Degu is moving strangely, like a robot

[s]

Although he seems otherwise healthy my degu has been moving strangely recently. He moves like a robot or a little bird, in short bursts (run, stop, run, stop, suddenly turn, etc). He's still very new and only a few months old and but he hasn't done it before. Previously he moved quite smoothly and calmly. Could he be stressed or sick?
He also used to always eat his snacks on my lap but now sometimes he prefers to run away with them.
Any advice much appreciated! I'm a new degu parent so I'm not sure what's normal.

[savvy]

Welcome to the forum.

Degus are a steep learning curve and I recommend reading through our beginners sections.

If he is eating, drinking, peeing and pooing normally, then this sounds like something has spooked him and he's a little unsure. This could be something as simple as a strange sound, smell or even a small fly. When one on mine was quite young she would go almost cross eyed when a small fly or moth ventured near her.

Running off with snacks is also normal, after all, you might want to take them back and he's not about to allow that, lol.

Please feel free to ask any questions you need to, there are no silly ones when it comes to degus.

[deguconvert]

Hello "S" and welcome to the forum!

I echo Savvy's advice. I'd also like to ask if he is your only degu?

[sonataarctica89]

Ah my new one does that to car noises or birds, he is somewhat being cautious about the surroundings. Or in my case they have been naughty... is his ears relaxed or pointing upwards (that's how I tell which is it)

As for the treats well that's normal as well to the point my other degu has his own corner set up with a small pillow for him to sit on and eat treats since he always took them to that spot, plus its winter I imagine if you look around after a day or 2 unfinished treats will be burried somewhere 🤣

[moletteuk]

He sounds scared to me, have there been any changes in the environment to make him stressed or scared? It could be anything like noises, move of cage, different people etc. Could another person have scared him while you weren't there?

[misscatafer]

Welcome to the forum. It sounds like your degu is displaying fear, might be best to review his environment to see what could be unsettling him.

[bouncy]

Spud moved like this every time he was out for his first two years, even skulking like a commando every time he came out of the cage for a run! It could be any number of things that cause it, even just plain degu weirdness! I have to talk to myself every time I go into the kitchen (also goo room) because otherwise one will bark and they all scatter lol

[s]

Thank you for your advice everyone! I'm relieved to hear it's not that unusual. Anywho he's a bit better tonight. Maybe he had been spooked by something.

[s]

Dec 4, 2020 6:50:13 GMT deguconvert said:

Hello "S" and welcome to the forum!

I echo Savvy's advice. I'd also like to ask if he is your only degu?

Thanks! Yeah he's our only one at the moment. Actually it's a bit complicated. I'm in Japan and here the pet shop staff and books on degu don't recommend keeping more than one male together. Reading advice on the English speaking web though I'm a little worried it may be bad for him on his own.

Having said this, I think the degus might be different here because the temperature requirements and a few other things are really different to what I've read online in English (22-26°C is said to be best here and my degu actually caught a cold in the first week because it was under 20 during the day).

[deguconvert]

Japan is very humid . . . and they are naturally from a very arid area . . . so . . . that could make a difference for them, especially for those that have generations of predecessors that have been raised in that climate.