Full Answer
What is a degu and how big is it?
The degu is a member of the Octodontidae family of rodents. They’re in the sub-order caviomorpha, which means they’re related to guinea pigs and chinchillas – although recent studies show that they may actually be closer in relation to rabbits. An adult degu is around 15cm long and has a 15cm tail with a little tuft at the end.
What is the difference between guinea pigs and degus?
In the same family as chinchillas and guinea pigs, degus are rodents that live in large communities in complex underground burrows that they dig in the grasslands of Chile. As big as a guinea pig but with brown fur and a long, thin tail, degus look like oversized gerbils.
What do you need to know about degus?
Degus are low-maintenance pets. They need all the care that other rodents, and other animals, also require such as daily feeding and cleaning the cage weekly. They do need a dust or sand bath and you need to clean the cage at least once a week, depending on the number of degus you keep in the cage.
Can you pick up a degu by its tail?
Do not pick a degu up by its tail. A built-in anti-predator mechanism allows these rodents to shed their tails in an emergency. This is often quite painful for your pet, and, unfortunately, the tail will never grow back.
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Is a degus a good pet?
To be healthy and happy, degus should be kept as pets in pairs or groups. As pets, they typically live 5-8 years. Degus can become very tame if handled regularly and from an early age. They are playful and curious creatures and, like most rodents, love to chew everything.
Is a degus a rat?
degu, (genus Octodon), one of four species of ratlike South American rodents found primarily on the lower western slopes of the Andes Mountains. It is one of the most common mammals of central Chile at elevations up to 1,200 metres (3,900 feet), where it prefers open grassy areas near shrubs, rocks, and stone walls.
Do degus like to be held?
Degus do like to socialize with their owners. However, degus do not like to be held or cuddled. Allow your degu to come to you, and limit the amount of time you spend holding it.
Are degus chinchillas?
Degus are related to chinchillas and guinea pigs - and they all come from South America. Unlike most other pocket pets, degus are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day.
Are degus smelly?
So, do Degus smell? They do, but while noticeable, their smell is innocuous, and they smell far less than other rodents such as Hamsters. Like with all animals that are kept in cages, any foul odors often depend on the cleanliness of the cage.
Do degus bite?
Degus tend to be gregarious creatures. They don't usually bite people, but it isn't out of the question for them to do so. If a person causes a degu to feel scared, anxious or overwhelmed, the little guy might respond by biting, such as when a person tries to pick him up suddenly or inappropriately.
What food can degus eat?
A balanced diet for degus Here's what they'll need to eat: Good-quality hay - degus should have constant access as hay is much more important than commercial degu nuggets and should make up the majority of their diet. Nuggets and leafy veg - degus can be given a small measured portion as part of their daily diet.
Can degus be left alone?
Degus are a social species that should never be kept alone. Being alone can make them very stressed, which can lead to health and behaviour issues. Ideally degus should live in groups or pairs, such as a group or pair of males or a group or pair of females.
How long do degus live for?
5 – 9 yearsCommon degu / Lifespan (In captivity)
Are degus intelligent?
Degus are highly social, intelligent rodents native to the highlands of Chile. They adorn the openings of their burrows with piles of sticks and stones, have bubbly personalities and like to play games.
Do degus carry diseases?
The most common diseases in degus are dental disease, skin alopecia due to self-mutilation and lens cataracts. Other common disorders include diarrhoea of dietary origin, obesity and traumatic injuries of soft tissue (bite wounds and tail slip) and traumatic fractures.
What is a group of degus called?
• Degus are highly social animals; social contacts are crucial for their welfare. • In the wild, degus live in groups of 10 to 15 animals of both sexes. Several groups form a colony.
Are degus like rats?
Very similar to rats. With a body the size of a rat's and a tail the length of a gerbil's, degus (also called brush-tailed rats) look kind of like oversized gerbils. Intelligent like their rat cousins, degus are very social and full of personality.
Are degus friendly as rats?
Degus are very intelligent and highly sociable animals that love to play and explore. They have a friendly nature and are outgoing little rodents. They make fantastic pets, but need a lot of care and aren't an animal you should choose on a whim.
What kind of animal is a degu?
burrowing rodentWhat Is a Degu? A degu is a small, burrowing rodent native to Chile that makes a great pet. They are great nappers, but once they get used to your schedule, these little creatures will come to greet you, often looking to play or get some belly rubs. They crave social interaction and exercise.
What sort of animal is a degu?
In the same family as chinchillas and guinea pigs, degus are rodents that live in large communities in complex underground burrows that they dig in the grasslands of Chile.
Where are Degu from?
Degu are native to the grasslands of central Chile. They build extensive underground tunnel systems.
Where do Degu live?
Their tails are long with a brush-like tip. Degu are native to the grasslands of central Chile. They build extensive underground tunnel systems.
What do degus eat?
At the Smithsonian's Zoo, the degus eat a low protein pellet, leafy greens and root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots. Degus are very social animals and live in groups of up to ten individuals. They spend their days grooming each other, playing ...
What happens if a predator grabs a degu by the tail?
If a predator grabs a degu by the tail, a ring of thin skin at the tail's base will tear off, allowing the degu to escape. There is very little blood loss and the wound heals quickly, although the tail will not grow back.
How many people do degus have?
Degus are very social animals and live in groups of up to ten individuals. They spend their days grooming each other, playing and ruffling each other's fur. These behaviors help strengthen group bonds. They sleep snuggled close together.
Why are degus so popular?
Conservation. They are common throughout their range and their populations are even on the rise because the expansion of humans has provided them with increased nesting areas. While they are often considered to be pests, degus are also becoming popular as pets and are sometimes used in research. Help this Species.
How big do degus get?
They have round, squat bodies, weigh between a half pound to a pound, and grow to about 10-12 inches long, from nose to tail tip.
Where Can You Get a Degu?
Degus are available for adoption from rescue facilities where they end up often when frustrated or disappointed owners, who loved the novelty of having a pet degu but who were ignorant about the care these animals require, leave them. Degus also are sold in pet stores in states in which these pets are legal to keep. Individuals interested acquiring a pet degu should contact a veterinarian comfortable with degu care before they purchase or adopt the pet so that they can learn about what having a degu entails before they bring one home.
How do degus communicate?
They communicate with each other through an extensive vocabulary of more than a dozen sounds that baby degus learn from their parents as they grow. Degus will chatter, squeak, and make warbling noises, depending on their mood.
How long do degus live?
Pet degus live, on average, 6-9 years with proper care and nutrition. They have excellent vision and can actually see ultraviolet (UV) ...
What to use for degus in cage?
Cages should be lined with paper-based bedding to cushion degus’ feet against pressure sores and should contain a wheel to run in for exercise. Commercially available paper bedding or shredded recycled paper is ideal, as it is not toxic and is digestible if eaten. Wood bedding is indigestible and often contains oils that are potentially irritating to degus’ skin. For a single degu in a cage, cage bedding should be spot-cleaned daily and fully replaced weekly. If more than one degu is housed in a cage, it may need more frequent cleaning.
Why do degus have cataracts?
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.
Why are degus so prone to diabetes?
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.
What is a degu?
Degu is a small rodent with greyish brown coat, which is lighter on the under part. The tail exhibits a black, bushy tip. The closest relatives of this highly social and curious animal are the guinea pig and chinchilla. Males and females look alike, although females are around 10% smaller than males. Newborn babies of this species are able ...
How many male degus are there?
Habits and Lifestyle. Degus are social animals, forming small groups of 1 - 2 males and 2 - 5 females, which are typically related. Females of a group practice allomothering, rearing offspring of one another. Each group has its own territory, where it lives during most of the year.
How does a degus escape predators?
This animal has a rather unique way of escaping predators: if its tail is caught, degus spins until its skin breaks away, allowing the animal to flee. During the winter, these rodents store food. Old individuals of this species have been known to consume meat. Degus possess keen senses of smell, sight and hearing.
Why are degus important?
Due to selective browsing, degus play an important role in the ecosystem of their range. They are known to reduce the fiber content of their diet by consuming shrubs that are relatively less fibrous and thorny. They often drive away conspecifics in order to increase their feeding area. On the other hand, due to consuming and damaging cultivated prickly pear cactus, wheat, vineyards and orchards, degus are considered a pest species in some part of their range. In other parts of their range, these animals are a key prey species for local predators.
How old are degus when they are adult?
Weaning occurs within 4 - 5 weeks, while sexual maturity is reached at 12 - 16 weeks old. They attain adult size at 6 months old. As a general rule, young degus remain in single-sex groups until around 9 months of age, and only after that they begin breeding.
What do degus eat?
As herbivorous animals, degus mainly consume leaves, bark, forbs as well as seeds of various shrubs.
How long do degus live?
In addition, degus are very vocal animals. They usually live 3 - 4 years in the wild and 5 - 8 years in captivity. Di.
What is a degu, what does a degu look like, and where do they come from?
An adult degu is around 15cm long and has a 15cm tail with a little tuft at the end. Their coat colour ranges from mid to dark brown with a light cream belly and white feet.
How do degus communicate and how do you know if your degus like you?
Degus have a wide range of behaviours, which all indicate different things, and use a variety of sounds to communicate. For example, you’ll likely notice a chirping sound when your degu is ‘talking’ to you or to their cage mates. In fact, it’s estimated that degus use as many as 15 unique sounds to chat to each other, which you can listen to here >>
What do degus eat?
These sociable, speedy rodents have very different needs from other small furries and providing the correct diet is an essential part of keeping them healthy and happy.
Why do degus need to digest?
Degus need to keep their digestive systems busy with a mix of two kinds of fibre moving through the gut at all times – these are known as digestible fibre and indigestible fibre. This is because they can’t get enough nutrition from fibre when it passes through their gut the first time, so they pass it through a second time
How big is a degus nest?
A cosy nest box or two – around 20cm long x 15cm wide x 15cm high – will also be required. Provide a pile of shredded paper for bedding so your degus can make a nest inside their sleeping box with it, just as they would naturally do in the wild
What tree branches do degus eat?
Tree branches like pear, apple, ash, beech and oak are great for furnishing their cage and degus love to gnaw on them
When were degus first discovered?
First discovered in Chile in 1850, degus were initially brought to the UK in 1950 to study diabetes (degus are unable to regulate glucose concentrations and are prone to developing diabetes mellitus when fed on diets high in sugars). Unsurprisingly, they’ve recently been taken to heart by lovers of lively and sociable small animals.
How much does a degu cost?
Degus breed prolifically. Breeders and pet stores usually have domestic-bred degus for sale. They cost $25 to $100. You also try your luck rescuing a degu. Check adoption organizations like Adopt-a-Pet and your local humane society for degus that might be up for adoption.
How to make a degu enclosure?
Degus are avid chewers. Make sure the enclosure is made of wire or metal; they can eat their way through wood and plastic. A degu enclosure should have a nesting box to replicate the burrows they dig in the wild. A 6- by 8-inch wooden box with a flat roof to sit on should work. Provide nesting material in the form of tissues, paper towels, hay, or shredded paper. Paper-based bedding is safer and just as absorbent when changed out regularly.
What Do Degus Eat & Drink?
Thus, the basis of a proper degu diet is a combination of high-quality chinchilla or guinea pig pellets and a rodent block. Make nutrient-rich grass, like Timothy hay or alfalfa, available at all times. Provide fresh vegetables daily, such as sweet potato (peeled, uncooked), carrots, leafy greens (spinach, dandelion leaves, parsley), and green beans every day.
What do degus eat?
Degus eat a diet high in roughage and low in carbohydrates. Thus, the basis of a proper degu diet is a combination of high-quality chinchilla or guinea pig pellets and a rodent block. Make a nutrient-rich grass, like Timothy hay or alfalfa, available at all times.
How big of a cage do degus need?
Degus need a large cage. A minimum cage size of 24 inches by 18 inches by 24 inches should house two degus comfortably. The larger, the better. Multilevel cages built for ferrets or chinchillas are ideal. The surfaces should be solid and not wire slats.
What happens if a degus doesn't get enough social interaction?
If they do not get sufficient social interaction and exercise, they can become aggressive and neurotic. 1. Some degus will attempt to converse with you using chitter-chatter sounds. Occasionally, you may hear high-pitched screeches when threatened, stressed, or if they get their food swiped.
What college is Degu from?
Caring For Your Degu . Iowa State University College Of Veterinary Medicine.
How big is a degu cage?
To give you an idea of the space you need; a degu cage for a pair of degus will need to have at least the following measurements: 28 inches (70 centimeters) wide. 18 inches (45 centimeters) deep. 40 inches (100 centimeters) high.
Where did the degu originate?
So what is a degu? A degu is a rodent that originates from Chile, South America. They’re used for research in laboratories but are also interesting pets. The degu is a social animal and is active throughout the day, with peaks of activity at twilight periods. These little animals are low-maintenance pets that are pretty easy to tame. They do need to be kept in pairs or groups to be happy.
What are degus prey?
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.
What happens if a degu gets scared?
If your degu gets frightened it will try to escape (and might fall) or – if there’s no other option – will bite. An escaped degu can be really difficult to catch because it’s tiny and fast. A bite, on the other hand, will be a terrible experience for both your child as your pet.
How many degus are there in the wild?
Degus are very social creatures that live in groups that can consist of up to 100 individuals. In the wild, the density is around 100 degus per acre. Because of their large numbers, degus are considered pests for agriculture in some regions and they’re even illegal as pets in some regions.
How many people are in a Degus group?
Social behavior. 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 200 square meters. Degus live in a hierarchic structure that’s based on dominance.
What animal looks like a squirrel?
Kavaleuskaya Aksana/Shutterstock.com. As you can see, the degu is an animal that looks a little bit like a squirrel or mouse with large ears and a tufted tail. They’re often physically compared to gerbils, being larger than these rodents.
How to make a degu hide?
You can make a hiding place using a cardboard box or a large cardboard tube. You can simply place a box or tube in the cage for your degu to hide in. You can also buy hiding boxes and toy caves at a local pet store. Make sure, however, all the materials used are safe for animals the size of degus.
How to keep a degu?
To keep a degu, make sure they have the right environment. A degu needs a spacious cage with plenty of hiding places and perches. Make sure you feed your degu a healthy diet rich in vitamins and nutrients. You should also entertain your degu. Degus need a lot of socialization to be healthy and happy.
How to keep a degu active?
Degus love to climb, so make sure the cage has perches and ledges to keep your degu active during the day. You can buy bird perches and ledges at a local pet store and install them in your degu's cage. You can also install hammocks, but be careful to supervise your degu when it's using the hammock.
What do degus eat?
Degus enjoy sweet potatoes, dandelions, and leafy vegetables. They also eat a lot of hay, so they should have a continuous supply of hay in their cages. If you feed your degu potatoes, make sure to remove the skins. Potato skin can be toxic for degus.
How to socialize with a degu?
Respect your degu's personal space. Degus do like to socialize with their owners. However, degus do not like to be held or cuddled. Allow your degu to come to you, and limit the amount of time you spend holding it.
Can a degu jump without a wheel?
Make sure your degu has access to an exercise wheel. No degu should be kept in a cage without a wheel. The perches and ledges in a cage will also allow a degu to exercise, as they can jump and climb. A metal exercise wheel that's at least 11 to 12 inches across is best for a degu.
Can degus escape?
Degus enjoy fresh air and sunshine, so play with your degu next to a window. Avoid taking a degu directly outside, as degus can escape easily and are hard to catch.
