rehoming a degus

[amanda123]

Hi all, I've rescued 5 degus from a man keeping them in hamster cages. I've managed to re home 2 girls and decided to keep the dad and 2 boys myself i went and bought a 3 stories rat cage as it stated it was ok for degus but got home from work today to find the dad degus had chewed a massive hold on the plastic bottom and is acting quit aggressive to the 2 babies every time they go near the hole he has created.I'm going to have to go and buy a metal cage for them but will have to but the babies in a large hamster  cage for a week till i get payed and hopefully they wont chew their way out so quickly but i really need to rehome the adult male as he will just eat the cage and its not really big enough to keep him in..does anyone know of a breeder or a degus lover in the worcestershire area that could take him for me.?? I dont want to advertise on facebook or a pet link as i dont want him going into the wrong hands. he is very tame and loves to be handled thats why i was happy to keep him in the first place but really cant have him chewing his way out and my dogs getting to him..

[moletteuk]

If you can sort them a decent size home, they might get along a lot better. I think the dad has a better chance of being reunited with his sons than being paired with other degus , if you could find a way to hang on for a while? No pressure though, I just wanted to make you aware.

Have a look on eBay or preloved for second hand cages. They should be all metal, or sometimes you can swap plastic shelves for wooden. The Pets at Home cages can be bought quite cheaply second hand and two or three stacked together can work quite well. Let us know if you want to run any potential cages past us. We tend to recommend something like the Xtrail/ Aventura or Liberta Tower with homemade shelves, if that helps you work out what you are looking for.

You might be able to patch the plastic base for a couple of days with a weighted down piece of wood or metal (roses tin with edges hammered flat?) or a big rock or something.

Try reposting in the adoption area if you are sure you want to look for a new home.

Well done on the rescue so far, don't hesitate to ask if you think we can help with anything

[amanda123]

thank you for you advise. ive been out and bought a cage my mum helped me out as i really didn't want them to be moved again to another house as i think they have been through enough..I rescue alot of animals but ive never had degus so been doing some research and they are some amazing little pets and my 9 year old son loves them so we are going to do as much for them as we can but i might need to ask lots of questions to everyone on here..Ive had the dad out for a couple of hours this evening so hes tired now so hopefully he will stop chewing and sleep tonight..hehe

[moletteuk]

I'm happy you've decided to keep the dad, and happy you and your son are enjoying them

Do ask any questions you like, they are quite different to other small animals, no question is too silly on here!