# Degus or Rats? which one for me?



## andypandy11

Hey there,

I currently have a gerbil, I had 2 but one has sadly passed on. I'm now looking into which type of rodent I'd like to look after next.

I love the way my gerbils look and the way they move, but as I got them from a rescue centre they aren't very tame, they would eat off my hand and stuff inside the cage but outside they simply wanted to get away.

So now i'm looking for some pets that are a bit more intelligent and that I can build a kind of relationship with and be able to pet and have sit still every once in a while.

I love the look of degus but I have no idea how they act with humans. Are they likely to enjoy being stroked and handled without trying to get away and explore all the time? Is there differences between males and females in terms of temperment?

I've been reading a lot about rats and I think they are definetly the kind of personalities that would suit me, with the lazy boys who like a good nap on their owner and a stroke or two. But the size of two males and the cage they'd need seems like maybe too much of a step up from two little, easy gerbils.

What differences would i see in keeping a single rat or two rats in terms of their willingness to interract with me?

Can anyone sway me to get either rats or degus?

Also does anyone know of any good rat or degu breeders in Wiltshire?

Sorry for the long post! I appreciate any help and words of wisdom that come my way

Thanks

Andy


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## Guest

Hi Andy and welcome to the forums. Im not an expert on either but I'll pass on what I do know.

Rats and degus alike are both alot happier when kept in same sex groups, especially degus who are supposed to have a longer life span when kept in a group than on their own.

If you want interaction a rat would probably suit you better as degu are very inquistive and will be off like a shot to explore anything in their sight, this might be you to sometimes but not always!

Another thing with degu is where you'e going to home them, normal plastic based cages are a no-no as they will chew straight through. An aquarium or full wire cage are the best options.

Both rats and degus are highly intelligent so need lots of things in their home for stimulation, multi-levels, tubes, things to chew on and play with. 

Also degus cannot tolerate any suger so you have to be particularly careful with their diet and the treats you give.

I can't think of anything else at the moment but hope that helps you a bit, i'm sure you'll find someone on here who can give you more info.


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## MrsNik

Never had a degu but I adore my rats!! I have five females in a cage and all of them are friendly (well one hates me but loves my husband lol). They are all tame and just so lovely. You can tell what they are feeling, they will play with you and eat from your hands and lick you and....I just love them!!

At the moment I have a single rat, but only because his brother passed away at the weekend and he really is very old and set in his way and wont accept any newcomers (hes a right grump!!!). But I would have to say if you get rats get at least two of the same sex and from a breeder. Rats from pet shops take a lot longer to settle in because they are not very tame. I have both pet shop rats and breeder rats and have to say I noticed the difference, Its also important to look into proper feeding for them because commerical rat food is pretty much full of junk and not very good for them. I feed mine on dog kibble, rabbit food, dry pasta twists and shredded wheat!!

Males are definatly the most affectionate and lazy lol. I used to have one a while back who went everywhere with me in an old denim handbag! He would sleep on my shoulder, sit on my computer desk, everything. Also rats make excellent pets for children if you have any or any visit. 

I will stop praising them now lol. Good luck with your choice and I hope you find the right pet for you!


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## griffpan

Hi there
We fostered degu for a short time and also rats for longer periods.

I would always go for rats. I found them to be more laid back than degu and also easier to handle and tame. 

Good luck with your decision


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## andypandy11

Thanks everyone for all the advice!
I've been posting on a few forums and everyone keeps saying rats rats rats! So they are looking to be the right choice, possibly not as cute as degu, but their personalities and interraction definetly seem to be what I'm after!

Does anyone know any good breeders in/near wiltshire?

Does anyone know how to convince a person "scared of tails" how not to be?hehe 

what are people's views on castration and do you know how much it costs? I'm quite precautionary and would prefer to get it done when they're younger and aparently safer, than wait to find out if they will become aggressive etc! Is it a risky operation? is it painfull for the little guys?

Thanks


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## juliecambridge

Hi I had a tail phobia but I soon got used to my ratties tail.
Rats make fantastic pets but make sure you get a boy as females are prone to tumors. After one operation to have atumor removed my rat developed another within two months and had to be put down.


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## Guest

Think I'm gonna get a couple of rats once we have the house all sorted out. The misses won't be too pleased!!!


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## tj1980

if u want 2 castrate ur rats ring round vets in ur area as some will give u a discount if u get more than 1 rat castrated at a time i live in brighton and a vet quoted me £13 each as i have 8 male rats hope this helps


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## spoiled_rat

with proper handling and care, the likelihood of them becoming agrressive is very small. i have 19 rats together in one huge cage, and 15 are unrelated, and all are very easy to handle and friendly.
www.fancyrats.co.uk is a good place for information and finding breeders


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## xxjackyxx

you can get a full list of registered rat breeders from National Fancy Rat Society


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## ilovemypiggies

we have 3 male rats and there so loving, comicle and clever etc
they do pong abit if not cleaned out after 3 days.
ours come to us when out playing if you call their names


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## spoiled_rat

hiya, i have 19 rats who only start smelling a little after a week, what substrate do you use out of curiosity?


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## ilovemypiggies

im using the wood based cat litter
omg 19 rats


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## xxjackyxx

i have a few more than 19 and when i switched to bedmax i trialled on cage with 7 bucks in - they were ponging abit after 2 weeks.

They do get cleaned out weekly i hasten to add i was just testing the bedmax lol


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## spoiled_rat

in regards to wood based litter, prob why they are smelling after that amount of time lol, plus it isnt nice for rat lungs or liver either. best substrate ive found between 40 rats and a rodent room is megazorb. after that its vetbed with daily poo pickings up to replace the substrate, vetbed as a cage substrate replaceent is great!


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## xXhayleyroxX

i can give you a good opinion as i have both 

degus r simply giant gerbils but slightly more tame
rats are very friendly and love human companionship

and so id suggest either!!

if u liked ur gerbils go for degus
if ur looking for something tamer then rats 

hope tht helped

xxxx


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## andypandy11

Thanks for everyone's help, I do love my gerbils as they're really cute, but I definetly want something much tamer, so as pretty as degu's are, I think the rats are going to win a new home!


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## xxjackyxx

spoiled_rat said:


> in regards to wood based litter, prob why they are smelling after that amount of time lol, plus it isnt nice for rat lungs or liver either. best substrate ive found between 40 rats and a rodent room is megazorb. after that its vetbed with daily poo pickings up to replace the substrate, vetbed as a cage substrate replaceent is great!


i found megazorb very messy and extreemely dusty - it also stank. There is no conclusive up to date proof that wood shavings causes any damage to rats/rodents. PLease remember when most of the tests were done many years ago, rats were mostly kept in tanks with little ventillation.

You can't beat friendly rats as pets - but then i do have a gerbil phobia so im probably biased against the degu lol


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## spoiled_rat

true in terms of research, but im just going off experience. 
plus shavings/sawdust irritate my lungs ans set off my asthma within the first 5 minutes of messng with it, i wouldnt really like to live on it 24/7 being a rat or other small animal, breathing it in all the time.
my friend was always at the vets with her first 3 boys(i had the other 4 from the litter, kept on bedxcel then aubiose,then magazorb) and when she changed from shavings(she used them for her gerbils too) to bedxcel(cardboard squares) and since then has only had a flare up in one of the boys in over a year.
i can only go on what ive seen and experienced.
megazorb is very messy, but in the last few months its changed, its in bigger pieces, and paler in colur with practically no odour or dust, alot of people have noticed it on here www.fancyrats.co.uk


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## xxjackyxx

substrate is very much a personal thing i think. It is what suites both you and your rats that counts. But i would never use sawdust! lol


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## xXhayleyroxX

xXhayleyroxX said:


> i can give you a good opinion as i have both
> 
> degus r simply giant gerbils but slightly more tame
> rats are very friendly and love human companionship
> 
> and so id suggest either!!
> 
> if u liked ur gerbils go for degus
> if ur looking for something tamer then rats
> 
> hope tht helped
> 
> xxxx


yeah degus r more noisy  so with the rats ull find a more loving and grateful pet, who doesnt make as much noise or mess lol


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## owen xo

Im not sure if i want rats or degu's, Thing is when i saw the rats at the shop, there tails are urgh but idk if id get over that - Do you think a degu(s) would suit be if i like fluffy cute animals, i already have gerbils and i adore them.


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## xXhayleyroxX

yeah if ur used to gerbils and you love them then they'll make excellent pets!
most people dnt get o rats tails so go for the degus - ther just giant gerbils 
lol ther funny wen they sing it sounds a bit like mousey - bird song lmao

xxxxxx

btw if anyone wants to know anything else about degus dnt hesitate to ask me


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## 16kdalby

andypandy11 said:


> Hey there,
> 
> I currently have a gerbil, I had 2 but one has sadly passed on. I'm now looking into which type of rodent I'd like to look after next.
> 
> I love the way my gerbils look and the way they move, but as I got them from a rescue centre they aren't very tame, they would eat off my hand and stuff inside the cage but outside they simply wanted to get away.
> 
> So now i'm looking for some pets that are a bit more intelligent and that I can build a kind of relationship with and be able to pet and have sit still every once in a while.
> 
> I love the look of degus but I have no idea how they act with humans. Are they likely to enjoy being stroked and handled without trying to get away and explore all the time? Is there differences between males and females in terms of temperment?
> 
> I've been reading a lot about rats and I think they are definetly the kind of personalities that would suit me, with the lazy boys who like a good nap on their owner and a stroke or two. But the size of two males and the cage they'd need seems like maybe too much of a step up from two little, easy gerbils.
> 
> What differences would i see in keeping a single rat or two rats in terms of their willingness to interract with me?
> 
> Can anyone sway me to get either rats or degus?
> 
> Also does anyone know of any good rat or degu breeders in Wiltshire?
> 
> Sorry for the long post! I appreciate any help and words of wisdom that come my way
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Andy


degus are great in temperament they need a cage of fairly substantial in size i believe slightly bigger than a rats they live for about 8-10 years with proper care and love to be stroked they are sociable but their bite is a lot more painfull than that of a rat i personaly think if you want a long commitment go for a degu however if you can't accommodate space some hamsters are fairly sociable i would suggest a winter white hamster


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## Deguslave

This thread is from 2008.


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