Degu Morphology Survey

[modteam]

Morphology Survey

Please tell us about the size, shape and physical characteristics of your degus.  Please include as many of the following as you can and anything else of note about your degus:

Age
Gender
Weight (current and weight history if you have it)
Coat Colour & any observations on coat (eg paler than average, fur thickness, unusual colour patches, foot colour)
Overall body shape (sleek bullet shape or pear shape etc)
Face proportions including nose (length, curvature in profile) & eyes (size, position)
Ears (size, shape, position)
Tail (length, plume size)
Claws (speed of growth, hardness)

Activity Levels
Temperament
Health history inc teeth
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations
Location

Please provide any good, clear photos, preferably standing profile, and top view, and face details (profile & front). Include ruler or something to show scale if possible.

Please feel free to use the edit post function to add further information and photos as you get them.

Please see the Degu Picture section of the forum if you would like to see more degus before you assess your own.

[cheesecakeyum]

I have three degus and their 'morphology' is as follows:

Diego:

Age: ~9 months
Gender: Male
Weight: 200g
Coat colour: Blue - i.e. grey with white underfur, white markings to chest and belly, healthy bushy black plume to tail, slightly 'rusty' colouring mixed in with the grey on one side, average fur thickness in comparison to my other two
Overall body shape: More bullet-y than pear-shaped...perhaps see pictures.
Face proportions: more 'ratty' than my agouti degus in my opinion
Tail: as above. Length:4.5"
Activity level: active, loves to run, very curious. Was always the first to check things out between him and his brother (when Dylan was alive, RIP), loves to sit on my shoulder. Tends to have short naps throughout the day with Mylo.
Temperament: Very good temperament, has never bitten, tolerates being stroked, but not for long and does not appear to enjoy it like Oscar does (i.e. no tilting of the head so I can scratch his chin).
Heritage: unknown. I bought Diego and Dylan off of Preloved as their previous owners got bored of them (sighs).

Mylo:

Age: ~4 months
Gender: Male
Weight: 250g
Coat colour: Agouti: more grey in the agouti coat than my other agouti, Oscar.
Overall body shape: Bullet-shaped
Tail: Nice tail. Covered well in fur and has nice black plume at end. Length:4.25"
Activity level: active, loves to run, cautious to come out onto me until Diego has, takes nap throughout the day with Diego.
Temperament: Ok - he constantly bites, in a nibbling type way, but is too hard and has drawn blood twice. We keep blowing air on him when he does it in the hope he will stop. He is dominant over Diego and can be quite rough when on top of him, i.e. pulls his ears and the scruff on his neck a lot, which Diego does not like. If their squabbles continue I think they may have a more serious fight
Heritage: unknown. Off of preloved. It is possible with Mylo that his parents were siblings.

Oscar:

Age: Not sure as P@H said he was 3 months, but he most definitely wasn't. I think he is ~9/10months
Gender: Male
Weight: 275g
Coat colour: Agouti: quite brown in all areas. Nice light brown/caramel on tummy and normal agouti hairs(brown/black) on back.
Overall body shape: Pear shaped more than the other two.
Tail: 3.75" . His tail is not very nice - there is not much hair on it and it is crooked. I think this is due to his brothers (see below).
Activity level: not overly active. Does run on his wheel, but not tons. Often naps.
Temperament: Very affectionate. I think this is partially his personality and partially the fact he is currently a lone degu. He gets on with Mylo, but no with Deigo so unfortunately we cannot have them all together.
Heritage: unknown. Rescued from P@H from the adoption centre. He had been bullied by his 3 brothers. They had been biting his tail and pulling out hair so he was for free! I felt so sorry for him.

[cheesecakeyum]

Ummm. how do I upload pics again?!! .....hang on, let me figure it out. *pics to follow for you*

[cheesecakeyum]

Diego:



Mylo (left) and Diego (right):



Mylo:



Oscar:

[moletteuk]

thank you so much for getting this started

[swiffermuis]

SIBLINGS 1

Erebus

Age: 9.5 months
Gender: Female
Coat Colour: Agouti, very light belly and creme feet, slightly thinner fur than the other cagemates.
Overall body shape: Definitely pear shapes, big bum, thinner rump.
Face proportions including nose: More of a ball shaped nose to head bridge and big eyes.
Ears: Big and firm
Tail: Long and tick, big fluffy plume (5.5-6 inches)
Claws: Black and sharp

Activity Levels: A bit slower than the others.
Temperament: Very dominant, doesn't know when to stop chasing the others but very tame, likes to be with me and get a belly scratch. She can stay on my shoulder for a long time.
Health history: N/A
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Pets @ Home
Location: Solihull

---

Apollo

Age: 9.5 months
Gender: Female
Coat Colour: Blue (very light undercoat, darker tip), very thick coat
Overall body shape: Fluffball. The amount of fur Apollo has makes it difficult to see what kind of shape she has. She is rather round, unlike her sister Erebus who is very pear shaped. Especially when she is sleeping/napping, she fluffs herself up that you can barely see her face. Whit feet and belly.
Face proportions including nose: Ball shaped head, slightly curved nosebride. Eyes slightly lighter in the corners but no cataract (it's like the thing we've got in the inner corner of our eyes)
Ears: Big and firm
Tail: She lost 1,5 inch about 4 months ago, but her tail was never that long and fluffy (about 3,5-4 inches before loss)
Claws: Black and sharp

Activity Levels: Very active.
Temperament: Very energetic and relying on human attention, jumps right on my shoulder when she can. Also very intelligent and innovative (escape artist). Very caring over the younger two. Likes to eat and run, always naps on the right edge of ledges and hammocks. Not very keen on being touched with hands, but she doesn't mind it.
Health history: N/A
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Pets @ Home
Location: Solihull

---

SIBLINGS 2


Iris

Age: 4 months
Gender: Female
Coat Colour: Not quite agouti, not quite champagne (vanilla cream undercoat, brown tip) and a couple of small black patches on her back. Champagne coloured belly, light feet.
Overall body shape: Bullet shaped and muscular
Face proportions including nose: Pointy nose and face
Ears: Very big and firm
Tail: Long with a pointy fluff
Claws: Black and sharp

Activity Levels: Very active.
Temperament: Very happy degu, but can get annoyed rather easily and starts crying. At the moment she it degu number 2 in ranks, not letting anyone near her food or rock. Best friends with Apollo.
Health history: N/A
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Adopted. Parents were accidental inbreeds, which were from Pets At Home.
Location: Birmingham

---

Persephone

Age: 4 months
Gender: Female
Coat Colour: Not quite agouti, not quite champagne (vanilla cream undercoat, brown tip). Champagne coloured belly, light feet.
Overall body shape: Bullet shaped and muscular
Face proportions including nose: Pointy nose and face
Ears: Very big and firm
Tail: Long with a 'mermaid-tail-like' fluff.
Claws: Black and sharp

Activity Levels: Fairly active but a bit more laid back than the others.
Temperament: Quite timid unless there is food around. Likes napping with her sister and hiding food.
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Adopted. Parents were accidental inbreeds, which were from Pets At Home.
Location: Birmingham

NB: Photos coming tomorrow!

[saddlers]

Jerry

Age: 30 months
Gender: Male
Weight: Has been constant between 285 & 305g since we had him, some peaks and troughs but fairly constant.
Coat Colour: Blue, very light belly, thick smooth coat.
Overall body shape: Big built, bullet shaped.
Face proportions including nose: To do
Ears: To do
Tail: To do
Claws: To do

Activity Levels: Quite active, but not a regular wheel user, tends to move around the cage a quite a lot
Temperament: Quite aggressive to other degus except his cagemate Alfie, has fought with two other degus, and becomes obsessive once he has a grudge or if he can see other degus. Seems to have a soft spot for Alfie and even submits to him now and again which is quite bizarre given the clear size/dominance difference between them. Has bitten everyone in the family at some point, but we can now see the warning signs, does not like fuss. Loves to chew wood/cardboard.
Health history: No issues to date other than battle scars
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Pets @ Home - adoption section
Location: Walsall



Alfie

Age: 30 months
Gender: Male
Weight: Has been constant between 215 & 240g since we had him, some peaks and troughs but fairly constant.
Coat Colour: Agouti, quite wirey coat generally looks a bit scruffy
Overall body shape: Bullet, very sleek.
Face proportions including nose: To do
Ears: To do
Tail: To do
Claws: To do

Activity Levels: Very active, constantly on the wheel but does not run about the cage much.
Temperament: Very energetic and very submissive, can be held but does not look for human attention. Enjoys freetime but gets restless if out of the cage for too long. Very caring towards Jerry and gets very stressed when Jerry gets angry, he will whimper and try to get Jerry's attention when he is having a grumpy spell.
Health history: N/A
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Pets @ Home - adoption section
Location: Walsall


Jose

Age: 30 months
Gender: Male
Weight: Has been constant between 238 & 263g since we had him, some peaks and troughs but fairly constant.
Coat Colour: Agouti, nothing distinctive about coat.
Overall body shape: Bullet shaped
Face proportions including nose: To do
Ears: To do
Tail: To do
Claws: To do

Activity Levels: Quite active, loves to be out of the cage exploring.
Temperament: Very happy degu, will push your hand away if he is not in the mood for attention. Despite being the same age as the two above always seems like the older and wiser one of the three we originally had. Had a fight with Jerry and we originally thought he was the culprit because he substantially wounded Jerry on both occasions they fought, but it is now clear that Jose was the victim but obviously the better fighter. Likes attention when he wants it. The lookout in the room...always squeaks when he hears something and makes everyone else run.
Health history: Had a cataract when we first had him which has never changed, but he seems to cope well with it. Was neutered in 2012, and also had about 50% of his tail removed at the same time after another introduction attempt with another degu failed. Again Jose was the victim. Now shares his cage with a female and immediately accepted the introduction. As a couple they remind me of Jack and Vera Duckworth...very often bickering but really do seem a perfect match at other times.
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Pets @ Home - adoption section
Location: Walsall


Rosie

Age: 13 months?
Gender: Female
Weight: Was 200g when we bought her, has steadily increased and now seems to have settled around the 240-245g mark
Coat Colour: Agouti, but with a very cream underbelly. Coat is very thick as is her skin, we say she looks like she has a onesie on...almost like a degu in a degu costume if that makes sense, as a result she gets cankles when she stands on her hind legs, which is bizarre because she is not fat.
Overall body shape: Pear shaped, with no neck, her head really does seem like it is pulled into her body.
Face proportions including nose: Pointy nose and face, narrow eyes which almost look half closed.
Ears: To do
Tail: To do
Claws: To do

Activity Levels: Quite active, loves to be out of the cage exploring.
Temperament: Quite timid, very nervous at height, clings on when held. Always low to the ground when running and always alert.
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Hollybush garden centre where she had been brought in as the lone degu from a litter. Spent first 6 months alone before we bought her.
Location: Cannock

Will do the other 4 and add more info and photos later!!

[ilovedegusxx]

Name : Molly
Age : 3 1/2 or 4 years old
Gender : female
Weight : ( unknown )
coat colour : shiny brown coat , short and fluffy
fat pear shaped though i dont think they are that fat its just the way they sit down and the fur goes puffy a bit lol
face proportions including nose : bright open eyes , pointy nose and face
ears : big and oval
tail : bald but with a bit of hair at the end
claws : long and sharp i do check them everyday incase they dont get overgrown

Activity levels : loves to explore lots of things in cage
temperment : very timid and shy holds tight when i hold her and very fast
source and any known inbreeding : she was from pets at home when she was 2 months old from a litter of other degus
location : Scotland

Will add photos later

Name : Lilly
Age : 3 1/2 or 4 years old
Gender : female
weight : ( unknown )
coat colour : Shiny brown coat short and fluffy
Lilly is skinnier than Molly is but also has a bit of fat in her x
face proportions including nose : narrow eyes , pointy nose and face
ears : big and oval
tail : short but little bit of hair at end
claws : short and sharp

activity levels : loves to run and explore
temperment : friendly but a bit timid when held by strangers
source and any known inbreeding : she was from pets at home along with her sister
location : Scotland

Will add photos later


other pets i have - Molly and Lilly the degus , Shiloh my lhasa apso ( dog ) , shiloh is also having puppies soon

[jamiee]

Diego: Weight:225g.
Age:9-12 months.
Gender:male.
Coat:agouti with a blacker coloured bottom and creamy white underside.
Proportions:large oval ears with a dip in them halfway down. Short rounded face.
Tail: black haired tail around 4 inch
Claws: long but not overly sharp, missing front right hand index finger claw. (There wasn't any signs of injury around the area.)
Activity:hyperactive, is always the last to bed
Temperament:calm and friendly to people he knows and strangers, but won't sit still for long. Usually very passive.
Source:local garden centre pet shop. They seemed to treat them well.

[jamiee]

José: Weight:265g
Age:9-12 months
Gender:male
Coat:agouti with a blacker coloured bottom. Gingerish lower sides, and cream underside. Totally white patch of fur on back left hip with black border.
Proportions:larger body in general with smaller ears with dips in them. More egg shaped body, and a hunched looking back.
Tail:black and long with a greyish root of the tail, and underside.
Claws:long and slightly sharper than Diego.
Activity:active when he is awake, but never minds having a rest.
Temperament:fine with people he knows well, but shy around strangers. Agressive and persistent personality, and he demands respect, no matter what he does.
Source:local garden store pet shop. Seemed to treat them well.

[uglibug]

Here goes.......

Lofty:

Age: 4

Gender: Female
Weight: 260.3g
Coat Colour: Agouti
Overall body shape: Pear

Ears: None, cause unknown, probably fighting
Activity Levels: Average
Temperament: Independent, not bitey, but not overly friendly
Health history: No problems
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Bought from Pets At Home approximately 4 years ago
Location: Dorset

Sleepy:

Age: 4

Gender: Female
Weight: 279.4g
Coat Colour: Agouti
Overall body shape: Pear

Ears: Normal, grey in colour

Activity Levels: Average
Temperament: Independent, not bitey, but not overly friendly
Health history: Nothing serious, had a spate of hair pulling from her paws when Dopey passed away but seems to have settled back down.
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Bought from Pets At Home approximately 4 years ago
Location: Dorset

Freaky:

Age: 4

Gender: Female
Weight: 242.4g
Coat Colour: Agouti
Overall body shape: Pear

Ears: Normal, grey in colour
Activity Levels: Average
Temperament: Independent, not bitey, but not overly friendly
Health history: No problems
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Bought from Pets At Home approximately 4 years ago. Has a slighty squashed looking nose, vet thinks probably a result of inbreeding.
Location: Dorset

Stu:

Age: approximately 5/6

Gender: Male
Weight: 259.6g
Coat Colour: Agouti
Overall body shape: Pear

Ears: Normal, grey in colour
Activity Levels: Average
Temperament: Friendly, not overly cuddly but handleable
Health history: No problems
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Adopted
Location: Dorset

Brian:

Age: approximately 5/6
Gender: Male
Weight: 315.3g
Coat Colour: Grey, winter coat is browner
Overall body shape: Pear

Ears: Normal, grey in colour
Activity Levels: Average
Temperament: Friendly, not overly cuddly but handleable
Health history: No problems
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Adopted
Location: Dorset

Buddy:

Age: approximately 8/9
Gender: Male
Weight: 245.2g
Coat Colour: Agouti
Overall body shape: Pear

Ears: Normal, grey in colour
Activity Levels: Average
Temperament: Friendly, not overly cuddly but handleable, enjoys chin and tummy tickles
Health history: No serious problems, lost middle toe on front right foot in a fight.
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Adopted
Location: Dorset

Mater:

Age: approximately 10/11
Gender: Male
Weight: 281.4g
Coat Colour: Agouti
Overall body shape: Pear

Ears: Normal, grey in colour
Activity Levels: Low, very chilled out goo.
Temperament: Friendly, loves cuddles and tickles, has a thing for sitting on hubby's head.
Health history: No serious problems, suspect arthritis, doesn't jump around as much as the others, generally slowing down
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Adopted
Location: Dorset

Think that's everything. The girls live as a group of 3, the boys live in two pairs; Buddy and Mater and Brian and Stu. Dominant goos in each group are Lofty, Stu and Buddy.

(edited, forgot freaky's odd little nose.) :-)

[Wolfzie]

Morphology survey

BAMBOO:
Age - 3-years
Gender - male
Coat Colour - pretty much the normal traditional brown coat, with lighter underbelly and 'round the eyes. His feet's skin is dark with one white splotch on his right fore paw. Bamboo has almost no fur on his feet, only on the tip of his fingers and toes, but otherwise they're all bare and have always been. I know it's not fur-pulling.
Overall body shape (sleek bullet shape or pear shape etc): in between pear and bullet.
Face proportions including nose: Curvative facial profile.
eyes: rather large, roundy eyes. He often looks like he is extremely surprised about something.
Ears (size, shape, position): Ears are medium sized and dark colored.
Tail (length, plume size): Tail isn't unusually lenghty, but I feel it's a slight bit shorter for Bamboo and Rico than for Pips and Indy. The plume is average sized, not too fluffy.
Claws (speed of growth, hardness): Bamboo has one of his fingers bent upwards, it was broken somewhere around when he was 1-3 months old cause we got him like that when he was around 3 months old. But it has not slowed him down. The claw on that finger and all the others look nice and hard, nothing unusual to report.

Activity Levels: He is rather active, not overly but always comes to greet me and runs in his wheel every now and then. More active than his brother Rico, but less active than Pips and Indy.
Temperament: He is a very tolerant and observant degu. He likes to know what's going on in and out of their cage. He himself has rarely ever gotten in any form of trouble with others. He also has never bitten anyone and has a very good temperament. Bamboo is my photogenic degu so I have quite a few photos of him.
Health history inc teeth: He has had no problems at all if not counting the bent/broken finger on his right forepaw. 
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: No, I don't know about such.
Location: a petstore 'Faunatar'

[Astra88]

       

[Astra88]

4 brothers

Age: 3.5 months
Gender: Male
Weight: ?
Coat Colour: Agouti
Overall body shape: Pear shaped

Ears: Lovely penny size ears, very alert.
Activity Levels: Active every couple of hours, then sleep for a couple, then up again.
Temperament: Independent, not sure about being handled yet but interested enough to come and investigate
Health history: No problems
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations: Breeders in Dawlish, Devon
Location: Hampshire

[bouncy]

First three rescued June 2015, fully grown. Only information available - one abandoned because "he wouldn't get on with others", other two kept in aquarium and abandoned because owner thought something else would look better in it. Not sure how they were introduced, or which two are brothers.

Scaredygoo

Age - over 1.5yr old
Gender - male
Weight (current and weight history if you have it) - 269g, constant with minor fluctuations
Coat Colour & any observations on coat (eg paler than average, fur thickness, unusual colour patches, foot colour) - agouti, lighter/whitish ankles, grey toes, pink patches on the end of his nose, light fur around eyes like eyeliner, fur always parts on the nape of the neck, and has a tendency to look like he needs a good groom
Overall body shape (sleek bullet shape or pear shape etc) - sleek bullet
Face proportions including nose (length, curvature in profile) & eyes (size, position) - snout looks slightly shorter, but similar to Spidergoo and Sillygoo, eyes have a slightly lazy appearance
Ears (size, shape, position) - good size, not overly large, right one has a bite taken from the top edge
Tail (length, plume size) - approx 12cm, dark colour, good, black plume, not as curly as others
Claws (speed of growth, hardness) - black, strong

Activity Levels - either sleeping, eating, or running in wheel. Wheel gait is a good speed, but drags his feet. Not overly keen on chewing, but occasionally runs teeth up and down bars.
Temperament - very chilled, not keen on handling, but confidently comes up and sits on or next to me. Previous quite submissive, but standing up to the alpha now
Health history inc teeth - none known of, check up at vet gave clean bill
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations - Rescued as one of three from charity through P@H, no further info
Location - basingstoke



Spidergoo
Age - over 1.5yr old
Gender - male
Weight (current and weight history if you have it) - 295g, consistent with minor fluctuations
Coat Colour & any observations on coat (eg paler than average, fur thickness, unusual colour patches, foot colour) - agouti, darker ankles and feet, dark patch on left cheek
Overall body shape (sleek bullet shape or pear shape etc) - bullet
Face proportions including nose (length, curvature in profile) & eyes (size, position) - average face, completely brown nose, kind of a "whatcha lookin' at Willis" look
Ears (size, shape, position) - good sized Ears, both missing chunks on their top edges, left ear has a pinprick hole through it
Tail (length, plume size) - approx 12cm, dark, good plume
Claws (speed of growth, hardness) - strong and black

Activity Levels - anything and everything, even if it seems impossible, energetic, can't sit still
Temperament - alpha goo, aggressive, determined, does bite randomly, deep, and hard
Health history inc teeth - not known, vet check up gave clean bill of health
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations - Rescued as one of three from charity through P@H, no further info
Location - basingstoke



Sillygoo
Age - over 1.5yr
Gender - male
Weight (current and weight history if you have it) - 257g
Coat Colour & any observations on coat (eg paler than average, fur thickness, unusual colour patches, foot colour) - agouti, slightly lighter of the three, light ankles and feet, and very light fur around eyes (like eyeliner), and base of ears
Overall body shape (sleek bullet shape or pear shape etc) - bullet
Face proportions including nose (length, curvature in profile) & eyes (size, position) - slightly longer snout than others, constant look of surprise, pink spot on end of nose
Ears (size, shape, position) - ears open and upright, slightly frayed top edge on left
Tail (length, plume size) - approx 12cm, bushy black plume, lighter grey shaft
Claws (speed of growth, hardness) - black and hard

Activity Levels - loves wheel running, with a very light, springy pitter patter gait, hiding, nervous energy
Temperament - timid, shy, but sociable, never bitten
Health history inc teeth - not known, vet check up gave clean bill of health
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations - Rescued as one of three from charity through P@H
Location - basingstoke



Squidgygoo
Age - approx 9 months
Gender - male
Weight (current and weight history if you have it) - 234g
Coat Colour & any observations on coat (eg paler than average, fur thickness, unusual colour patches, foot colour) - light brown with cream and white speckles all over, creamy white belly, and long white patch on forehead, white and light grey ankles and feet
Overall body shape (sleek bullet shape or pear shape etc) - bullet
Face proportions including nose (length, curvature in profile) & eyes (size, position) - face longer and more pointed
Ears (size, shape, position) - large, light coloured and soft
Tail (length, plume size) - approx 10cm, mid grey Tail, white plume that looks a little sparse, but think that's appearance due to colour
Claws (speed of growth, hardness) - dark and strong

Activity Levels - loves wheel, lurking and observing, and chewing, loves coming out for run
Temperament - bit skittish with sudden noise/movement, but generally calm, mature, aware. Always sits on or next to me, and clambers over me. Never bitten, and prefers to sit with me for cuddles in times of trauma
Health history inc teeth - no issues
Source and any known inbreeding in last two generations - P@H rescue as mis sexed with litter
Location - basingstoke