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Caring for a Degu

October 18th 2008 19:29
Not many people have heard of degus, which is why I find it important to share the word. These guys are probably the next hottest thing compared to hamsters. They are native to Chile, and are about 6 inches long with a 6 inch tail. So, these guys are bigger than hamsters but SO much cooler.

Degus are typically brown and black, and aren't commonly found in pet stores, which means if you're interested in caring for a degu, you'll need to find a breeder somewhere near to you. But, before you even do that, you'll want to check your animal laws because there are many states that have degus as pets being illegal. For example, Georgia will not allow you to legally own a degu as a pet.


Flickr Image by Helga_262


Degus live about 5 to 9 years in captivity, which makes them much better than hamsters who live an averate of 1 to 2 years, if you're lucky.

Degus are very social animals with both people and other degus. They can live in pairs of two males and two females, but it is best that you get two brothers or two sisters rather than introducing them later in life.

As for what you're supposed to feed a degu, this is probably one of the reasons as to why they are on the list of non-pets. They have a slightly more complicated diet than just going out and buying a bag of degu food.

To date, the best diet that you can provide your degu is a mix ofg guinea pig pellets and some form of hay- timothy hay, alfalfa hay, oat hay. Or some kind of block hay. Some people mix a little chinchilla food in with the guinea pig food, if you want to do this to provide more varity make sure that you purchase chinchilla food AND guinea pig food that are 100% pellets and has no added dried fruits or nuts.


You will also want to provide fresh vegetables such as sweet potatoes, dandelion, and leafy greens (not in the cabbage family). You want to make sure to give them the veggis raw. Remove the skin and any roots, as well. Try to provide at least one yellow and one green vegetable each day.

You want to avoid giving your degu food with sugar, as they have a VERY hard time digesting sugars. This means avoid sunflower seeds, corn, and carrots

You want to avoid vegetables in the cabbage family such as:
Beet greens, Horseradish, Bok Choy, Kale, Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Brussels, Mustard Greens, Sprouts, Radishes, Cabbage, Rutabaga, Cauliflower, Swiss Chard, Chinese Cabbage, Turnips, Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, Garden Cress

You also want to avoid feeding them large amounts of nuts and fruits.

Flickr Image by Helga_262


As for caging a degu, you want to make sure that the enclosure has a solid bottom to prevent bumble foot. You want the cage to have wire levels and wire sides. You want to give them plenty of room. You can use a 20 gallon aquarium, but it's really not recommended because it provides poor ventilation and doesn't allow the degus enough mental stimulation.

You do not want to put yoru degu in a warm environment. Try to keep them aroun 65 - 75F.

Flickr Image by sarako


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Comments
2 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by katyzzz

October 18th 2008 20:01
Really interesting post, that diet sounds good for his heart and his brain.

How do they get on with cats and dogs and can you let them run around inside, e.g. in a closed room, such as a sunroom, preferably wiht the owner present.

Do they like a companion? e.g. one of themselves. Are they easily sexed? don't want lots of little degus running around the place, do we?

Comment by Whitney

October 18th 2008 23:08
I said in the post that they are social to peopand their own kind. Just try to get a same sex pair that are brothers or sisters. As for diet, avoid that long list of leafy greenss. You can let them run around in small enclosed areas under a watchful eye. I would be more worried about the cat and the dog versus the degu wh playing. You don't want to cat or the dog to accidently hurt the degus. I'll try to write another post about these guys.

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