Degus and other animals

[bopeuph]

I keep reading that degus can't get along with animals other than chinchillas or guinea pigs because of their diet. But I keep seeing pics and videos of such matches. We know that degus have much more strict dietary needs than many other pets. So my question is this:

If degus can get along with other animals, can those animals end up on the same diet as the degu? Such as a rat, gerbil, or a hamster; can they survive on a no-sugar diet?

Nick

[Erica]

Great question!

Does anyone know much about rats, gerbils or hamsters?

[aqh88]

All rodents can survive on a no-sugar diet and technically all rodents should be on a diet of very limited simple sugars. All rodents are prone to diabetes in differing amounts. That's not the problem. The problem is that while the degu requires a high fiber, low energy, low fat diet a gerbil or hamster requires a high energy, lower fiber diet. A degus diet should be high in grass, herbs, and vegetation with very few seeds, nuts, and grains and should consist of mainly hay. A gerbil or hamster should have a diet consisting mostly of seeds, nuts, and grains with few fresh foods to avoid diarhea and only small amounts to no hay. I've been told hamsters shouldn't have hay because it has caused damage to their cheek pouches. Rats I don't have much experience with but I believe aside from the above they are also more omnivorous and enjoy some animal products. Which hamsters and gerbils also benefit from the occasional cricket or mealworm. The diet of these animals is much more varied than a degu and includes some things degus should only eat in limited amounts if at all.

Aside from the dietary problems I do not think any species should be mixed unless you are going to keep at least 2 of each. Every species interacts differently and has different social standings. A guinea pig while it enjoys company does not groom or sleep with it's companions. They generally quite like their own space. A degu is the opposite and likes to be very close to it's cage mates with frequent grooming and sharing of houses and sleeping areas. The same problems arise when guinea pigs and rabbits are kept together. One is still going to feel lonely and ignored while the other is going to get annoyed with constant having the other in it's space and requrests to be groomed. Most animals should live in their own home with their own species and not be mixed except under extreme circumstances where there are no other animals of the same species. I've had to mix a duprasi(fat tailed gerbil) with dwarf hamsters because her sister died, she was too lonely to eat, and I couldn't get another in my area. While she was happier there were still communication and social issues and she would have been much happier if she had one of her own species. I also made sure there were 2 hamsters so they could interact properly since hamsters are more vocal and like to wrestle and rough house more than duprasis.