A strange new sound!

[s]

Hello! I'm a fairly new degu owner and I have a query about an interesting sound I've started hearing recently. Sometimes when I'm playing with my degu (aged 1) and he's chirping (pirupirupii) he suddenly switches to a constant, high pitched 'piiiiiiiii' and starts wagging his tail and grabbing my hand a little. He doesn't seem annoyed and it's really cute, but I'm wondering what it could mean! Is he playing, or in a mating mode? Has anyone else heard this?

If anyone could shed light on it that'd be great!

[bouncy]

Does the squeak sound like a bark? You may even notice his ears flatten as he barks.

[deguconvert]

Would you be able to video this behavior? It could well be playing . . . but . . . a waggling tail indicates great excitement or great agitation, and knowing which it is is sometimes difficult. At his age, he will be feeling the desire to be top degu, and it is possible he wants to dominate you. The closest thing I can think that comes to this, are experiences that have been shared with us about degus taking exception to the feet of their owner. This has been mentioned a few times. The degu will squeak, tail will waggle, and they would start to stalk or attack the feet of their human. In one case, it was always the same foot that seemed to be the target. As I recall, we had to caution her to always have good foot wear on (she preferred bare feet in her home, but the attacks were getting more determined and she had been bitten), and to be very aware of where the degus were at all times so that she didn't accidentally step on one as she moved. I don't actually recall how that turned out, but I assume that it must have calmed down, or I'm sure we would have heard more. It seems to be a temporary phase (weeks to months) that some degus go through and each time I have felt that it is a dominance thing.

If I were to give you a caution, it would be just be very cognizant of the cues your degu is giving. When the feelings within are so intense, sometimes even though it may be great pleasure they are feeling, they kind of become overwhelmed by it all and lash out. That is not to say that your little one will do that, but . . . maybe having a light towel near by that you can quickly drop over top of him if you feel that things are taking a turn. That will help to defuse his agitation and allow you time to do what you feel is needed for his protection and for yours.

[s]

Aug 19, 2021 14:55:55 GMT bouncy said:

Does the squeak sound like a bark? You may even notice his ears flatten as he barks.

The sound is really interesting! It's not like a bark. It's very quiet and constant like a high-pitched buzz. It sounds like a machine almost.

It's a bit difficult to video because it happens very occasionally and only for a few seconds. But from my standpoint it doesn't seem aggressive at all - he holds onto my hand but without a strong grip, and he bites softly. We play a lot using my hand and wiggling fingers because he seems to like if and makes pirupiru sounds. He generally has a very relaxed and gentle disposition. I'll take care it doesn't escalate though and maybe not encourage tail-wiggling mode!

[teemu]

I think I know what you mean. Is it like a sound that a small bird might make? Like the number 6 sound, "Chitter", here: www.degutopia.co.uk/degusound.htm

That sound is a social sound that's used to signal playfulness and/or that the degu is trying to be friendly, so it's in that sense a very good sound. I think from your description that your degu considers you a playmate and/or another member of the pack when you're playing with him. Degus often make that kind of a noise when they're playing with each other.

I'm not sure about the way he switches, but he's still younger, so it could be that he sometimes starts to think that he should try to dominate you (and your hand) during the playtime. How do you usually play with him? Degus can very touchy about personal space and very particular about how they're touched. Wiggling your fingers at him might make him think you're another degu that's trying to "box" with him (standing on two legs and slapping the other degu), which is something that degus do to establish dominance. However, it's probably fine if you do it gently and don't chase him or otherwise make it feel like he's being challenged.

From your overall description, it's likely that your degu is very bonded to you and responds to you like another degu, so he can get carried away during play and think you're doing something other than what you're actually doing. But this should be fine as long as you carefully watch his reactions and adjust, like you say you're doing. If he seems to start wiggling his tail or otherwise pushing or slapping your hand a lot, take a break from the playing and try to carefully extend a finger and scratch his chin and chest area. Degus often like this a lot, and they do it to each other to socialize. It's a sign that they're friends and want to groom each other