v
Newborn Degu
Wannabe degu owner :)
Posts: 5
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Post by v on Jul 15, 2018 12:25:36 GMT
Hi. In a couple of months I’m getting 2 degus , they will probably be from p@h (I would get them from a rescue but the only one near me rarely ever rescues degus.) This means they will be babies.
I was wondering , for the first few months should I feed them unlimited pellets?
Also , at what age can they start eating vegetables?
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Post by misscatafer on Jul 15, 2018 12:38:27 GMT
Welcome! I bet you are so excited to enter the crazy world of degu ownership! Facebook have a brilliant rehoming page which always have loads of degus needing new homes if you wanted to look there? Also, pets at home no longer sell degus, the ones you see in the stores are those which have been given back by previous owners or put up for adoption, so it would be highly unlikely you will get young babies from there. I got my pair from pets at home and I have estimated they were already 8 months old when I took them home... So already teenagers! In terms of diet degus should always have a supply of nuggets to eat throughout the day, you don't need to restrict these as once full they will stop eating. You also need to provide plenty of fresh hay and forage daily. Vegetables should be given as treats only in very small amounts due to the sugar content. If you have a look through the nutrition section on here there is a wealth of information on what to feed them  |
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v
Newborn Degu
Wannabe degu owner :)
Posts: 5
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Post by v on Jul 15, 2018 13:00:06 GMT
I will definitely look online , maybe I’ll be able to give some older degus a new home! Thanks for the advice , I was looking on degutopia for diet and nutrition advice but I’ve seen a lot people saying that the site isn’t reliable (oops.) There’s so much to learn! |
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Post by bouncy on Jul 15, 2018 14:01:49 GMT
Ditto! Not sure where you are, but I'm happy to transport rescue degus a reasonable distance to give them a good home. They really are sensible eaters, especially if they know the bowl will always be refilled. It's only really treats that they hide and save for later, but they invariably forget where they left them, even when buried with thin air! As misscatafer says, just make sure they have plenty of food. You'd be surprised how much they can get through! I have one group made of an adult and two pups. For the first year, they ate double what the adult group of three ate! |
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Post by ntg on Jul 15, 2018 15:44:00 GMT
Welcome to the forum, V! If you tell us roughly whereabouts you're located we can help to try and find you some of the little fiends if you like? It's great that you're doing your research prior to getting them though! Have you got a cage ready for them already? |
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v
Newborn Degu
Wannabe degu owner :)
Posts: 5
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Post by v on Jul 15, 2018 15:59:20 GMT
Welcome to the forum, V! If you tell us roughly whereabouts you're located we can help to try and find you some of the little fiends if you like? It's great that you're doing your research prior to getting them though! Have you got a cage ready for them already? That’s such a nice offer but I’ve just found out that my local pet shop has some that need a home I’ve not yet got my cage , i’m hoping to get the Liberta Explorer this month or next month but it is a pricey cage. I will probably need to push back the date I was hoping to get degus  I want to be prepared when I get them though |
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v
Newborn Degu
Wannabe degu owner :)
Posts: 5
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Post by v on Jul 15, 2018 16:14:18 GMT
Thank you all for the help. I’ve been looking at other posts/threads and learned so much already |
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Post by misscatafer on Jul 15, 2018 16:21:38 GMT
That is a good cage choice and you can always modify it to give them extra space. It's always best to be as prepared as can be, degus are lovely pets but are also a huge learning curve! They are also a big financial commitment, with the initial set up costing around £500. It would be a good idea to source a good knowledgeable vet close by who actually knows what a degu is - a lot of vets will not see them, or have little experience.
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Post by deguconvert on Jul 15, 2018 18:22:45 GMT
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I want to be prepared when I get them though 