# Degus!



## Lexi-puppy (Jan 13, 2008)

hiya i'm just wondring if we have any degu owners on this page!


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## BlackCat (Feb 17, 2008)

I used to own Degus!! Do you have any? They are fantastic little creatures and I really miss mine.


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## Lexi-puppy (Jan 13, 2008)

yeah he has a catarc now he's five and he's so friendly and loves to play!


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## ockers77 (Feb 20, 2008)

Lexi-puppy said:


> hiya i'm just wondring if we have any degu owners on this page!


Hi, Just joined today. I have two three year old girls (Jana and Anna)
They are great fun and a little bit of a handfull.


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## Lexi-puppy (Jan 13, 2008)

well wlecome to pet forums!!! mines a handful i only have the one though because the rest of the litter used to bully him so he lives by hisself but hes a really happy degu!


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## Guest (Feb 21, 2008)

Have you got pictures please peepz


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## Lexi-puppy (Jan 13, 2008)

yep that's right but my 3 squishies (rats!) are much bigger than him. my degu actually reminds me of a squillrel


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## cavy_gal (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't own them but my girlfriend does! One little girl called Willow and three boys, called Pippin, Poppin and Squeaker (I believe! As they can't tell them apart very well anyway )

Funny story I could tell you about, its rather rude too though  When I was at my girlfriend's house, sleeping over for a few weeks, we were all in the living room chatting. Her boy's degu cage was beside the living room door in the kitchen and her dad was standing beside that door, which the chair I was sat in is. Anyway! We were chatting and all of a sudden my girlfriend calls out in the room "put your willy away!" and because her dad was standing beside me and she was looking straight at him, I thought she was talking to her dad! lol! I was so shocked I spun round and noticed one of the degu boys was cleaning his willy and we all burst out laughing! lol! There's definately NO mistaking which is which gender! lol!


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## ilovemypiggies (Apr 12, 2008)

ive never seen them in pet shops round here, just at rabbit and cavy shows.
how big should there cage be? are they slightly bigger than hamsters?


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## xXhayleyroxX (Apr 18, 2008)

hi im new and iv just seen this 

i have 5 boy degus and 2 girls 

if anyone lives in the north east of england i can give you the address of the supplier i got mine from - 
Whitehouse Farm 

they need a chinchilla cage, and also they can be housed with chinchillasd mice which is where i keep mine

xxxx

ill post piccys of them wen they wer babys and wot they look like now if anyone wants to see them


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## xXhayleyroxX (Apr 18, 2008)

heres the pics :
baby degu - 









incase u cnt see iv put a link to the picture in -

baby degu - Image - TinyPic - Share the Experience!

adult degu -










adult degu - Image - TinyPic - Share the Experience!


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## louiseddb (Jan 31, 2008)

Hi im looking for some degu same sex pair, not bothered about the sex but any info on differences in sex? I have had rats for quite a few years and i would like something that lives a little longer. 2 died recently and i was very sad, i have researched them abit, just not sure whether to get them from pets at home or not would prefer babies and from a breeder. Heard there are many in rescues too. Id like to get as much info before i get them. 

Thanks Louise


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## xXhayleyroxX (Apr 18, 2008)

no problem i can give you info 

personality wise boys r friendlier, while the girls r more inquisitive. they prefer living in large groups, so id buy at least 2 or more degus. There are a lot of degus in rescue places looking for homes so id suggest u give a degu from there a second chance. Petshops and small petfarms also sell them, it doesn't really matter where you get them from, but they r treated differently, so cruelty could be an issue. 
they r a lot more noisier than rats as they love to sing (yes sing) lol 
thr maybe not as tame as rats, as rats love compainionship while a degu would rather explore.

if you need more info or advice just ask xxxxxx


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## Jaynie99 (Apr 25, 2008)

Can you really keep them with Chinchillas? But Degus are day active & Chins are nocturnal - how does that work?


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## xXhayleyroxX (Apr 18, 2008)

yeah sure u can 

depending on the noise level of ur house or how much u interact with them (in our house a lot), they will go to sleep the same time as u. If the chinchillas realise they cnt get muc sleep during the day they'll go to sleep at night or the degus vice versa.
they get on well together actually, i also keep mice with them but with mice u have to be carfel as some chinchillas dnt like them, or if a mouse is having babys i would suggest moving her for a while as the degu will eat the babys, which i found out the hard way.


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## lindylou (Oct 2, 2008)

Hi I bought 2 boy Degus for my sons a week ago. 1 is very nervous and the other is nipping very hard. Can anyone help me solve this please


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## xXhayleyroxX (Apr 18, 2008)

lindylou said:


> Hi I bought 2 boy Degus for my sons a week ago. 1 is very nervous and the other is nipping very hard. Can anyone help me solve this please


try opening the cage door and putting a peice of food on your palm or feeding them a treat, this will show them that you provide them with tasty food, meaning they will start to trust you more, after a while they'll start coming up to the door and getting more tamer
its a waiting game really, they just have to learn to trust you 
xxxxxxxxxxxx


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## shaz38 (Oct 5, 2008)

I just joined this forum today. I have two male Degus, they are so cute. They are 5 years old. It is nice to 'talk' to people who know what they are! One of mine bit me a couple of years ago and when I tried to tell the doctor what it was he had no idea! (had to go to docs as quite a deep bite! I did get the degu to the vet first though as the reason I was trying to catch him was because he had a small wound on his chest. He was fine, I was the one left with the problem!) Wouldn't be without them though - these things happen.


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## xXhayleyroxX (Apr 18, 2008)

shaz38 said:


> I just joined this forum today. I have two male Degus, they are so cute. They are 5 years old. It is nice to 'talk' to people who know what they are! One of mine bit me a couple of years ago and when I tried to tell the doctor what it was he had no idea! (had to go to docs as quite a deep bite! I did get the degu to the vet first though as the reason I was trying to catch him was because he had a small wound on his chest. He was fine, I was the one left with the problem!) Wouldn't be without them though - these things happen.


hehe they're beautiful aren't they XD
mine are currently snoozing in the hammack with the chinchillas hehe
i love how they sing and talk to each other and wag their tails XD


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## Cat2881 (Oct 19, 2008)

Can someone please help. We adopted 2 male Degu's from Pets at Home last month.

Unfortunatly tonight while we were cleaning their home, one escaped and my kitten caught it.

My husband manage to rescue the degu but it died a few moments later, probably from shock.

My 5 year old was really upset and now i am worried that the other one will fret being on his own.

Does anyone know of any breeders or who will sell one on its own. We live in the North East of UK. Any replies are really appreciated.


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## xXhayleyroxX (Apr 18, 2008)

umm pets at home again, i've seen babies in there yesterday 
you live near me actually haha
or whitehouse farm 

im sorry to say though, that if you dont get another one it probabaly will die, they live in groups 
xxx


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## Guest (Oct 20, 2008)

i used to own degus 10yrs ago when u didnt see many over ere. the last one i had did live on its own for about 3yrs till she died of old age. they are cute lil guysbut watch those tails, they're very delicate.


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## Cat2881 (Oct 19, 2008)

Do you have the details for whitehouse farm? Thanx x


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## nicola12 (Oct 20, 2008)

hi all ive joined the forum today,ive got 2 young male degu's called kevin and perry,they are great to watch but astill not sure about me


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## xXhayleyroxX (Apr 18, 2008)

Cat2881 said:


> Do you have the details for whitehouse farm? Thanx x


they sometimes have them there, well every time i've been they have XD
don't kill me if they dont 

telephone: 01670 789113
The Whitehouse Farm Centre, 11, Stannington, Morpeth , NE61 6AW



oh and nice to see other with with degus on the forum 
xxxx


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## jackdaniels007 (Nov 15, 2008)

Ok. I have kept degus for a long time now all together I have 12 degus and 2 chinchillas. I rehomed a pair of chinchillas and 4 degus at the beginning of this year. They happily share a cage together (well what I mean is they don't fight). This is the worst possible thing that you can do to 2 completely different animals. 

Yes you was right about chins are nocturnal and degus are the opposite. Yet again I found this statement untrue until you actually keep both animals together you won't know. 
Degus do not sleep for long periods of time they cat nap.
Unlike I find the chinchillas sleep all day only to wake up for a bit of food and straight back to sleep. 

I have tried many different methods to try and make things work a wheel permently in the cage is ment to help but again it doesn't work.

thats enough moaning for one day


What does everyone feed their degus?


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## shaz38 (Oct 5, 2008)

I was advised to feed mine Guinea Pig food when I got them as this has the right nutrients that Degus require. (Other rodent/small animal feed does not). As they are diabeteic you have to be careful what treats you feed them but mine enjoy peanuts and the VERY occasional sultana or raisin. (I have had them for nearly 6 years and they seem to be okay with this diet). They also munch on hay a little bit.

Ofcourse, you can buy Degu food but it is not that easy to get hold of and is quite expensive compared to Guinea Pig food. 

Thier favorite thing is a dust bath in chinchalla sand, they love this and it keeps their fur and skin in good condition.

Bless them!

Take care.


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## jackdaniels007 (Nov 15, 2008)

chinchilla pellets are also fine.

I feed my degus...

Chinchilla pellets, JR farm Degu special, and any other JR farm products from zooplus. Timothy hay and grass

Treats... (everyday-1 a month)
Nuts with shells (monkey nuts/walnuts + hazelnuts)
A small piece of apple (the size of a rice rice pop( (cereal)
weetabix
rice krispies
Seeds (sunflower seeds, hemp seeds mainly)
broccoli
dried carrot
lettuce
dandelion
rose pettles
alfalfa

I could go on all day


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## shaz38 (Oct 5, 2008)

Oh yes, sunflower seeds, I forgot. They love those!

I tried mine with a little bit of apple but they were not keen, each to their own I guess. I will try some of the other foods you mentioned, that is very useful to know.

Take care :thumbup:


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## jackdaniels007 (Nov 15, 2008)

same mine turn their noses up at apple unless its dry.

chinchillas2shop.co.uk do some great stuff for chinchillas and degus currently out of dried apple until next season but still they have loads of other great products to offer. Also check out their toys (tubes/vine balls) are great by degus and chinchillas go nuts for them  .

Anything else you would like to know have concerns about we are very helpful over at Degu and Chinchilla World - Home


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## shaz38 (Oct 5, 2008)

Sounds worth a look. Thanks for that advice. Will take a peep now I think!


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## deguowner (Sep 18, 2012)

Lexi-puppy said:


> hiya i'm just wondring if we have any degu owners on this page!


heyy i have 2 degus


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## bluedreamer (Oct 19, 2012)

I have 2 degus too, Lunjo & Nika. Here are some pics of their "cage".


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## Cyrilcat1998 (Oct 28, 2012)

New to this site but i have 3 baby girls who i picked up yesterday! Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles named afetr the PowerPuff Girls


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## Kelly2608 (Apr 19, 2012)

I have 2 boys! They are called Button and Hamilton (big f1 fans and they are quick little things)!  they are very friendly and enjoy our company


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