New to Degu owner

[masters02]

Hello all,

My wife and I picked up our first Degu over the weekend, he was part of a trio but was isolated due to fighting with the other 2. We have picked him up in the hope of introducing him to another Degu.

He is our first Degu, however we already have Gerbils so we have some understanding of the issues introducing new rodents to each other.

Below looks to be a suitable cage due to having the ability to keep them 'apart' but in the same cage...

www.johnhopewell.co.uk/default.asp?template=productdetail.page.xml&productId=287

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I'm worried the size isn't ideal for 2 Degus?

[savvy]

Welcome to the forum and the weird world of degus.

Unfortunately the cage you are looking at isn't even suitable for one degu let alone two. They need a really big cage as they run a lot. Consider also that they are ground squirrels so although they climb, they need the floor space. The cage should have a minimum run of 1 meter (approx 3 ft) and should have different levels.

These are the bought cages we usually recommend. www.littlepetwarehouse.co.uk/products/metal-aventura-huge-metal-rat-ferret-chinchilla-cage.html or this one www.cagesworld.co.uk/p/Liberta_2nd_Edition_Explorer_Rat%2C_Ferret_and_Chinchilla_Cage.htm or alternatively you could build your own.

A cage which is too small will lead to fighting, injuries and even possible death as they fight over territory which just isn't there. Which is probably why your little guy was separated from his friends as pet shops are notorious at recommending cages which do not meet the guidelines.

As you learn about these guys you will have loads of questions so please font be afraid to ask, we are here to help.

[bouncy]

Hi, and welcome!

There certainly crossovers between gerbils and degus, and you're brave going straight into an intro! Speaking from personal experience, though, please make sure you have a good read through the stickies in each section.

Regarding cage, we've generally found John Hopewell cages don't quite meet goo needs. They are ground critters, needing minimum running space, and John tends to offer perches and shelves rather than full levels. Ideally, you need a footprint of at least 100cm x 50cm, with full levels no more than 50cm apart. The overall running space for different numbers, or CARA, can be found in our cage section. The length of 100cm allows the goobies to reach a decent speed.

You're thinking along the right lines, though, by having a side by side partition for intros. Normally, the cages we recommend are the Liberta Explorer, Aventura, or Savic Royal, which means you have to make a partition.

Alternatively, you can have a look at www.littlepetwarehouse.co.uk, particularly at their ferret or bird cages. With the prices, you could get two cages (with the exception of the tall chew proof metal chin), and join them together when they are united. It still works out cheaper than a John Hopewell. Alternatively, consider a self build!

[misscatafer]

Yes, as Bouncy has recommended, you could buy two of these: www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Friends-Blenheim-Extra-Accessories/dp/B005CAYUKY costing basically the same as the other recommended cages, and then bolt them together and remove the inner sides once they are introduced. This will give you tons of space! Here is mine to give you some inspiration -

[masters02]

The reason for wanting to do an introduction is that all of our gerbils who are in groups are much happier and active! We have 1 who is an absolute nightmare and simply cannot be paired, she often seems very depressed! I think with the right cage we should be able to pair up our Degu!

Ive read the diy cage thread, and I think I'm going to attempt a self build! I'm not super practical but it doesn't seem too tricky!

[bouncy]

Good luck! If you have any questions, please do just ask - degus are a law unto themselves!

Yes, degus need company. They will even self harm if alone, but they do tend to have better interactions with their hooman slave to compensate.

[masters02]

The one question I do have, is with regards to what wood to use...

I'll be making the structure out of some untreated timber / plywood from Wickes, however I understand the levels shouldn't have exposed wood as it isn't safe and should be 'edged' with kiln dried pine... I can't find this anywhere in the U.K.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks all!

[Deleted]

B&Q sells kiln dried pine lots of it!

[Deleted]

Most DIY shops will

[masters02]

Hmm couldn't see it online, must have missed it / under a different name... I'll go check again

[Deleted]

Try searching for redwood

[bouncy]

Hi,

You can make the frame from timber, or anything else goo proof, such as metal.

Places like Wickes call timber kiln dried softwood, but don't specify it's pine. The kiln dried bit is important. Yes, sides and floors can be things like ply or mdf. You may want to consider covering the floors and lower sides of each level with something like lino, which will help prolong life and reduce pongs. Also, if using something like mdf, you will need to protect the access holes between each level too (let's face it, it's not great stuff), because those teeth will annihilate it.

Alternatives to the wooden frame - I've got a build using metal shelving. It's quite modular, so I arranged it, clad it in ply, and made doors and doorframes, which I fixed to the front.

[moletteuk]

If I were building again I would use plywood for the carcase and melamine faced furniture board for the shelves so that they are waterproof (wee-proof). You can protect with metal or kiln dried softwood, most places don't specify pine, it is often spruce or fir, but as long as it is kiln dried, not too knotted or with resin pockets, it's fine.

For an introdution you want to design in a shared level, so they can meet face to face but with a double layer of mesh for safety.

You are absolutely right that he deserves another chance at friendship. You might want to give careful thought to who you look for as a potential friend, an adult male (18 months+ ) who is already alone, a pair of baby males, or a stable adult pair, or neutering him and getting him a female or two would all be valid options.

[deguconvert]

I second that, Moletteuk!

[masters02]

Thanks for all the comments so far! The new cage is coming along nicely, I'll post some pictures when it's finished! Its not quite as big as I'd like but the dimensions are:

Length 120cm
Depth 60cm
Height 80cm

How does that size sound?

Also regarding introductions, would it be a bad idea to introduce him to another young male? Would it be best to pair him to another lone Degu or an existing pair?

I plan to make a removable wood/mesh seperator in the cage for the intros..

[bouncy]

Unfortunately, a young male is the only guaranteed problem!

Following on from moletteuk, the 18months to two years bracket means their hormone levels have settled. A pair of pups could be relatively quick, because their presence may trigger his parental instincts (degus make great dads). However, those teenage years are a problem!

I introduced a lone male to two pups last year, and it's great - they're a happy group

If you look for a girlfriend, bear in mind it's major surgery for a goo as the testes are inside the abdominal cavity (very different to a gerbil dragging them around behind them), and you will need to wait six weeks post op before he can safely meet a lady.

[moletteuk]

The cage size sounds good apart from the height. You can probably only fit the base and one level comfortably in 80cm height, you really need base and two levels for an intro and then you can split the middle level for them to meet eye to eye, overall height would be around 110cm to fit the extra level. The 120x60x80cm (assuming 2 layers) would be OK for 2 degus already in a pair, but not enough for 3.

[masters02]

I had thought that the length would be more important than the height, which is why is made it 120cm... I didn't really have room for more height so I made it extra long to compensate.

It has 2 levels, the first level is full length / width. The top level is full length / half width. I will post some pictures tonight, I just need to fit the doors and then I'm finished

[moletteuk]

The length IS great but they also need a certain amount of running surface area. 120x60=7200cm2 So that times 1.5 levels = 10,800cm2 Our recommended minimum for 1 or 2 is 12,000cm2 so if you could make the top level full width than you would providing the 7200x2= 14,200 which is then OK for 2. Do you think you could extend the top shelf so it is full width?

....thinking again, do you mean the base plus a full level plus a half level = 7200+7200+3600=18,000cm2 If so, that is fine for 3.

See how you get on, you can always change and add things

[masters02]

The new cage is built and we have move Peanut in, I'm actually quite proud of it!

ive added some pictures, any comments or
improvements welcomed...