Commercially available dust meant for chinchilla bathing and offered in a heavy ceramic crock is fine for degus; they seem to enjoy rolling around in the fine dust to keep their fur clean. Dust should be removed in between baths, or degus may soil the bath with feces. Finally, degus do need time every day out of their cages to run around and get exercise.
Degus should never be left out of their cages unsupervised, as they are curious, adventurous, and fast, and tend to get into trouble by chewing on wires, baseboards, and anything else they can get their continuously growing teeth into.
Degus are herbivores vegetable-eaters that eat leaves and shrubs in the wild. When fed too much sugar, degus develop diabetes and as such have been used as research models for understanding human diabetes. Thus, pet degus should not be fed sugary treats but should be offered commercially available rodent pellets or blocks those made for rats are generally fine along with leafy greens, such as dark lettuces and dandelion greens, plus vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, and carrots, and unlimited amounts of grass hay such as Timothy or Orchard grass.
Alfalfa hay should be given only occasionally, as it is too high in protein and calories and may lead to obesity. Hay is essential not only to provide fiber to the intestinal tract but also to help wear down continuously growing teeth as it is chewed. Food should be offered twice a day in heavy, non-tippable bowls. Not only sugary foods, such as fruit or treats containing molasses or honey should be avoided, but also high-fat seeds or nuts.
These types of foods should only be offered as occasional treats. Finally, degus should be provided with fresh water in a sipper bottle daily, and food dishes should be cleaned with hot, soapy water every day. Degus are generally hardy rodents when cared for and fed properly. If they are fed an appropriate diet, they do not need supplemental vitamins or minerals. They also do not require vaccinations. To keep them healthy, however, all newly purchased or adopted degus should have a complete physical examination by a veterinarian familiar with this species.
Degus should have annual examinations after that and should see a veterinarian whenever they show signs of illness such as lethargy, decreased appetite, weight loss, or weakness. Although degus can be kept generally healthy with proper care and preventative check-ups, they are prone to developing certain conditions, such as diabetes, due to their sensitivity to dietary sugars.
They also develop cataracts milky, hazy looking lenses in their eyes , often as a consequence of developing diabetes. Young degus may also develop cataracts as a result of a congenital eye defect unassociated with diabetes.
Regardless, all degus with cataracts should be checked for diabetes. Therefore we're still learning about how best to provide for their needs and how to care for them in captivity. As they're not commonly kept as pets, it's advisable to register your degus with an exotics specialist vet who has experience of treating this species. They'll also be able to talk to you prior to getting degus to discuss the specialist care and resources they require to stay happy and healthy.
Bedding material is used to describe the material or substrate that is used to cover the bottom of the cage. Nesting material is used to describe the material provided in addition to bedding material, which is given to animals for nest building and nesting behaviour. Degus are native to northern and central Chile and can be found living at high elevations 1,m in the Andes mountain range. White teeth can be a sign of illness in the degu; their teeth are naturally a yellow-orange colour.
Every degu deserves a good home, where they can be healthy and happy. A cage to house two degus should be a minimum of 24"x18"x24" tall. Should an aquarium be used, we recommend a gallon, as a minimum size with a snug-fitting screen lid.
Nesting Material — Nest building is an activity they spend hours working on. It provides degus an opportunity to gather and chew bedding to form a cozy bed inside their hideaway. Hiding Place — Every living creature needs an area to call their own.
Their hiding place is necessary to reduce stress and to make them feel secure. Larger homes made especially for small animals work well. As well, a glass betta bowl found in the fish department stuffed with bedding is roomy and easy to clean. Toilet paper rolls or tissue boxes may be happily slept in and chewed, but they are a potential health hazard that you should avoid.
If there are no degu pellets available, you will need to combine chinchilla and guinea pig pellets at a ratio. Degus are very sensitive to sugar. Being almost diabetic in nature, their bodies cannot process it properly. It is for this reason that their extras and supplements need to be monitored carefully. Hay — Grass hay is absolutely vital to the digestive health of your degu. It helps prevent obesity, dental disease, diarrhea and boredom.
Degus should have unlimited access to grass hay, and eat the amount of hay about the size of their body daily. Grass hays also stimulate natural foraging activities, and are an excellent source of nesting material. You may choose from a variety of hay since all grass hays have the same nutritional value; however, each hay type will be different in taste and texture.
Note that alfalfa hay should be used only as a treat. Many small animals are susceptible to diarrhea, especially when new foods are introduced too quickly or they encounter a stressful situation i.
By providing food that is familiar to them, their digestive systems will prevent this type of health problem. Moss Hollow Adapt — Using Moss Hollow Adapt, while minimizing stress, can help your new pet adapt to their new home by promoting relaxation from stress caused by the environment Echinacea , offering a prebiotic for building gut flora Burdock Root , easing diarrhea Psyllium Husk , increasing palatability Wheatgrass , providing a natural dewormer Diatomaceous Earth , and nutrient rich clay Bentonite.
Degus are rodents that originate from South America. Like a lot of other pockets pets, their natural habitat lies in Chile. So, their habitat is limited to elevations below meters. If you ever want to take a look at a wild degu, the western slopes of the Andes are the place to be. This region mostly contains grasses and herbs and has hard-leaved shrubs and trees shrubland.
Degus use these shrubs and small trees to take cover from predators. Central Chile has a Mediterranean climate with hot dry summers and cold wet winters. The skies in this region are generally clear so there is little temperature change from day-to-day. In the summer, the temperature can rise higher than 40 degrees Celsius. In the winter, the region can get as cold as 0 degrees Celsius.
Degus are very social creatures that live in groups that can consist of up to individuals. In the wild, the density is around degus per acre. So, make sure that you can legally hold one as a pet before you buy one. Degus are crepuscular animals in the wild, although many articles will consider them to be mostly diurnal. During the day and night, they will sleep in short intervals that only last a few minutes. One of the interesting things about these little pets is that they can adjust their sleeping habits to that of their owners.
If you want your pet to be more active during the night, they can adjust to become nocturnal. As is the case with other rodents, degus are prey animals. Their primary predators are culpeo foxes and birds of prey like owls and eagles. These little animals are very social and have a system to detect predators fast and communicate this through alarm calls to the rest of the group.
When they encounter a predator they will try to outrun the predator and find cover under shrubs, trees or find shelter in their burrows.
Degus are social animals that live in groups. The average group consists of one to two males and two to five females. A group will stay in a territory of roughly square meters. Some regions in the world, and even in the United States, have strict regulations concerning pets.
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