Degus in shed

[lovepugs]

Hi. I am fostering some degus and have them in my shed in a purpose built cage 100x60 with 3 levels. It has a tunnel that goes outside to a thickets cage and even this morning after it had been raining, all 3 were outdoors. My question is, are they ok out in the shed or should I take them back to the rescue. she had them indoors in the bottom third of a liberta cage with no levels so they would have about a quarter of the space they are in in now . I cant have them indoors and am worried that it might be too damp in winter for them. I do have a heater in the shed for the rabbits but I keep their tunnel open as they are out all year round. I would bring the thickets cage into the shed in winter so they would still have both cages but just don't know what to do for the best.x

[moletteuk]

This is fairly new territory as not many people at all have kept degus outside, we do have a member (Ilikedegus) who has a part indoor part outdoor setup she would be the best person to comment, I'm sure she will be along soon.

My degus look miserable when the temperature goes down to 15 or 16C in the house in the winter, but it must get much colder than that in South America, so I don't know if they have gone soft or only grow a lesser coat for indoor winters. I'd be inclined to think that will get too cold at some point, but if you are vigilant about watching out for signs from the degus when it is getting too cold for them, you could wait until that happens to shorten the time they go back to the rescue for. If you provide a solid wooden nest box that is not too big and quite low in height, this is ideal for them to pack with insulation of hay, paper, cardboard, straw to retain heat while they rest. I think you could definitely extend the season with the right nest box or boxes.

Would you be able to take them back again when the weather improves? Could you loan the rescue the thickets for the winter to extend the size of their winter residence?

Does the shed have a window for daylight?

[lovepugs]

Hi. thanks for reply. Im not too worried re the cold more the possible damp although like I said they are outside in all weathers. the temp was only 8c the other day but they were out even though it was 12 and cosy in the shed! Cant bring them in as hubby not happy about animals in house other than the dog and hamster. They do have a chinchilla nest box stuffed to the rafters with hay and toilet roll. Im just worried if I keep them they might get a chest infection but hubby said they will acclimatise! Can def take them next spring but she has no room for the thickets as her room is full of rats (pet of course)Just don't know what to do. Ive arranged to take them on sunday but done that twice before and cancelled because I would really like to keep them but only if its in their best interest. the shed has a window and in winter I put the light on before I go to work and turn it off at about 7 so the guinea pigs aren't in the dark.x

[ilikedegus]

Hi Lovepugs

It's great that you want to give them a home where they have some space, the rescue's accommodation doesn't sound ideal.

Given that degus are animals of the semi-desert, I really DON'T think they will "acclimatise". I think damp will do them in, and I'm sure others on here will back me up.

However I wonder if it would be better to help find them a home where they can be indoors - posting on here, you may be able to find someone who would take them.

Sept 16, 2014 16:44:20 GMT moletteuk said:

This is fairly new territory as not many people at all have kept degus outside, we do have a member (Ilikedegus) who has a part indoor part outdoor setup she would be the best person to comment, I'm sure she will be along soon.

Yes our boys do have access to the outdoors, but their main cage is inside the house. In the winter we shut their access to the outside and only let them out if they "ask" to go out, and they don't go out for long. Inside our house, we also give them a heat pad and sometimes a heat lamp in the winter, the heating in the house is not very efficient.

In the wild in the winter, degus live in underground burrows. These stay a pretty constant temperature all year round, and I'm not sure the wild degus would go outside for long in the winter.
A rabbit is a European animal and can handle North European weather and damp, I'm sure it would be a death sentence for a degu.

If you are open to rehoming them, let us know where you are based ;-)

[lovepugs]

Hi. I can't rehome them as they are not mine. I am only fostering them so they have to be rehomed through the rescue. Thanks anyway. They are very happy together. 2 sisters and the other is a younger sister . They don't like to be handled but will all come for treats . I will miss them but I know the shed has been fab in the summer where they can get outside but not so much in winter even though I have a heater. I am in Newcastle and if anyone is interested in rehoming them please pm me and I will give them the resue details if she says it's ok. X