Degus for MEEEE

[Deeliteful]

Next monday I am bringing home a pair of brother Degus. I know they are cousins of chins and require simular care. I have heard they can be mean and I have heard they can be sweet as chins. I was wondering if any of you have had experience with them. Maybe give me a few tips.

I am thinking of either naming them Fric & Frac . Or maybe Riff and Raff. I figure the names will come to me when I get to know them . I am so excited.

[Jo Ann]

   Depending on their personalities ... you may consider Dr. Jeckle and Mr.Hyde.       Jamie can tell you about her degus she had at one time.     

When my son was in the first grade, the teacher sent home a pair of female gerbils (they look similar to the degus) ... to make a long story short ... one was not a female and they multiplied to the point his whole class got to take home a gerbil in the second grade.     Gerbils are very sweet and family oriented ... each litter helps to raise the next litter and the male parent will turn his back to the female parent allowing her to pick up the end of his tail and swing it back and forth so the little ones can play 'jump rope'. 

Remember to post pictures of your new degus!

   Jo Ann

[chinclub]

Yep, someone gave me a pair of degus a few years back.  I took them in because I thought they were like chinchillas. Here is what I learned:

Degus are worse chewers so be sure your cage is ALL WIRE.  Don't try one of the chinchilla cages with the plastic bottom and wire sides and top.   A degu will chew out of that quickly. I felt certain that as long as they couldn't get to an edge it was fine.  Mine chewed a hole in the flat floor of a plastic bottom cage in less than a week and escaped.

Chinchillas tend to bite as a last resort and then they very seldom break skin.  Degus will bite and the first bite will be to the bone.  This means it will also do serious damage to you if it is not tame!!

If your degu does bite you, first encourage the wound to bleed a bit then disinfect VERY well!  Most people don't know that degus carry a bacteria in their mouth than can cause a very bad reaction in some people.  I didn't learn that until I was bit and it was terrible.  I didn't think I was ever going to get my finger normal again.  It took almost a year for it to heal completely.  I learned afterwards that my reation to the bite was minor.  I talked with degu owners on another forum and heard stories of entire arms swelling all the way to the shoulder from one bite on the finger.

Just be sure your guys are tame and use caution.

[Deeliteful]

The lady I am getting from has been handleing them regularly . I am hoping they are fairly tame when I get them home . I have seen how bad my rats can bite even though I have never been bitten myself. One bit my husband when He did something He shouldnt and one bit a friend of mine after we told him not to stick his finger in the cage. Both bites were to the bone.

I plan for the first few days to just let them settle in . I want to sit near the cage and talk to them and let them get use to me . I hear that the trick with the Degus is to let them come to you first . which I plan to do . I am investing in some thick gloves this weekend just in case. They are going into a 20 gallon aquarium with a wire topper which gives them another space that is the same size as the aquarium. This is temporary until I can get my hands on an all wire cage with a metal bottom.

The Degus people I spoke to today told me that will be fine for them for now . I am getting all kinds of chew things for them this weekend . Along with a new dust bath and fresh dust . Some food for them and some more hay. I just want them to get comfy and settle in.

I have heard also they are incredibly smart and that males once they reach sexual maturity will engage in a thing called stacking . Where they stack everything they can get their hands on in an attempt to attract a mate. I have a feeling these guys will be as facinating to watch as my rats and chins.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Well I can't wait to see pics and hear how they are. I don't think we have any here in Newfoundland.
Interesting

[Deeliteful]

I have them OMG they are so freaking cute . Today they were coming to me and taking sunflower seeds from My hand . Soon as I get my hands on a cam I will get pics.

[Deeliteful]

They are doing great. They like to jump up into My hands and sit there . They get sooooooo excited when they see the sun flowerseed container . They run to the door and hop around and twitter to me. I can handle them both pretty easily . They are named Frick and Frack for sure now . Frick has a little notch in his ear that frack doesnt have . So I can tell them apart pretty easily . Hubby still has problems lol .

I am still working on getting a cam for pictures.

[Jo Ann]

    Sounds like they are doing great!  I am glad the two you got are well mannered.     I think Jamie would have kept her if they had been that way. 

   Jo Ann