Does anyone have pet Degu's?

Evie82

I am animal mad and have 3 well loved and cared for Guinea pigs.

My daughter is very active with them, however they are essentially my pets.
She has expressed an interest in having a small pet for some time and we did consider a Hamster. However after a few visits to a local pet center the whole family has fallen in love with the Degu's. For anyone who doesnt know, a Degu is like a large gerbil in looks.

Does anyone here actually own a Degu or 2 and have any advice at all as to suitability as a pet for a family?

We have asked lots of questions at the centre and have lots of information however I would really like to speak to an owner. I would like to hear what set up they have, how many Degu's they have, if they handle them and how active etc they are.

penguin83

Hi Evie

I admit I had never heard of Degus before and had to Google it!

I found this site though - dont know if its any good to you.

x x x

Jellicat

I have cared for degus in thepast though not kept them myself. They need very large cages and lots of and lots of stimulation and exercise. If raised from young by hand, they will be used to people but they are not really a cuddly, friendly pet, and it takes work to make and keep them at being any degree of tame. I guess it depends what your daughter wants in a pet. If she wants something she can cuddle and handle, maybe not the best choice (although I suppose she has the piggies for that anyhow) but they are great fun to watch!

ydraiggoch73

I have a pair of male degus!
Fire away with the questions or pm me if you like, I would be happy to help!

SuziK_2

A friend of mine bought 4 or 6 I can't remember as she had read how social they are with their own kind. She was assured they were all the same sex but guess what?
30 odd Degus later and a huge vets bill to get the little boy ones neutered just in case of further 'accidents'. All were fine by the way.
She gave some to a local animal sanctuary who adore them but she still has the rest and this is 7 years on. They have an absolutely huge cage and do prefer the company of their own kind.
This is all one step removed info as they are not mine remember, sounds like ydraiggoch will be your best help. Good luck!

gennah83

I had to Degus and kept them in a chinchilla cage from pets at home. you can keep them in a metal cage, but they must have wooden platforms to stand on, as they can get bumble foot if not.
They also like to have sand baths, I used to keep a porcelain dog bowl in their cage with some proper chinchilla sand for them to roll in.
I used to be able to handle mine very well. I would just open the door, and they'd hop onto my hand.
I would def recommend having them, unless she realy does want a pet to sit and cuddle all day.

sodamnfunky

We had a pair of degus, and they were great fun, would feed from your hand, and know exactly when feeding time was. Would have kept them, BUT when they urinate, they do it anywhere, which meant it was out the cage and against the living room wall, so we had to sell them.

kr15snw

They are great fun but not cuddly in the slightest, they are naturally nuts and run around a lot.

You dont say how old your daughter is, but I wouldnt reccomend them to anyone under the age of 10 (unless she is mature) as she probably wont be able to give them a kiss and a cuddle.

Chaos_Theory_3

I have 2 degus if you want to ask any questions.

Although straight away I would say they aren't good pets if you like feeding treats a lot. There are so many foods they can't have that you have to be aware of what you are feeding, and how often.

ETA my 2 are in a chinchilla cage and have 2 shelves, a nesting box (which they ignore except to gnaw on), a hammock and cargo net as well as many toys on the floor. The whole set up, not including animals, probably cost £150.

hayden

hi -i had degus. individual characters but both would come onto anybody's hand. they lived in 4 by 2 fish tank with bits of wood to destroy and a couple of wooden ladders to climb out. The main problem at tank cleaning time was remembering to leave a little of their 'stash' behind. kids found out that they loved chocolate and jelly beans -which became an occasional treat. They are very active, inquisitive and friendly, best in pairs.

Although their diet should be limited - they were fed just about everything -died when they were nearly 8yo. sadly missed