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Degu behaviour is very fascinating. They are intensely hyper sometimes and very tranquil at others. To some it may appear that they never sleep because they always seem to be on the go or ready to leap. They do sleep at night but have short sleep cycles which means that when they do fall asleep they wake up again only about 20 minutes later. While they will get a full nights sleep each night they tend to do it in lots of little bits. Humans also do this but our sleep cycles are much longer. They love to run around and climb and love getting into dark, warm places.
Degu’s are very social animals and need a lot of attention and someone to 'weep' at, so it is recommended to keep at least two degu’s. It is possible to keep just one degu, but a single degu will get diseases more easily and may get depressed they may also become more aggressive. If you still want to keep just one degu, or if you only can get one degu, be sure you give this single degu a lot of attention.
Because degu’s are a social animals, they rarely bite a person or another degu. Only when the degu feels threatened, will they occasionally bite. Usually, if they feel threatened or uncomfortable, they will give a large 'WEEP!'. Degu’s fear almost nothing, so protect them from cats, dogs, and vacuum cleaners. Degu’s are also very curious: they will try to taste and sniff at everything that is new to them.
Degu’s are very social with both people and each other. When they see each other they will almost always react in some sort of way. In most cases two male degu’s will not get along together and will fight. However there are some cases where two males may get along. If two males that are brothers who have been together since birth are kept in the same cage and there are no females within smelling distance then they should get along. Two males from separate litters may also get along also if no females can be seen or smelled etc. However if you do put two males in the same cage and they do fight then separate them as they will fight to the death in almost all cases if they are not stopped.
Female degus apparently will get along with each other. The females get along just fine and only seem to have small amounts of bickering over who is going to be the 'boss'. If a degu sees a person it recognizes it may react with a variety of sounds depending on it's mood. Don't be surprised if a degu jumps out of it's cage when it wants out and you have taken the lid off.
When you have degu's out it is important to keep a close watch on them at all times. They are very curious and are always exploring their environment. They can run very fast and because of their size it is easy for them to get away and get into things. Because of this you should never let a degu run free out of it's cage. When you pick them up it is best to let them step into your hand rather then simply grabbing them, grabbing can result in scarring them and you may end up getting bit.
Degu’s have a rather good memory. They definitely recognize sounds and they recognize voices. Degu’s are able to recognize their owners, and they behave more 'openly' to people they know. If a degu meets a stranger, they will behave very cautiously, and they will sniff at him, until they are sure the stranger isn't dangerous to them. They will, for example, remember a teasing person, so always behave politely to a degu. Be sure you never grab a degu by its tail, because the degu's defense mechanism will shed their tail from their body. A shed tail will never grow back.
Degus are avid nest builders. Apparently in the wild they spend a lot of making piles of twig. Status within the degu community is thought to depend on the size of their respective twig pile. In the absence of twigs let your degu collect paper tissues even Mardi gras beads (like mine do). Degu’s do not come from arid parts of the world like gerbils do. Therefore, they drink a lot more water. This in turn results in more pee and more smell but they are not as offensive as mice or rabbits Thus degu cages require cleaning out more frequently than gerbil cages. I clean my degu cage with four degu’s once a week.
