If you have planned to keep a degu as a pet, you will be happy for it, because a degu is a very social creature, mingles with humans quickly and is fun to be with. A degu has only a few requirements and so, is easy to keep. However, there are certain things you should be aware of about this sweet little rodent. Here are some degu care tips.
Social Environment
As said earlier, a degu is a social animal and should not be kept alone. So, if you want to bring a degu home, don’t bring her/him alone. Bring at least 2-3 of them. However, you have to take care that all of them are not aggressive and are amiable to each other.
It’s fun to watch these friends together. They would groom each other, play together, take sandbaths and while sleeping, would huddle up together! They get mental support in each other’s company on which they thrive and stay healthy.
If you keep a degu alone, s/he feels insecure and has chances to undergo health problems. Without other degus in her/his company, s/he would go into depression, eat less, not interact with people and sleep more.
Bring a Large Cage
A degu being a highly active animal needs a large space; so, the larger cage you buy for her/him, the better. Ideally the cage should be large, tall and should have ample obstacles, ledges etc to help them navigate and be active. Actually, it is a fun activity for you to build many structures to help your degus roam through them. You can use your creativity and build as much complex structures as you can. If you have a hobby of making building models, you will find it fun to create structures for your degus.
Balanced Diet
In addition to friends, your degu will need a balanced diet to stay in good health. You don’t need a lot of money for this. You will get many easy and cheap food mixes specially created for degus and even guinea pig and chinchilla food mixes are good for degus. Remember also that sugar is a no-no for this little guy.
Exercise
Degus are highly active animals and need a lot of exercise. So, if you provide them a building where they can run, jump, climb up and down, it will be good for them. Even an exercise wheel is recommendable. Here you might think of placing many toys in their cage; but you better avoid it, because you should keep a lot of space empty for them to run around. Especially digging and burrowing are their favorite activities, because in the wild they have a tendency to dig and make burrows to store food and hide from predators. So, they love that activity.
The degu (Octodon degus) is a small caviomorph rodent that is endemic to central Chile.
Keep the Cage Clean
A clean cage keeps degus healthy. You don’t have to work hard for this because compared to other rodents, degus are much cleaner and less messier. It’s enough to clean their cage once a week, wipe all the accessories, keep some new materials for nesting and a fresh bedding layer over the floor.
Sandbaths
Degus need sandbaths for the health of their coats. They roll in the sand and sand particles scrub their coat, remove dirt and absorb excess oil. You can keep a sandbath permanently in the cage and keep replacing it daily or periodically.
Creating a Bond of Love
If you want to get friendly with your degus, have patience! It will take a little time for the wild animal to understand you. Basically this cute creature is cute by nature too. So, you won’t find it hard to make her/him your friend. Talk softly and lovingly with her/him and make her/him feel secure in your company.
Food for Thought
Degus like new items to satisfy their curiosity. You can give them that by keeping the already existing items in their cage at different locations, keep new items and remove the old ones, and even some new food which is safe and nutritious for them. Your goal should be to stimulate their mental power and experience new challenges. This will make your degus and in turn you happy!