Hi complete newbie here with a couple of questions

[nellienoonoo]

Hi, came home with two degus boys last night, they were advertised on free ads so impulsively went to get them.

They come with their own cage, hammock, wheel and a few other accessories.

My main question is what do I feed them and how often? Have been given nuggets with them so any other suggestions would be great.

Also they have a bowl with sand it, the correct stuff, what's that all about?

[deguconvert]

Hello Nellienoonoo and welcome to the forum, as well as to the life and experience of owning degus! You may find that the initial learning curve for degus is rather steep, as they are different for care from most other small pets. However, if you are willing to jump in and read (lots to read here), ask whatever questions occur to you (nothing about degus is a stupid thing to ask about), and make what adjustments you can (some you may you can change or alter quickly while others may be subject to time or financial constraints) for their good, this is a great place to be. We have all found ourselves in the deep end with degus at various times, so are sympathetic to the issues or dilemas of others.

The bowl of sand is for bathing purposes. Degus do not get wet and do not swim. That is not a part of their hygene at all. However, rolling and flipping in the fine sand (known as fine chinchilla sand) coats their hairs and helps to remove skin oils and other irritants that can make them unkempt and dirty. It may sound counter productive to roll in such fine sand to keep clean, but it makes a great difference to the health of their coats and skin.

I'm going to post some links here to help you get started with your reading. By the way . . . do you know the ages of your two boys?

Beginners introduction to degus. deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=blogs&action=display&thread=9039

How to sex your degus. (or confirm their gender) deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=beginners&action=display&thread=13070

There can be a lot to learn about appropriate housing for degus, as well as many ideas and suggestions for how to arrange their space etc. So . . . I hope you will not be daunted by the list of links below. Be sure to ask your questions, no matter what they are, as we can help you to understand why we hold to certain practices verses others that are perpetuated by pet stores.
deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=9396
deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=9468
deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=16665
deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=15617
deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Cage&action=display&thread=8754

Diet and nutrition etc. which is another information dense topic. Again, please ask your questions, and don't worry, we are not concerned about how many you have, nor whether or not they seem stupid. Take for instance the fact that degus MUST occasionally eat their own droppings. By doing so, they keep a healthy balance of bacterial agents in their gut which help them to properly diagest their foods. So, although it looks gross and can make us shudder . . . it is a part of their healthy digestion needs.
deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=food&action=display&thread=16425
deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=food&action=display&thread=15795

I think I'll leave things at this for now. I've given you quite a bit to look through and take in.

[deguconvert]

I forgot to ask you, Nellienoonoo, but where are you located. Location can have a big impact on types of cages and foods that are available to you.

[nellienoonoo]

Wow! Thank you for your very comprehensive reply.

My degus are four years of age and both boys. Taken to vets today for check up. All okay but one has a cataract in his left eye.

I have a basic P@H cage, which is too small so will look at that when I get paid. Have been reading your post and links and am getting a good idea of what is needed to keep that happy and healthy.

I had rescue rabbits for five years, unfortunately both running at the bridge now, but by being a forum member was forever learning new ways to keep them happy.

Thank you so much for your help.

Oh, I'm in the UK, waiting for the snow ;D

[daydreamer3008]

Hi Nellienoonoo,

I think deguconverts given you a lot to read there, so hopefully you found out what you wanted - but if you ever have any questions just ask - we don't bite!!

And being in the UK's handy, incase you were wondering, I feed my goos on Supreme Science Selective, but nuggets are fine

Oh, and have you considered making them a DIY cage?? I think there's some links on here somewhere. I made a cage for my goos, so it's huge, and I love seeing them run around in something I made!! It can take a lot of effort, but its worth it.

Hope this helps, oh, and fingers crossed for the snow!!

[nellienoonoo]

Jan 17, 2013 22:40:30 GMT daydreamer3008 said:

Hi Nellienoonoo, I made a cage for my goos, so it's huge, and I love seeing them run around in something I made!! It can take a lot of effort, but its worth it.

Would love to see some pictures. Not something I have considered doing but that's not to say I wouldn't rule it out. Might have to do some research on building my own cage.

[moletteuk]

Welcome Nellie
You will find lots of pictures of various cages including home made ones in the show us your cage sticky thread.

[redheaddegu]

Hello and welcome. I'm fairly new to this degu stuff too - just about to hit the 2 week mark! In that time I've had my solitary male degu neutered, arranged some females to introduce him to and made plans for building my own cage! A v steep learning curve indeed. And all of it through this site. It is really worth trying to find some time to just browse the forum, as well as asking questions, as there is loads of useful info on here to help you, some answers to questions you haven't even thought to ask. There are several on-line pet stores that do degu food - take a browse and see what you can find. Also check out your local pet stores, I've found one local to me where they are very knowledgable, and have a variety of degu suitable products, so I can provide a bit more varied diet for Gimli. Hope you have as much fun with your boys as I have with mine.