If you are thinking of having a degu as a pet, you should know that you can easily adopt them in centers that rescue exotic animals or in shelters animals specialized in rodents. Likewise, you should find a good specialized veterinarian in the he alth and behavior of these animals, as they are not very common in our homes.
In this article on our site we show you what you should know before having a degu as a pet, so that the arrival of the new member family as easy as possible.
Physical characteristics of the degu
The degu (Octodon degus) is a small rodent, somewhat smaller than a domestic rat (Rattus norvegicus), although with a longevity superior to them, of about 10 years. They are brown, with a slightly lighter belly, and a long, scaly tail ending in a tuft of hair. Towards the end of spring they usually shed their fur.
His eyes are small and black. The ears are large and get dirty easily, they tend to have grooming behaviors between the different members of a family to keep them clean, since individually they cannot. Their teeth are very bright orange, if the color changes it may be a sign of poor he alth. They have long whiskers that help them navigate.
Both their front and back legs have five fingers, one always shorter, which helps them hold small objects. Plants have bumps that also make it easier for them to grab food.
Origin of the degu
The degu is native to Chile They inhabit the slopes of the Andes, from the lowest areas to high altitudes. They live in small family groups, since they are very social animals. They all live together in a set of tunnels that they build underground. To feed they go outside, their favorite food is green herbs, plant barks, fruits and seeds. Unlike most rodents, the degu is a diurnal animal, so its times of activity will be during the day.
Character and behavior of the domestic degu
Degus are extremely social and playful animals, so they are ideal as pets, but it is very important not to have just one degu, because it would end up becoming depressed and showing aggressive behavior towards the human being. They are also less long-lived because they end up developing deleterious behaviors (self-directed aggressiveness) and he alth problems.
They have oral and corporal communication. There is a series of behaviors that we can observe in our degus, it is necessary to know them to know what is normal and what is not:
- Brookly hair: it is a signal of alert, appears when something has scared them, it is common during the first days of a new degu in our home.
- Hide behind his tail: This position is a sign of submission or defensive behavior.
- Running, jumping or wallowing: these are game behaviors and it is he althy and natural for them to do so.
- Sleeping in a huddle: if you have several degus, it is normal for them all to sleep together, on top of each other others.
- Pushing: You may occasionally notice two of your degus start pushing each other while standing upright. It means that your degus are arguing, it's normal, it's part of their behavior and you shouldn't intercede.
- Snapping teeth: When a degu does this, he is displaying an aggressive behavior, because something has bothered him
- Cocleo: is a characteristic sound made by mothers to their childrenand is used to call them.
- Growls: the degu is angry.
- Screeching: Short, high-pitched screaming is a form of communicationbetween sips
Feeding a domestic degu
We must feed our degus with a specific feed for their species but, if we can't find it, we can give them rabbit or chinchilla feed. In the wild, the degu feeds on grasses, flowers, grains and vegetables. Therefore the diet should be supplemented with vegetables, herbs and flowers such as carrot, turnip and beet greens, Swiss chard, escarole, celery, lettuce, spinach, clover, grass, dandelions and wild vegetables. Cabbage and tubers are toxic to degus. To increase the intake of herbs we can offer them hay.
Like candy we can give him nuts, only sporadically. We will never give sugar to a degu, as they have a tendency to diabetes. You must be careful not to overfeed your degus, if they start hiding food it is very likely that this is happening. It is he althy and normal for them to eat their own feces (coprophagia), it helps them absorb vitamins of group B and K.
Needs of the domestic degu
Perhaps one of the most important needs for degus is sand baths We should never wet or lather our degus, we would damage their hair and your skin. It is recommended that sand baths be part of the daily routine that you have with these pets. Offering them a bowl of sand for thirty minutes a day would be ideal for them.
Regarding the interior, it is better a cage than an urn, since the enclosure is better ventilated and they can use the bars to climb and play If it has several levels, your degus will enjoy it even more, but the floor must not have grids, as their legs could be damaged. The substrate to be used must be one specific for rodents of good quality, never cat litter, as they could develop respiratory conditions and, in addition, degus are prone to this type of pathology.
The environmental enrichment is extremely important, degus are very active and intelligent animals, so they will need daily challenges. A wheel, tunnels and a nest must be present in the cage, we can always build them ourselves, with small cardboard boxes, kitchen rolls, etc.
Regarding the handling of the degu, the first thing we need to know is that we cannot grab it by the tail, as it could detach from the body. This is a strategy used by wild degus to get rid of a predator. The tail will never grow back, the degu will nibble it to stop the bleeding but, despite this, we must take it to the vet.
As with any animal, we should never touch it if it doesn't want to, out of respect and because it could become aggressive. Instead, we should make our interactions with them positive by giving rewards and never harassing them.
The degu could be the perfect pet, but like all, it needs care and specific treatment.
