be supervised by an adult.
Are degus nocturnal?
Degus are nocturnal animals and sleep during the day. This should be taken into account when locating the cage.
Are degus rats?
They are very similar to rats. With a body the size of a rat and a tail the length of a gerbil, degus (also known as brush-tailed rats) look like oversized gerbils.
Like their rat cousins, degus are intelligent, very social and have a lot of personality. The diet is also similar to that of rats.