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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Comment by katyzzz
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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
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Comment by Whitney
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Temporarily, that would be fine, but you'll really need to get a sufficient enclosure.