# Degus anyone?



## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

Hey all.
In a few months im gonna be getting some degus; I can't wait! I'm thinking of getting boys as that's what I cared for in the schools animal house and I loved those boys soo much. So as a first time degu owner, are boys a better choice than girls or would it make no difference?
I have the number of a local breeder who has great recommendations, but haven't contacted him just yet (I want to have my moving details sorted first). But in the other hand, two have been left in the pets at home adoption centre and when ou of curiosity I asked about them, with the saddest look the girl told me they very well may still be needing a home in a few months as they find rats and degus difficult to rehome. These boys are under a year old and seem really friendly although a little wary of new people handling them, butthe staff are doing a good job keeping them social and healthy. 
Must admit I do love my local [email protected]; they are pretty great.
Id go ahead and get these boys now if I had a cage as I'd be experienced enough for them- the thought of them being in the store for weeks or months genuinely upsets me, but I wouldn't be able to get them a huge cage until I move 

I hate keeping rodents alone, so will deffinately get at least two, but would 3 make a happier wee bunch? Their cage will be a good 5 storeys, so room isn't really a problem...


And finally, can y'all post pictures of your wee'uns for me to coo over for now!? And if you have pictures of their setups I'd appreciate a peek!

Thanks for getting through all that rambling btw


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

pretty please?


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## Geee (Jul 13, 2011)

Hey, I have two girls had them about 8months but still class myself as a beginner degu owner. I have learned loads about them but still learning. I use degutopia website a lot it is like a degu bible. 
As to your questions I'm not sure about boys vs girls situation. I think if bought together you should have a happy home but will always be that disagreement.


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## CKins (Oct 14, 2011)

Hi there *waves*

I have 4 of the little darlings. They live in pairs in 2 separate homemade wooden cages.

I would highly recommend them as pets. I absolutely love my little guys. I adopted my first pair from a family who no longer wanted them and then bought my second pair, a few months later, in a pet shop as they had been there ages in a tiny tank and I just couldn't bear to leave them there any longer.

All 4 of mine are boys, Dave, Jim, Stan and Nige. I've not got any experience with female goos but as I understand it there's not a huge difference between the personalities of males and females. If/when you do take some on be sure to sex them yourself as they are quite often sexed wrong and people end up with babies which is not ideal.

I would highly recommend adopting some if you can. I'm not a huge fan of breeders (no offence meant) as there are so many unwanted degus, and other pets, needing new homes, it seems a little irresponsible to breed yet more!

Here are some pictures of my gang and one of their cages.

Stan and Nige having a cuddle









Jim in his coconut house









This is the first cage we made, I have a different wheel in there now and no ladders as the boys were rather insulted that I thought they needed them. The metal tray in the bottom slides out for ease of cleaning









Dave with a mohican









I've PM'd you as well


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

ohh, degu bible!? have to have a look!!!!

awwwwk, ain't your boys lovely :001_wub: and that last pic of Dave looks So like pringle- one of the animal house boys; his brother dorito used to clean him, but for some reason always backcombed his headhair!

that cage is pretty impressive- but i think id have to stick with buying one as if i was to attempt that it would probably fall appart on the 2nd day!

[email protected] seems to be the only petshop that sells degus- and i would rather not buy from them concidering their breeding methods (or what i understand their methods to be  ) so its rescue or private breeder... actually, i need to check with assisi shelter as i think they have a rodent house!

IF i was to go ahead and adopt those boys, would a smaller cage be ok for a while until i got them the 5teir?

oh, and re-reading my original post, i had meant Id go ahead and get these boys now if I had a cage as I'd be experienced enough for them- the thought of them being in the store for weeks or months genuinely upsets me, but I wouldn't be able to get them a huge cage until I move 
to say... Id go ahead and get these boys now if I had a cage if I'd be experienced enough for them- as the thought of them 
thoughts on that?
i rescued two rats a few years back as the kid had got bored; it took me months to get them healthy and happy- and since they had been living in a guineapig cage they couldnt climb for about 4 months after i put them in their new home.
thats another thing, the tank those boys are in now, there is only the one level with a shelter and one toy- surely bordom will drive them mad?!
argh, i dont know what to do! i wanna get them, but dont want to do it to make myself feel better but not be able to give them the Right care due to lack of knowhow!


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## Geee (Jul 13, 2011)

CKins your boys are lovely! I love it when mine lie on the hammock together all cuddled up, it's so cute.


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## CKins (Oct 14, 2011)

Thank you both! 

A smaller cage is OK for a very short time. Degus are pretty feisty little devils and can fight if they feel they don't have enough space. That is the main thing you need to make sure, when owning degus, is that they have a big enough cage!

One pair of mine had been separated (with a divide down the middle of the above cage) for about a year following a nasty fight. I have, at last, managed to get them back together, but they can be oh so stubborn.

I would definitely adopt the 2 boys over buying some degus elsewhere. I think it is so much more rewarding when you adopt. My first boys were veru nervous of me when I first got them, as they'd had 'fuss' forced on them by the young girls who owned them previously, but now they are very confident. Dave even lets me tickle him now and lifts up his little front leg so I can get to his belly, it's adorable. Like this...



Degus have been known to sometimes over groom each other through bordom, don't rush into getting them too much though, they will be OK, I know it's not ideal, but it's better to be fully prepared as they can be troublesom little devils and you want to be as ready for them as possible.

Hope that helps


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

nothing angers me more than people getting their kids pets when they can't understand their needs and wee personalities; then again, i spent almost my entire break and lunch in the animal house for the 2 years i was at that school- mostly so the other idiots (most older than me actually) from poking the chips (pringle and dorito) in the face... but they would come to the door to be let out for a cuddle whenever me and my friend waked in :001_wub: i miss those lil guys soo hard!

oh dont worry, i won't ever dream of getting any animal i wasnt ready for- granted, i could get them everything else pretty much now, its just that darn big expensive cage that'll take a while!!
i've been planning on having degus in my house for a good 10 years (since the chips) - but its only now that i'm gonna have My wee house, so the time is coming 

so, hypothetically speaking  if i was to get these 2 from [email protected] (assuming they are still when i'm ready), would it be doable to introduce another one or two at a later date? would the new ones have to be babies or could they be rehomes too?

years ago when i had my first pair of ratties, dante and louis, it broke my heart to see louis on his own after dante died of a brain tumour at only 2; at the time everyone convinced me that i couldnt get louis a companion without neutering him (something my vet wouldnt feel comfy doing) so he had another 3 years on his own. well, i say on his own, i know he loved me to bits, butn you could see he was depressed for months after dante died, and by god i'm not dealing with that ever again!


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## CKins (Oct 14, 2011)

kodakkuki said:


> so, hypothetically speaking  if i was to get these 2 from [email protected] (assuming they are still when i'm ready), would it be doable to introduce another one or two at a later date? would the new ones have to be babies or could they be rehomes too?


In theory, yes they could be introduced. It can be a very long and difficult task though and you have to be prepared if there are issues and they fight or just won't accept each other. Generally it is easier to introduce youg degus (approx 8 weeks) to adult degus but when they go through puberty (between 6 months and a year) the road can be rocky again.

I have owned my 4 degus for 2 years now (so am fairly experienced), I would dearly love to get the 4 of them to live together in harmony, but I don't want to upset the connection between the pairs and end up with separated goos again, so for now I am happy to have them in 2 pairs. I would advise you to approach introducing degus carefully.

It is lovely to see a pile of goos all snuggled up, and I hope my 4 will do it one day, but I'm not going to rush into anything.

They really do keep you on your toes, but they are so sweet and funny. I love the chattering noises they make, it's adorable!


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