How to help a bereaved (depressed?) single degu

[Whichwhatnow]

Hi,

DH rescued a pair of degus when they were a couple of years old (before we met). Unfortunately they hadn't been socialised at all and the advice from the vet was that at this point it would basically be impossible. So, they have never been handled etc, but have always had each other for company and seemed perfectly content with their wheel and little hammock and chew toys to stimulate them.

Very sadly one of them died a few weeks ago - we assume just from old age (they are about 8 now). Since then his brother has seemed increasingly depressed. He no longer goes on his wheel and basically just sits in one spot in the cage when not eating. He won't chew his tows and ignored his sand bath when we put it in for him. Now today he's started obsessively eating his house (we have one of these pictured) - I've had to remove this as it's plastic so obviously not good for him!

I guess I'm asking for suggestions on how to stimulate him or just... I don't know... cheer him up?? We had a similar situation with our guinea pig pair a couple of years ago but because the remaining pig was socialised (and still very food focused!) we could at least handle her and keep her occupied with treats etc.

I know people will say to take him to the vets for a check up but I'm not sure how possible that is when he either makes a break for it or bites (hard!) at any attempt to pick him up...

Thanks for any help or suggestions!

They are social animals and have an absolute need to live in at a minimum pairs but preferably groups. Do you have a local small animal rescue or a degu Facebook group that might help - sounds like he needs an experienced pair of hands. We keep rats but it's really common for people to rehome the last one in this situation as they are usually miserable if kept alone, even if they are hugely social with humans they still would have the majority of time alone in a cage. If that's not possible then honestly I would make the decision to euthanase him. He is showing you how unhappy he is.

Thanks @Miloarmadillo2 - I've just joined a couple of FB rehoming groups. We really want to avoid putting the poor boy to sleep if possible so fingers crossed we can find a solution. It's horrible seeing him so unhappy 💔

I agree with trying to either find him an OAP degu friend or rehome him to someone looking for the same given how unhappy he is.
Do you think he would be a bit friendlier to you now he's alone? It might be worth slowly trying to interact with him a bit more. We are in a similar position with our remaining chinchilla, but we've found she has become more friendly since being on her own. She was never unfriendly as such before, just incredibly nervous and shy. She has become a lot bolder and will seek out attention. We've upped the amount of treats she gets (she is rather partial to blueberries) and tickles/strokes, and she seems to be doing OK. She is 17 and has been with us for 12 years, so in her case we won't be uprooting her to send her to a new home.

Get him a friend

I'd try to get him some friends or rehome him. Contact a few small animal shelters.
You really should have a plan in place for getting him to the vet should he ever need it. Thick gloves and a carry case would work.

Thanks all. We will look into getting him another friend to move in initially. I think DH would be quite upset at the thought of rehoming him at this point (the degus got him through some bad times) but ultimately the happiness of the degu is the most important thing.

@SkankingWombat we took the same approach re cuddles and food treats with our elderly guinea pig after her sister died, but unfortunately degus are prone to diabetes so have a highly restrictive diet - I'd love to treat him with some blueberries if I could!

Sadly I don't think getting him a friend would work. We were in exactly the same situation some years ago, and attempted to socialise our lonely degu with two young degus we bought only for this reason.
We introduced them individually, but there was hostility from both sides, which didn't lessen with time. Apparently degus only get on with degus they were brought up with. There was an online degu forum I accessed at the time with very knowledgeable people. If that's still going, you might get some advice there.
Our lonely degu was very friendly, so we spent as much time as possible with him (not easy with cats and dogs in the house!), and he seemed to do OK (i.e. not depressed).
After one of the younger degus died, we had the same scenario again, which was very sad. I therefore don't think degus are suited as pets, but I would rescue another lonely degu again if I had more time to spend with the animal.
Good luck, OP!