cleaning their cage

[arielandmrsbrisby]

Hello my name is colleen and my 2 new degus names are Ariel and Mrs Brisby i just got them from a pet store a week and a half ago.and am learning about them still. My Question is..

When I clean their aquarium should I clean out their nest and them give them stuff to make a new one each week? They are both girls and I do not think they r pregnant. BUT time will tell.
(they were in a 10 gal aquarium with 4 other degus at the pet store)

I also wanted to ask if anyone knows of a place on web that i might be able to buy a aquarium topper cage that would fit my lg aquarium? THANK YOU for your reply

I have a 50 gal fish tank in it i have a 12 inch wheel, a nesting box/hut type thing, a ceramic shoe plant pot, a ramp i made out of a ceramic tile. and a lg can with a non sharp edge,and of course a food dish and water bottle. I used aspen wood chips and some recycled paper bedding.. (i put both in at a time cus the paper doesn't move as easy as the chips but they chew on the chips)

[Erica]

Welcome to the forum, Colleen!

Congrats on adding Ariel and Mrs. Brisby to your family.

When I clean their aquarium should I clean out their nest and them give them stuff to make a new one each week? They are both girls and I do not think they r pregnant. BUT time will tell.
(they were in a 10 gal aquarium with 4 other degus at the pet store).

If your degus seem to be relaxed and well adjusted you could clean their nest. They'll rebuild it over the next week. For my degus, I remove all of the bedding from their cages each cleaning. They seem to enjoy rebuilding their nest with new shavings and timothy hay!

However, if your degus seem unsettled then I suggest that you clean out most of the bedding but leave the nest for another week so that they have a familiar smelling, comfortable spot where they feel safe. Degus don't usually soil their nest so it's not urgent to change it right away.

[sarah]

Hi Colleen -- are you in the US? If so, check out Quality Cage Company in Portland, Oregon www.qualitycage.com/rat.html. We purchased our aquarium topper from them and it arrived very quickly.

We also clean the nest when we clean the cage every week. After we put them back in the cage they have a great time re-building it with ripped up cardboard and pieces of tissue.

Good luck!

Sarah

[Deguman]

Hi Colleen,

Welcome to Degu World. This is a marvelous place to chat and get advice.

My wife and I keep our Degu in a large tank as well. We use a variety of beddings. Mostly however we found that a sand layer with a thick hay and straw layer is very popular with Degus.

Unlike cages we are able to give the Degu's space and depth to dig and burrow. It does mean a little more time and care when cleaning but the result is well worth it.

You may want to check that your running wheel is of the solid type and not made from wire because Degu's have a tendency to trap their feet / tails between the wires which can lead to painful injuries.



[glow=red,2,300]Regards,
Deguman[/glow]

[sutherland]

i didnt now degus ruled i thought the queen did but you learn somthing new every day

should i put an emptie neat box in and leave them to build it them self if so what should i give them to build it with

fiona x