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Please use this buying guide when going to purchase your first degu.
Print it on paper and take with you as a reference
Enjoy your new degu
· Do all family members agree to have the degu as a pet? Their suitability for small children is very limited, as they don’t like to picked up and squeezed like small children usually do to small animals.
· Is there anyone in your household who could be allergic (degus, bedding, hay or anything else)? The lifespan of your degu will be about 4-6 years, sometimes even longer – a quite long time of responsibility.
· You will have to provide a cage appropriate to the species with a lot of opportunities to climb, gnaw and run. Your degus should live in the largest enclosure you can afford which means you need some money and room for housing. Once you have furnished the cage, running the cost of food and bedding is quite low
INFORMATION ABOUT DEGUS
The Degu looks like a cross between a small squirrel and a gerbil. They have fast become one of the most popular caged pets in the USA and UK but are relatively new here in Canada.
They make friendly and amusing pets but they do have some specific requirements. So, please make sure you can meet these requirements BEFORE buying your pet.
CHOOSING YOUR DEGU
It is important to select a Degu that is tame and allows you to handle it. The following are additional points to check for before making your purchase:
· Eyes - are clear and bright with no discharge
· Ears - are clean and dry with no discharge or dirt
· Skin - is smooth and healthy with no evidence of sores or dandruff
· Teeth - are aligned properly with the top sitting comfortably over the bottom set. If an adult, that they are bright orange in color.
· Vent - is clean and dry, not soiled or wet
· Movement - that the animal is active, alert, sociable and eating
Please double check the sexes of the degus you adopt! Of course, it is a matter of practice and experience but these criteria will help you to successfully sex your degus: As male degus have intra-abdominal testes you won’t find any scrotum to help determine the sex. Both sexes have a cone appendage that is not a sexual organ but is used for urinating only. On females the space between the anus and the urethral cone (mentioned above) is quite close together. It amounts to a few millimeters shaped only. On the male this space is normally about a centimeter apart showing a longitudinal skin fold (in young males it is not easy to see). On closer examination of the female you can find the vaginal entrance transversal below the urethral cone. The vaginal entrance is normally firmly closed, opening during mating season on.
Degus are very sociable animals that need the companionship and interactions of their own species. A Degu kept alone will quickly become bored and is likely to mutilate itself by pulling out its fur and chewing at its limbs. Two females will usually live quite happily together, but if you have a large enough cage there is no reason why two males that are littermates will not live peacefully together, providing there are no females in close proximity. You too will benefit from having two as you will be able to watch them tirelessly grooming and playing with each other.
FOOD
Degus are vegetarians and can be offered a wide variety of fresh foods: apples, pears, apricots, bananas, grapes, melon and strawberries. Do not feed too many fruits, as there is a danger of your Degu getting diabetes. Kale, spring greens, lettuce, carrots, cucumber and tomato's can be safely fed. Wild greens such as dandelion, grass, shepherds purse and grounsel are a few. Always remove uneaten fresh foods daily to prevent digestive upsets from eating rotten food. Seeds are a favorite too: sesame, sunflower and pumpkin.
Never feed sugary treat sticks such as those bought at a pet shop, they will only lead to obesity and diabetes. If you want to feed your pet treats he will like nothing better than the occasional rose petal and bite size shreddie (cereal).
Good quality fresh hay should always be available to your pet.
If your Degu receives the correct nutrition he will almost surely remain in good health and it will increase his longevity.
HOUSING
As already discussed Degus can be very destructive because of their natural need to gnaw and dig, this makes wooden and plastic cages unsuitable. The best cage is a multilayered metal cage. Your Degu will need lots of space to run, climb and jump so buy the biggest cage you can afford. An indoor aviary is absolutely ideal, but always fix the wire to the inside of the framework to prevent escapes.
Branches for climbing apparatus and gnawing blocks need to be provided, apple, willow, poplar and hazel are all safe to use but do be sure they have not been treated with any kind of chemicals. It is an inherent Degu behaviour to carry sticks and stack them at the entries to their burrows as an indication of territory and ownership.
TOYS
Your Degu will appreciate lots of toys to keep him amused: tunnels can be either plastic drainage pipes or the cardboard inserts from rolls of carpet at your local store. Ladders, ramps, nest boxes and balls will provide entertainment too. Cardboard boxes to hide in and chew can be given but make sure there is no glue, cellotape or staples that can hurt him.
An exercise wheel is a valuable addition to the cage, as it will provide hours of entertainment and exercise. The wheel should be of solid construction not the metal bar type that can trap a tail or limb. Solid wheels can be hard to find that are big enough for your pet so as a compromise weave a piece of cardboard through the bars to prevent him from becoming injured.
The base of the cage can be covered with wood shavings obtainable from your local pet shop.
Two heavy based dishes for feed will be required as will gravity fed water bottle with a metal protector.
Lastly, he will need daily use of a dust bath. A shallow heavy based bowl of sufficient size for your pet to roll in should be filled with 1cm of bathing sand. Bathing sand is available from all good pet shops but it is usually marketed for Chinchillas. The bath will keep his fur clean and in tiptop condition. Do not be alarmed if he urinates in his bath, as this is perfectly natural behaviour, he is marking his territory.
The cage, bowls, toys and bottle should be washed weekly and disinfected thoroughly monthly.
Please enjoy your degu
For further information go to:
www.degus.piczo.com
Or join a group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Deguscalgary/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/degumail
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