Degus

[Hakluyt]

Does anyone keep degus and can tell me about them? Ds wants some. He is 13 and an experienced and trustworthy small animal keeper.......

We don't have our own, but we looked after a pair from school for about four weeks during a school holiday.

They're lovely - very skittish and hard to catch, but once caught happy to eat a peanut and sit on a lap for a bit (though clearly often with an escape plan in mind). They had a sizeable cage with lots of ledges, bars, wheels and hidey holes, and they were fun to watch. Very active in the daytime (and at night until they had settled).

They have to have food with no sugar, but specialist food is easy enough to get, and if their cage has a wire floor they newspaper and wood shavings. I think they live about 6-7 years, and I seem to remember that there was advice about what temperature range they should be kept in. Pets At Home do a leaflet on them (I know, because we thought they were so nice that we considered getting some, but DD has opted for gerbils).

I've had degus for a few years now, and they really are lovely creatures.
A few things to take note of is that they'll need a fully metal cage, as they'll chew through wood or plastic in no time, and they must have an area in there that doesn't have wire on the ground.

They're happiest in packs, I got two, but apparently they start displaying pretty cool pack behaviour in bigger groups.

As Meh said, they do have special dietary requirements, but most pet shops have all the right stuff for them. Mine particularly like porridge oats and pizza crust

Their teeth are vicious, but they're not so it doesn't matter much, and don't be surprised if the top of their tail comes off!

I have a group of four and they're so much fun. They're not snuggly but they enjoy being handled and getting out for a run around in a safe area. Their diet is very specific - no fruit, low carb etc as they are prone to diabetes. They need lots of hay and a small amount of degu food. I feed mine a mix of dried plants and herbs, a variety of hays and some degu xtravital food. They have a liberta explorer cage with metal trays to replace the plastic ones that came with it.

If your son is responsible enough not to get bored in the 6-8 years they can live then go for it. Mine are around 4 now and still in their prime.

Other than the diabetes risk (which isn't a problem usually if they get the right diet) they are generally very healthy without the respiratory issues rats have etc.