Degu eating fabrics?

[teemu]

I haven't really heard people discussing this too much, and I've seen comments that indicate it's not much of an issue, but I figured I should ask someone with more experience. One of my two boys, Pulla, is really toothy with any kind of cloth or fabric. I've tried to give him towels, soft toys, old shirts, whatever, but he almost immidiately starts tearing them apart, and just from the amount of fabric that vanishes without any scraps, he has to be eating at least some of it. Is this dangerous? My gut says that I shouldn't allow it to happen, since I don't really think that something like that will dissolve, so I'm afraid it would cause a blockage somewhere in the intestine.

Am I worrying too much? I've seen comments from other degu owners about degus eating holes in cloth goods without much issue, and I've had rats that seemed to also do this without much trouble, but it seems like Pulla might be exceptionally toothy with fabrics. It's not just a grooming behavior or anything like that, he starts to pull things apart with his teeth as soon as I give them to him. It's really a shame too, since he looks so incredibly happy when he's got something like a soft shirt to cuddle in, and the only thing he doesn't start eating as fast are rough fabrics like those non-fuzzy washcloths etc, and those aren't nearly as comfy.

(I do give him plenty of paper to build nests with, but it's obviously not the same thing. He's fine with paper though, doesn't try to eat it.)

[bouncy]

I've had goos munching on fabric before, but purely for destructive purposes. It's just their way of rubbing it in that, in their opinion, you didn't get the right thing and they've fixed it for you

When it comes to eating, I guess a lot of it comes down to the fabric. Natural fibres like cotton or linen are plants, so your concern should be along the lines of the volume they're eating and whether they're eating long threads or little pieces. Longer threads have the potential to knot in the intestine. Manmade fibres are NOT safe.

You'll also need to think about the fastness of any dyes and whether their chewing leaves long, hanging threads that may get caught around limbs and cut into the flesh or restrict blood flow.

As for the nutritional values........

[teemu]

Well, I tried to give him a shirt some time back, and two days later it had multiple holes large enough for me to wiggle a thumb through (and I have thick thumbs) and many smaller ones. And it wasn't that it was just a big hole due to gnawing it open, there was actually that much material missing. I checked the cage and found no fabric elsewhere, so it's pretty clear where it all ended up in 

(It was luckily just a simple cotton shirt and it doesn't look like it caused any issues, but that still makes me a bit uncomfortable...)

For some reason he doesn't seem to want to eat thicker and rougher fabrics like the washcloths nearly as much. Maybe the thin shirt just feels really appetizing somehow, or he has a harder time working out that a "slab" made from heavy folded-up cloth is actually also cloth he could nibble on. It's a a shame, but maybe I should just leave the soft stuff for when outside the cage and supervised, and otherwise let him have just paper and that kind of a tougher cloth.

I also tried to give him soft toys when I had to separate him from his brother back then, just so he could have something to cuddle with in the cage (he's really happy to cuddle with a toy and has never tried to wreck it in any way), but he would hone in on them instantly and start trying to pull out everything he could and try to eat any appendages they had. It's weird how tenacious he is about doing it.

[moletteuk]

I would stop offering any fabric that you are sure he is eating. Even natural fibres could cause a fatal blockage before they can be broken down by the gut, I don't think it's worth the risk. I also tend to worry that they can get claws stuck in cotton towel material (washcloths?) too, so that makes me a bit nervous too if it's used for hammocks.

[bouncy]

If a goo is going to shred stuff...... Mine actually love the bed cubes I made for them, but nesting material is not just the loo roll I gave them, but also my empty meds boxes, information slips inside the boxes, and anything else they've nicked that is deemed treasure hunt.

Have you tried giving your lads a full toilet roll? Just unstick the end and watch them go! Also, try to give them alternative chews, like wood. Wooden shelves, perches, chew sticks, bendy stick bridges are all popular. Mine were also recently introduced to a fold back clip on the bars. Sausage is obsessed with it, if you don't mind the noise!

The thing to remember is that degus are highly intelligent, and always appreciate something to keep them stimulated

[teemu]

They do like paper a lot! I've given them rolls, and I've tied pieces of paper into places in their cages where they have to really work to get them off. I also have a lot of apple tree branches they get to chew on which they really enjoy.

I've noticed the intelligence too! I actually have a puzzle box I give to the boys sometimes (it's not much of a general cage toy). It's way too easy to solve just by itself (it just has a hatch they have to push open), but I've added things like a stick keeping it closed and trying string around it. Pulla is really, really smart about it, and actually seems to be doing visual inspection of the thing before actually working out what the issue is and very purposefully solving whatever issue is preventing him from getting the treats. Munkki is... less so, and usually gets pretty desperate about solving it until he managed to find the solution. I've actually been trying to find harder puzzles for Pulla, since he seems to be really smart.

Weirdly, Pulla also seems to actually get really angry if there is anything on the upper level of his cage that he doesn't approve of. He starts shouting at it and throws it out really angrily. He's very mad afterwards! So in general he seems to be very picky about what toys he considers worthy of his attention

[deguconvert]

ROFL!! So . . . what you're saying is . . . he's a control freak. LOL! He sounds like a very entertaining little character!!

[moletteuk]

Try an upside down pot like a stemless eggcup or creme brulee pot with a treat under it.

[cookiedegus]

My degus don't chew the fabrics, but they are kinda suicidal lol, they chew off the highest place of wood platforms and then try to get on it when it's at the last bit! I don't know their purposes One of my degus is very intelligent too, but has the most problem, glad to know there's more owo