Soon To Be Degu Owner

[Astra88]

I'm new to the forum so thought id say... Hello 


I don't have any Goo's at the moment but hoping to start my little crew soon, been designing and building an enclosure for them and want it to be just right before i introduce them.


I was thinking of adopting or rescuing rather than buying from a shop, quite a lot of people have recommended Little Bites rescue in Luton but would love to hear of any other places people know of...


I live in Hampshire but haven't found any local places.  I'm looking to get a crew of about 4 hopefully and i'm sooooo excited about it.


I'm about 75% done with the enclosure which is 500,000 cubic cm, just making sure everything is sealed properly so we don't get any escapees 


Any advice on enclosure builds or what people have found works or doesn't work with their enclosures or any advise on finding the right Goo's would be most appreciated.



Thanks 


           

[Bexi87]

Welcome to the forum Astra

The cage looks really good, have you thought about putting more full levels in? Goo's need a lot of floor space and full levels gives them a lot more room to forage/run around. If you look at the Show Is Your Cage thread there are loads of pictures for you to get some ideas.

I'm afraid I'm up North so don't know anywhere in Hampshire but hopefully someone else does

[Astra88]

Thanks Dingle87, im sure i can fit a few full size shelves in as there is more space between the shelves than it appears in the photos....the cage looks quite small in the photos too but its deeper than it looks too.

[moletteuk]

Hi Astra, welcome to the forum

We tend to work on surface area when figuring out cage size, rather than volume, here is our cage size guide deguworld.proboards.com/thread/9396/forums-cage-size-recommendations

They will certainly enjoy what you have done with the cage with the hammocks and small shelves for hanging out on, but I think a couple of extra full area shelves will really beef up the usable space and make the most of the volume you have. Don't worry too much if you end up with low headroom in a couple of small areas where you have extra smaller shelves, they will enjoy that too. I'm guessing the edging is still on your to do list?

We have some links to rescue and rehoming sites here deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15497/small-animal-rescue-centres-mainly The facebook group mentioned on there are quite good at keeping track of degus looking for homes. We do have several members in your area so they might have some more sourcing tips for you. Make sure you check the sexes for yourself wherever you get them from!

[Astra88]

Thanks Moletteuk, that cage sizing is really helpful ill have to check again when i get home.

Yes i definately think ill add in a few full area shelves...anything to make my future goo's happy.

Yes im still doing the edging in the top cage section and i still need to do a final seal check, on everything, to make sure they dont chew their way out. I also need to check to make sure i have left any sharp parts in there with the mesh edging as i dont want them getting caught on anything. I had gerbils before so i know the little tykes can get anywhere

I will be putting lighting in there too under a few of the shelves but i wont do that until ive made a container to hold them that the goo's cant get their teeth into....i was thinking acrylic tube would be ggod for this as its solid and then wrapping a layer of mesh round it just incase.

Thanks ill have to do a bit more research on sexing them just to make sure i know what im looking at.

[deguconvert]

Hello, Astra88, and welcome to the forum!! WOW! You are doing an excellent job of preparing! Once you have added the full levels, your cage will really sparkle. I hope you are able to locate and bring home a group of degus in a timely fashion.

[Maravilla]

Hello,

please take out all this plastic stuff. It can be chewed too easily. Besides, the running wheel looks too small. It should be at least 30 cm in diameter.
I can understand your desire for a big group, but for 4 animals your cage would be too small, even with 2 full levels. Moletteuk already posted a link to the size recommendations. At least 0,5 sqm per degu should be the minimum. And if you have to separate the group (due to fights etc.) then all the animals have even less space.

Degus are great and interesting animals but to show their real behaviour their needs should be fulfilled the best we can. They just deserve it.

And just another quick question: is this a cat bed on top of the cage? It shouldn't be there when the degus move in, should it?

[moletteuk]

For a sand bath you can use metal, pottery or even a glass bowl like a goldfish bowl works quite well. They will make mincemeat of plastic tube in seconds, but you can use cardboard, terracotta or you can buy big natural cork tubes aimed at reptiles although they get chewed pretty quick too. Wheels and running saucers should be metal or wood, although the wooden wheels you can buy also get chewed up pretty quickly. Here are some accessory links including wheel and saucer DIY ideas deguworld.proboards.com/thread/18716/accessories-bedding-toy-ideas

[Astra88]

Thanks moletteuk I'll have a look at some alternatives for that. I've used the cage measuring guide you put up and my floor space equates to 23,225sq.cm once I add in an additional level.

Maravilla sorry the photos really make everything look small but the wheel is a 30cm wheel and yes that is a cat bed and won't be there when the degus move in, my cat likes to watch my working and building the cage from on top....makes him feel like the boss.

Thanks for the welcome Degu convert.