Discussion
As title, just wondering if anyone on here has them or has had them?
Are they easy to keep/look after?
For those wondering what the heck a Degu is...
http://myhomezone.co.uk/degus/
Are they easy to keep/look after?
For those wondering what the heck a Degu is...
http://myhomezone.co.uk/degus/
I have had them in the past for a few years. Excellent creatures if well looked after and regularly handled. Incredibly intelligent for their size as well as very social animals. They must be kept in groups! so a group of females is best if you don't want accidents. every Degu I have had and made a noise with the bars on a cage. They bite two together and release them so they "ping" which is rather annoying at 3 am. They need sand and things to bath in but if you put the effort in with them they are excellent pets!
Also, Their tails are sensitive and should be avoided when trying to get them. They fall off when they are paniced as a defence mechanism and it ususally kills them after. So be careful
Also, Their tails are sensitive and should be avoided when trying to get them. They fall off when they are paniced as a defence mechanism and it ususally kills them after. So be careful
Edited by JakeS on Saturday 12th December 22:44
Degu's no.
But I used to breed Chinchillas. Same basic habits as the degu, just larger and softer.
you'll need to provide them a sand bath about once a week ( use a roasting tin, as they'll chew the plastic ones to pieces)
Both are HIGHLY intelligent, as such successful escape artists and once free extremely fast due to their large rear legs (think kangaroo running)making them damn hard to catch.
Provide them with plenty of items to chew, natural timber, fruit tree branches, cuttlefish, otherwise they will start nawing the platforms and the cage bars.
Otherwise they are great pets and very characterful.
But I used to breed Chinchillas. Same basic habits as the degu, just larger and softer.
you'll need to provide them a sand bath about once a week ( use a roasting tin, as they'll chew the plastic ones to pieces)
Both are HIGHLY intelligent, as such successful escape artists and once free extremely fast due to their large rear legs (think kangaroo running)making them damn hard to catch.
Provide them with plenty of items to chew, natural timber, fruit tree branches, cuttlefish, otherwise they will start nawing the platforms and the cage bars.
Otherwise they are great pets and very characterful.
I have two degus, they are entertaining little sods.
The advice i can give from my experience is that you will need a bigger cage than you thought, much bigger, they are incredibly active at times and can easily jump/run up 4-5 foot walls when they have escaped.
They will escape/jump from you at some point, don't panic, the easiest way to gather them up is to use a dust bath as they will usually get into it and then you can gather them up.
Handle them as much as possible when they are young, as they get older they calm down slightly and if they are comfortable you can wander around doing housework and they will stay on your shoulders.
Do some google research on them, they are less grief than either my guinea pig or the cats and will provide you with loads of entertainment.
The advice i can give from my experience is that you will need a bigger cage than you thought, much bigger, they are incredibly active at times and can easily jump/run up 4-5 foot walls when they have escaped.
They will escape/jump from you at some point, don't panic, the easiest way to gather them up is to use a dust bath as they will usually get into it and then you can gather them up.
Handle them as much as possible when they are young, as they get older they calm down slightly and if they are comfortable you can wander around doing housework and they will stay on your shoulders.
Do some google research on them, they are less grief than either my guinea pig or the cats and will provide you with loads of entertainment.
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