Lone degu - what do we do?

[degumummy137]

After the unfortunate loss of our three year old female Theo, we've been left with a lone female right at the peak of her life. Is it a bigger risk to leave her on her own or to try and introduce a new companion? We know the basics on gradual introduction, but have also been told that degus rarely mix well later in life. Any help?

[Deleted]

I'd introduce possibly 2 companions rather than 1 if you go down that route - if you have the room of course.

It really depends on the degu. Neutered males are easier options but then you've got to consider the risk of putting a degu through neutering.

[moletteuk]

She definitely needs a friend. You have options such as two female babies, or 1 or 2 fully adult females say 2yrs plus, or as Emily mentions, a neutered male. There are advantages and disadvantages to all the options. Do you have any rescue organisations near you who might have a choice of degus available that your degu could visit and potentially meet? Or check all the rehoming sites in your area to see who might be available.

I don't think it's fair to say that degus don't mix well later in life, they are harder to pair up between 4 to 18 months when their hormones are going crazy, and after that it is more a case of luck in it working out between the personalities that you put together.

[degumummy137]

She seems quite lost and distressed on her own, so we're now in more of a rush to find her some company. Nobody in our region has any female degus at all, with the exception of a p@h store in the next town. Buying is something I didn't want to do again, but we're picking up a new much larger cage after work today (four levels which seems easy to divide halfway into two smaller cages for gradual introduction) so we might come home with two girls. I'm thinking the distraction of neighbours at the very least should distract her, as she seems bored stiff (we let her out for interaction but all she wanted to do was climb around "calling" for Theo), and then settled to scratching at the door to the room she'd last seen her in. It's breaking all of our hearts to see her and not be able to explain where her sister's gone.

[ntg]

Which region of the UK are you in? We may be able to help you to locate a friend or two since most of our members tend to be in the UK.

[moletteuk]

What cage are you getting? The only one big enough at PAH is the Xtrail, I think, and it is available much cheaper elsewhere and with metal trays as Liberta Explorer 2 or Aventura.