Degus are one of the less known pets and normally live underground in small groups. Although Degus love to burrow, they also like to climb. They are a curious animal and are active both day and night and you will often hear them chatting to each other. The degu is a very social animal and need to be amongst their own so never buy a single degu, they are better living as same sex pairs. The female degu is usually larger than the male and the degus can live from six up to nine years.
A healthy degu should be bright, very alert and have a shiny coat. The teeth are orange, this is nothing to worry about, this means a degu is healthy, white teeth are a sign that the degu is poorly.
A large glass tank is ideal accommodation for a degu but please make sure it has a secure lid so they cannot escape but ensuring there is plenty of ventilation. Large cages designed for rats or chinchillas are also suitable.
Place in the tank or cage plenty of rocks for them to hide and creat several climbing levels. A solid exercise wheel can also be place in the cage, please do not use the open wheels as the degus to tend to catch and lose their tails in these.
Degus do like to carry items around so also make available plenty of plastic toys which you can alternate so they dont get bored. A box is also required, lined with hay or shredded paper. Cages and tanks muct be cleaned regularly but please do not use disinfectants and soaps, pet safe cleaning products should be used.
Degus eat their food like chinchillas, holding it in their front paws. You can feed the degus chinchilla food or even guinea pig food. The basic diet should be supplemented with hay and fresh food such as carrots, dandelion leaves but only in small quantities and turnips. Do not give the degus sugary foos as they are sugar intolerant.
The degus must be supplied with fresh water in a gravity-fed bottle which should be cleaned on a regular basis.
Degus must be handled with care, their tails can be easily injured so please pay extra attention to this area. If the tail gets damaged, the degu will shed part of the tail as a defence mechanism. A degu needs their tail for balance.
Like chinchillas, degus love to roll in a dust bath and will groom themselves with their paws. Degus need to chew so gnaw blocks, wooden toys and cardboard tubes should be provided. If a degus teeth grow too long and the constant gnawing does not wear the teeth down, please consult a vet as soon as possible.
DEGU CHECK LIST
* LARGE CAGE OR GLASS TANK WITH LID
* FOOD BOWL
* FOOD SUITABLE FOR DEGUS
* WATER BOTTLE
* WOODSHAVINGS
* GNAW BLOCK
* NEST BOX AND BEDDING
* DUST BATH AND CHINCHILLA SAND
* HAY
* WOODEN TOYS
* CARDBOARD TUBES
* A BOOK ON DEGU CARE
