New At This

[xdegudivax]

Hi everyone!! I'm totally new at this..My fiance just bought me two degu's..One male and One female..Still babies..I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for me? Like..Foods to not give them..Things like that.

[Hanlou]

Hia. I don't actually own degus but have done lots of research myself as I intend to get degus in the future.. What I would suggest toyou is to read through the information on this site as there is lots of information as to what to feed them etc. I've simply typed 'degu' into a search engine and lots of different sites have come up, so it's worth doing that as well.

Important things I would say are: food - they can't process sugar of any kind, not even fruit and can easily become diabetic if given sugar in any form, so their diet needs to be carefully controlled. Even certain degu foods aren't really suitable. If you read through the feeding section on here and look at the info on the site itself you'll get more ideas as to what's best. They need timothy hay to be available at all times too.

Cage: Degus can really gnaw! So any cage with a plastic bottom or wooden bottom may well get eaten through. An all metal cage is best. Degus like to climb etc too, so a spacious cage with plenty of shelves and things for them to play on is necessary for them to be happy.

Degu society: Can I ask why you have a male and a female? They will breed.... if you don't know that much about degus are you happy to look after a pregnant degu and then house / rehome the babies? Degus do like company, but I would have thought two females would be a better (and easier) choice. Degus can be neutered otherwise - but I don't know that much about this, to be honest. There's a section on here about breeding.

My knowledge is very limited and as yet I have no 'first-hand' experience, but a big welcome to the forum and congratulations on your degus!!

From everything I've read they sound like lovely pets. Everyone on here will be happy to answer your questions, I'm sure.

[diet otaku]

gonna add in my advice as well, hehe.

FOOD: degus need a very high-fiber diet. i stick to guinea pig food (the kind that is JUST pellets), timothy hay, and alfalfa blocks for them to chew on. for treats they get pumpkin seeds, almond slices (look for a product called "healthy toppings" at your local pet store), and raw unsalted peanuts in the shell. they only get the peanuts once a week, one each, for being good when i clean their cage. they get the pumpkin seeds and almonds for being good when i take them out to play with them, either letting them run around the bathroom (doors SHUT!) or perching them on my shoulders. some people have fed degus sweet potato as a treat, but they likely have a lot of sugar in them, so i just avoid anything that's not fiber or nuts.

CAGE: an all-metal cage is essential. petsmart sells a great one for $40. also important to note, degus cannot walk on mesh floors, or they will develop bumblefoot - a painful foot condition that may require amputation in extreme cases. they need at least one level of the cage to have a solid floor covered in bedding, but it's best to cover all mesh floors with something solid. to accessorize the cage, degus need a nest box (again, petsmart sells a great one that's basically a wooden box with holes in), a running wheel (i recommend a silent spinner - also at most pet stores), and a NON-PLASTIC water bottle. i had a plastic one for a long time, attached outside the cage, but they eventually figured out how to gnaw a hole in the bottom. so i bought a glass bottle that works great. i've also bought a type of bird feeder to keep their hay in - it's called a suet feeder, and it's at most stores. walmart has one for like $1.83. it's just a green square that opens in the front. the mesh is big enough that they can pull hay out, but small enough that the hay doesn't FALL out. and i bought them a treat holder - but there's usually nothing in it. i might put an alfalfa block in there, but they quickly demolish it, and anything that isn't wedged into it will eventually be pulled free and tossed around the cage and buried. XD they also need stuff to chew on. there are these "fruit flavored" wooden blocks that mine will chew on, but they also like to gnaw the nest box (which is fine, it's designed with that in mind). OH!! and they need a dust bowl! something glass or ceramic so it can't be chewed, and you can buy the dust at the pet store. they use it to take baths to keep their fur clean. mine will also hide in it when they're frightened or want to hide some food. i've also gotten my degus a chin-chiller, which is a granite slab that they can lay on to keep cool, and a chube - basically a big cardboard tube that they hide in and chew on. mine also have a rope across the top of the cage that they can climb on.

SEXING: if you are SURE you have a male & a female, it's probably a good idea to keep them separate, like in 2 smaller cages next to each other, until you can get the male neutered (unless you WANT to breed them, but that does shorten their life span). it's tricky finding a vet who will neuter degus, because they're still considered an exotic pet, but if you can find someone who's done a chinchilla, they should be able to do a little research and be able to do a degu. if you want to determine the sex of your degus definitively, use this diagram:
MALE:
o (urethra)

| (anus)

FEMALE:
o (urethra)
- (girly bits)
| (anus)

both males and females have a protrusion for their urethra, so don't mistake it for a guy's naughty bits. a male will have a gap between the protrusion and the anus, while females will have them close together, with the vag!nal opening between. if you need pics, i can dig up a link i used to sex my degus.

if you have any questions, ask!

[Bosley]

Do you know if your male and female are siblings?? Very important to know so you don't inbreed. If they are, then they dfinitely need to be fixed if they are going to stay together.

[xdegudivax]

Thanks for all the info...As far as I know they are male and female..The guy at the petstore my fiance bought them at told him. But..I don't know if they are from the same litter..I can't tell myself yet..Because they won't let me hold them.

[xdegudivax]

Well from everything I've read so far on the site..and from everyones advice..I actually went out and bought some timothy hay, and some alfalfa blocks...I even got that..bird nest type thing..To put the Hay in..They seem so much happier already.. ;D