Introducing a playmate

[xpiercedgoddessx]

I got a degu from a friend a few months ago and he is all alone. I think he about 3, but could be older or younger. I want to get him a playmate to keep him company while Im not there, but my friend said he is very territorial. I was recently thinking that i don't think this is true. He is very friendly with my dog, and even my cats. My dog is intrested in all of my rodents, and out of my two cats, one of slightly intrested in them, but will run away if any of them comes too closely. My sister's cat we alweays keep away from them because sometimes she lickes them, but one time she grabbed my rabbit by the neck (The first day we got her, but were not sure if she tried to carry it like her kittens we had recently gotten rid of, or if she meant to hurt her, but she has never done it since...now she licks her head.)
But what Im asking is if it sounds safe to get Buddy a playmate. He doesnt seem territorial, but intrested in all my other pets. I once put his cage gainst my rats cage and he ran up and started squeaking like he does when hes happy.
So what does everyone think?
PS (He doesnt usually like coming out of his cage, he squeaks blue murder if I try, but when i open the cage door hell stick his head out to be petted or rubbed. Mostly he loves being rubbed under the chin and when I do, he tilts to the side and closes his eyes, almost falling over. When I rub his nose, he twitches his head side to side as if wanting me to rub both cheeks at the same time)

Thanks, Melissa

[diet otaku]

degus generally do not fight with other animals, but WILL fight with each other over territory/rank. the way he acts when you pet him is typical of solitary degus, because they are social creatures who need companionship. without another degu present, they bond to their owners. this does not necessarily mean he will get along with any degu you throw in the cage - if you get another male, you'll need to keep them in separate cages side by side until they get used to each others' presence. after awhile like that, you can take them out for "meetings" in a neutral, degu-safe area. grooming is a good sign, mounting is ok, but don't be surprised if they fight at first. if they lunge at each other and flip back, or just start rolling around fighting, drop a small towel over them and use that to pick one of them up (doesn't matter which one, as long as you separate them). put them back in the cages and wait awhile before trying another meeting. there is a possibility that he just won't get along with another male, in which case you could try neutering him and putting a female in with him.

[ra]

Please don't put your Degu down with your dog and or cats to interact. They are fearless little creatures and could get into trouble quickly. Dogs and cats are predatory - Degus are pray animals. Not a good mix. The Degu could get excited and bite your dog or cat on the nose then it would take just one bite from a dog or cat to injure or kill your Degu.

[xpiercedgoddessx]

I dont put him down to interact with them...I hold him in front of my dog (keep in mind my dog is a poddle mix, small dog) and he licks him oon the head. and I never put him down in front of the cats. My cat Foxxy loves to sit by the cage and watch him while Buddy will come up to her, they will touch noses, and Buddy will squeak like hw does when he is happy. My sisters cat Peaches is another story, I dont let him interact with her, she doesnt seem interested and I know she would likely bite him if given the chance.

[xpiercedgoddessx]

Would it be okay to introduce my degu to my rats? I have 2 and I would be intrested in putting them in a playpen (Supervised, obviously) and let tem play with each other. I know I have to put their cages side by side first to see how they react. But, my rats are still babies so I think I will wait til they get a little bigger and wont get seriously hurt if Buddy bites them...Im sure others hae introduced their rodents

[khay]

I don't think you should introduce your degus to your rats.

In fact, I don't think you should be allowing cats in the same room as the degus. Degus can be quite the escape artists. The reason your cat is watching Buddy is the same reason cats watch birds outside: "I want to eat it but I don't know how to get at it."

My rodents and my rabbits are all in a secured gerbil/hamster/degu proof room, with a door that they CANNOT get under, in case one escapes, as I have 7 cats and that would be a disaster. Taking that extra precaution is VITAL when owning cats and small animals.

As for introducing rats and degus, it's unnatural and could be terribly dangerous. I know that when I have my hamster out, Aidan (One of my degus) gets all upset watching him and starts squeaking and digging at his cage. Of course Ryvre (The hamster) Acts like he is invisible, but that's beside the point: They won't like each other. It's safer and smarter to keep them seperate.