New Degu's

[kelly95]

Hi everyone!

My partner and I have just recently purchased two four month old degus. We have put them in a small bedroom because our dog keeps barking at them. A lot of people have said that they need a lot of attention and I am anxious about how much attention they actually need. We feel bad that they are in a separate room but until our dog gets used to them this is the best we can do. We both go in the morning and talk to them for a while, if we are home from work we go and see them straight away and they also get a run around with us for an hour every night. Is this enough human contact or do they require more. We have a ball for them that we are slowly going to introduce so they can run around the whole house once they are used to us. I am just anxious that I am not doing enough for them, and I don't want them to be unhappy pets.

They live in a large cage with many levels they have toys and treats to play with a long with a giant wheel that they just love!

If someone could just tell me where their Degu's are kept and how often you see them I would be very grateful.

Thanks!

[bouncy]

Hi, and welcome to the freaky world of being a degu hooman slave!

Lots of people work full-time, so don't worry about being out so much. Talking to them in the morning, when you get home, and then letting them out for a run so they interact with you is great. I don't think even those at home all day have them out much more than that. The key is a good cage with lots of running space and toys to keep them amused.

I keep mine in the kitchen. They see me when I go to get my message/food, then I spend the evening sat on the floor with them running around and over me. The TV has become redundant!

Although the playball is a good idea, please don't use it! Even the largest ones are too small for a degu, and will place excessive pressure on the curvature of the spine, causing long-term pain.

[Deleted]

Hi Kelly and welcome to the world of degus!

Those playballs are death traps, please don't use them. They're too small.

Have you checked their sex? Pet shops are notorious with getting it wrong. Here is a thread that show's you how to sex: deguworld.proboards.com/thread/13070/degus

They do need a lot of mental stimulation and they will not bond with you if you don't put the effort in, it takes a few hours a day, every day, for them to fully bond with you. Degus will never be like a guinea pig where you can hold them and pet them on your lap (unless you're very lucky!) but the majority of degus do not like being held but will eventually climb on you at least once they're more use to you. Also if you find them nibbling your fingers don't get frightened. This is usually a way of showing affection and they are "grooming" you. If they nibble a bit too hard (like they can do when grooming a fellow degu) give out a short loud squeak. This is what they do to tell the other goo they're grooming a bit too hard. Most degus are docile though and will not bite. Just relax your hand, let them sniff it, and let them give it a nibble. If you're handing them food be careful of your fingers as they can accidentally bite. A degu bite can hurt quite a lot. When it comes to handling the degus to get them back into the cage. Do not chase them, or try and pick them up one handed around the stomach. Also never grab them by their tail! It, as a defence mechanism, will very easily come off (to get away from predators.) Picking them up one handed by the stomach is how a predator would grab them and it can frighten them. Scoop them up gently with 2 hands if possible. If you're struggling hold them out a cardboard tube and hold it near them so they can crawl into it. This works in getting most degus back inside or making you able to transport them with ease. To begin with you need to sit next to their cage for several hours a day, until they start approaching you, then ignoring you and not acting scared. Next do so with the door open, repeat. Do so with your hand in the cage. Repeat. Offer treats in your palm, let them take them and run off. Repeat until they eventually just sit at your hand. Repeat until they will crawl up your arm for treats and so on.

Degus may have treats, but fruit is best to stay strictly away from. Treats such as;
-one peanut in shell each month (also can give walnut, hazelnut, almonds in same amount)
-up to six sunny seeds a day/per degu (whilst training)
- plain porridge oats..
-fresh greens such as parsely, basil, dill, cilantro . . . but given in moderation as it can cause runny stools
-pumpkin seeds, millet seed, in moderation
-branches from apple, crab-apple, hazelnut, and plum trees are safe (as well as many others.. found here: deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15616/safe-tree-woods-bark-list).

Pet shops also sell small cages, and degus need huge cages.. www.littlepetwarehouse.co.uk/products/metal-aventura-huge-metal-rat-ferret-chinchilla-cage.html that is the minimum size for 2 degus.
They are ground squirrels, and need around 100cm in length in a cage to get up to full running speed. You can also use the Rat Royale XL Suite, Liberta Explorer 2nd Edition. Anything smaller is too small, it will cause fighting problems and potentially death. deguworld.proboards.com/thread/9396/forums-cage-size-recommendations - you can use this to make a home made cage.

They also need a wheel no smaller than 12 inches in diameter, but bigger than that is always better. - www.tictacwheels.co.uk/metal-wheels - excellent wheels that last forever.

They don't need human contact in large amounts as long as they have a big enough cage filled with things to do. I'd want to extend the half levels of those recommended cages into full levels however, if they weren't getting several hours of attention every day, to give them more space and enrichment.

I have 4 of those cages, as I have 3 groups of 2 degus and a chinchilla. They have their own room, but I will sit and do my work in there on a bean bag, play with them for an hour each, feed them and play then too.. walk in several times a day and have a quick play and fuss.. and so on.. but mine are also all tamed which took a lot of time and effort.

Taming is recommended because 1.. it's more fun, 2... so you can give them examinations.. 3, so you know what is normal for them (degus can get several health problems).. 4, check for injuries.. 5, you can hold them to treat wounds, give medicine, get them in the carrier to go to the vets and so on. They are also more likely to bite you as they'll be scared of you if not tamed.

Degus have complicated needs when it comes to diet too.. please read this: deguworld.proboards.com/thread/16425/degu-feeding-guide
They need healthy(er) nuggets, unlimited hay, unlimited forage (10 different species a week) per day, as well as many of us feed the seed mix every day.

Here are some more helpful links:

Beginners guide: deguworld.proboards.com/thread/19754/beginners-guide-degu-keeping

deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15657/bought-herb-leaf-flower-mixes
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15602/vegetable-seed-nut-nutrition-charts
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15335/edible-plants-list
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/8772/safe-plants-herbs-leaves-consumption
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17365/commercial-food-chart

- those are all food related.

deguworld.proboards.com/thread/18716/accessories-make-buy
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/18717/choosing-improving-metal-cage
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/18718/guides-diy-cage
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/21159/zenaidas-enclosure-build
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/21486/playpen-recommendations
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/21490/fantastic-find-homemade-toys
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/21358/cage-cleaning

- cage threads

deguworld.proboards.com/thread/21220/enrichment
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17619/deguconverts-detailed-introductions-fighting-guide
deguworld.proboards.com/board/26/degu-health

[kelly95]

Hi,

Thank you so much both for your replies, it has helped a lot. I did not know about the ball being so dangerous it's great to know because this was actually recommended by the pet shop when we got them. They said it's a great option if I was worried about then running riot in the house. They also failed to tell us some other things that are very important and I've just done some more research. Do they have to have sand baths?

I am very happy with their progress we have only had them for two days and already they are sitting on me and nibbling my toes, my partner is finding it more difficult but I believe that's because he's a little more nervous than myself.

Its great to know that I can ask questions on here and get reassurance for my worries.

Thanks again!

[Deleted]

Yes they have to have sandbaths. Use something non-plastic as a container and leave it in 24/7 they're better at monitoring when they need a bath than we possibly could be x

Please do ask away!

[moletteuk]

I think it probably is OK, but you might need to make a special effort over time to keep up with the routine. During their free range time are they having the run of the whole spare room? I think lots of us like to take advantage of free range time and hang out with the degus. I suppose another option could be to have the degus well out of reach of the dog and shut the dog away while the degus have free range time. I suppose it depends how much the dog can be calmed down around the goos.

[bouncy]

It's great that they're interacting with you freely already! It sounds to me like you're letting them out for a run in your spare room? If so, you no longer have one. It's now your goo room! It's no bad thing if you keep it that way - even when they're out, they know they're safe and it's their territory (With mine in the kitchen, Sillygoo occasionally has disagreements with my feet and bites my toes). If you do stay with that approach, you know they can't get out*, and it's worth goo proofing as much as possible (cables, anything you don't want chewed, etc), and have give them supervised runs!

*degus may chew through your door if left unattended, especially if a particularly tasty wood!