Just 2 little quick questions.

[xcasper17x]

Ok so i have 2 male degu's and their cage is a little small (medium hamster cage) so not much room for toys but i am making it bigger once i get the right stuff. The cage consists of a plastic exercise wheel, a plastic tube see saw a toilet paper tube stuffed with hay, a hanging toilet paper tube a food bowl and a mesh shelf they like to sleep on with a ladder going to it.

Here is my first question is it ok to put their ball (The ball they run around in when they are out of the cage) in their cage with hay inside. I have already done this but just asking if it is suitable. They seem to enjoy it and haven't tried to chew any of their plastic toys yet. They go inside the ball and hide themselves in the hay and mess around in it so is it ok to leave it in their for now until i sort a bigger and more entertaining cage out for them?

Second question is whats the smallest size a degu can fit through? I put them in a chinchilla cage and the bars were too far apart and one escaped but i found him eventually hiding under my wardrobe. So i put them in a cage that has squared mesh instead of single bars. But i want to add a bird cage on top of it and then add that to a wooden cabinet. The wooden cabinet will be fine but the bird cage has bars not squared mesh. I cant fit my thumb in past the middle knuckle width ways but i can if i put it in the thin way (If that makes sense) I was just wondering if that would be ok or would they escape? The chinchilla cage i put them in i can put my thumb in no problem. I'm only 18 and im not a big lad so my thumb isnt that big (I'd say an inch wide).

Any help would be alot of help to me as i am new to owning degu's. ;D

If i get replies today then i can start putting together my degu's bigger cage. I want to do this as soon as possible because i feel bad keeping them in this small cage

[NightwishRaven999]

Hello xcasper17x, welcome to the forum !

There is a lot to learn and keep in mind when it comes to degus. But the best way of learning is to ask questions.

The forum has put together a guide that is perfect for those who, like you, are new to the world of degu keeping.
It answers many of the questions you may have and deals on the most important matters of degu keeping.

Here is the link: octodondegus.weebly.com/ten-steps-to-keeping-happier-and-healthier-degus.html

I am sure you will find lots of helpul advice in the article.


About the running ball...these are not suitable for degus at all.
The fact that your degus run in them, means nothing at all since any movement on their part would bring the ball to start rolling around. Degus are in nature, claustrophobic. They often show signs of trauma and nervosity when in confined, cramped spaces.
The running balls you mention can contribute to a high level of stress in a degu and in some cases can even cause strokes.

It is important you refrain from using these.
As for placing this item in the cage, there is another issue.
It is not a good idea to use plastic accessories in the degu cage. Some plastics can cause severe health problems for the degus when ingested.

Even if your degus have not yet demonstrated an interest in chewing the plastic items...it will not be long until they do.
In small cages, where degus cannot adequatly spend their excess energy by running, they will seek out other ways to do so...notably by chewing and clawing to a greater extent than usual.
This would become problematic if plastic items are being kept in the cage.

You also mention a wire mesh level they like to nap on.
You may already be aware of this, but there is a condition that will sometimes affect degus that are forced to walk on bare mesh. It is called bumblefoot, a painful condition that causes severe inflamation in the feet and paws.
Although I doubt this could be a problem in your case, it would be a good idea to cover this level with cardboard or wood.

You will find many more useful tips and pointers in the link mentioned earlier.

As for degus fitting through cage bar spacing...I am guessing your degus are quite young. Could you provide us with their approx. age ?

There is simply so much to say, but I think reading the guide would be the best option for you at the moment. You will still have questions afterwards, but I feel it will be of great help to you and hopefully clear some of the doubts you may have on matters of caging, diet, etc...
I implore you to take some time to read through our guide.

Hope this helps

[xcasper17x]

Thanks for the reply i have removed the ball from the cage but i have left the plastic see saw in for now as one of my goo's loves going through it alot and it is pretty tough for them to chew threw at there age. Plus the packaging says it is suitable for them. As for their age i couldn't tell you. I would say they are about 6 month old if not younger they are about as long as my phone (Sony Ericsson Xperia X8) and about as fat as a cardboard toilet paper roll. As for you saying they are claustrophobic they are asleep under their wheel and that is about 3 - 4 inches off the bottom of their cage :/ and i dont mean to sound "Cocky" here but ....
"The fact that your degus run in them, means nothing at all since any movement on their part would bring the ball to start rolling around." Thats clearly obvious but it stops the dogs eating them :/ ... Also the ball is fairly large it could fit about 10 degu's in plus still have room for more probably. Would they really get claustrophobic in something that size? :S Plus they sell "Hide" boxes for degu's at pets at home and i have seen people posting pics of them in their "Hide" boxes so i dont think tbh that they are claustrophobic ... Again i dont intend to sound like an idiot but just going off what i've seen .... Thanks for your reply and thanks to that link I will have a look at that now



Oh wait! 1 more question is it really safe to give degu's tissue paper? I have seen pics on here with tissue paper in Degu's cages but wouldn't they chock on it or something? :/


EDIT: I do not have any cardboard to put on the mesh shelf but it is already fairly padded with hay so this will have to do until i add it to this cabinet in about 4 hours

[NightwishRaven999]

I just looked up the specs for this phone...your degus are indeed young if they are this size. Yes, degus love to sleep underneath protective items or objects such as wheels, wooden houses, huts and piles of hay.

In the wild, degus are predated upon by large birds. They do not like sleeping out in the open where they feel vulnerable. That is why they sleep under the wheel. It provides them with a sort of cover.

As for claustrophobia...this is not my own reasoning. This is observation based on experiences of owners who have been keeping degus for a very long time.
Many animals do not respond well to cramped environments. Some show fewer signs of trauma, but degus are not among these.

In the running ball, there is no opportunity to leave or to escape. The animal is forced to run and there is no other option. These balls also offer very poor ventilation, heating up very easily. Since degus do not sweat like we do, they are very sensitive to heat and humidity buildup. The combined effects of heat and stress from running inside an exercise ball could prove detrimental.

A hide box is indeed similar to a nest house or sleeping hut. The idea of this is to provide security. The degus go inside their "hiding boxes" for security...but unlike a small cage or a running ball, they can go in and out when they wish. The feeling of being confined is only experienced when one does not have the option to escape a cramped environment.

It is good that you speak your mind about these things instead of listening to everything you hear. This is the best way to get a good explanation and solid, well founded insight.

Yes, tissue paper is quite safe
The degus use these soft materials to nest and shred them with their teeth. They do not actually ingest them, so there is not danger of choking or suffocation.

[xcasper17x]

I knew about them not sweating and that they can hyperventilate easy so since i've had them i have always kept 1 door of the ball off so its like a wheel kind of .... and ohhh did you think i kept both doors on while it was in the cage? Lol sorry i didn't explain that ... 1 door was off so it was like a hide box for them but it was filled with hay. I took it out anyway just incase they chew it but i let the see saw in as it is pretty tough .... oh 1 more thing does that mean if i cant have plastic items then i need to get a new wheel? I spent nearly £40 on plastic items (wheel, see-saw, ball..etc) and now i cant use them? :/ Thats not good ... Well i will see how they go with the plastics for now but as soon as they start chewing i will take them out.

And ohhh i will start giving them tissue then. Do they use cardboard as a nesting item too? Or is that just for them to chew on?

[malteser60]

Hi xcasper, I think what NWR was saying is that the balls are not that great for degus to run in on the floor. Degu's are prey, and therefore they like being able to escape to a safe place, however they can't do that if they're in the ball running about on the floor. Also, hate to say it but a ball does nothing for a degu, might as well leave them in their cage running on the wheel. Degus like to explore and sniff things.

So, plastics mostly are a no no mainly as degus like destroying things and they may end up ingesting the plastic. If it's the really hard plastic with no jutting out bits it'll be ok. For example, the silent spinner wheels are the very hard plastic with no bits to break off. But the ball normally has the tabs to join the two halves together and they may decide to take a liking to them and chew them off. Believe me, when degus get it in their head to chew something, nothing will stop them!

Tissue paper is great, and the best paper you can get is the cheapest toilet paper around. The more expensive it is the stronger the weave is and this is not that good for the degus (think of the kitchen roll cleaning adverts of mopping up spilled liquids). So the cheapest toilet paper tears really easily and it's cheap.

Cardboard is both for chewing on and nesting, etc, as well as a boredom breaker.

Hope this helps.