# Adoption of baby degus



## samamamia (Jul 1, 2009)

Hi, I am looking to adopt a couple of baby degus. The ones at our local pets at home are about 17-18 weeks old. Is this too old for them to be easy to tame? I have never kept degus before so would like some advice as to whether I would be better off buying from a breeder or shop and where is the best place in Kent Deal, Dover, Thanet area. 
Also, I don't have the cage yet but I am looking at the John Hopewell 60" 2 tier cage. Would everyone recommend this one?
Thanks. Sam.


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## CharleyRogan (Feb 20, 2009)

Not sure where to buy as I live in Lacashire/Merseyside!

Yeah that age would be fine but you will have have more patience with them! They don't tame overnight, but you should be able to tame them in a little while.

Do you have a piccy of the cage?


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## samamamia (Jul 1, 2009)

Hi Charlie,
If you look at John Hopewell (Marketing) Rotherham South Yorkshire, Chinchilla Cages - Degu Cage - Degus Exercise Wheels - Cages - Animal Cages - Rat Cage - Ezi-Filla - Ezi - Easy - Automatic Water Drinking Systems - Guinea Pig Runs - Rabbit Feed Hoppers - Birds -  it is the 24x18x60" degu cage.
Sam


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## CharleyRogan (Feb 20, 2009)

I think that looks great! Will have to check about the barred floors though, not sure bout degus but other rodents shouldn't be in barred floored cages, easily sorted though with a bit of lino, and can wipe it clean for ease.


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## samamamia (Jul 1, 2009)

Thanks for your help.
The base is solid metal but there is wire underneath that, just to contain the degus while they are being cleaned out. So the majority of the time they will have the solid base. 
What would you say is the best age to adopt degus? Would I be better off buying from a breeder rather than pets at home?


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## CharleyRogan (Feb 20, 2009)

As young as you can get them, [email protected] wouldn't be my first choice, I' look round for breeders on the net first - these degus will be tamer than a pet shop, then if not then go [email protected]

They are notoriously bad for sexing their animals, so ask them to show you when you get them


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## samamamia (Jul 1, 2009)

Thanks Charley.


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## Jenne (Jul 3, 2009)

Hi, 

We've had degus for 3.5 years now, and they make great pets as long as you know how to look after them. We have a John Hopewell degu cage for our boys and it's fantastic. We had ours customised so that we can have a big (40x40x40cm) fish tank in the bottom which is full of hay for them to nest in - our cage is 60x30x18in, and has 2 levels above the base (which does not have the wire insert but has a deep, removable tray), one halfway up and one 3/4. We also have a very large door in the front to put the tank in and out of, but the rest of the spec is the usual. There may be some photos of it in the customised section of the JH website. 

We've had the cage 18months now, and are very pleased with it, as are the boys. When we got the new babies, we just separated them off in the top layer and they could all sniff each other and get to know each other before being put in together (which passed off without a hitch when we did it in the bath a couple of weeks later) Our top tip would be to go to IKEA and get their plastic drawer liner, which we use to line the levels. One roll does two levels, so get a couple of rolls (maybe £5 all-in?) to have a spare set when you clean them out! It's dead easy to clean, and saves them from bumblefoot.

Finding good degu wheels can be tricky, but we swear by the large 'Silent Spinner' - it fits into our cage, and does exactly what it says on the tin, although we take it out at night to keep the boys diurnal. It's not cheap, but it's a lot cheaper than several poor quality ones.

As for where to get degus from, I've heard a lot of bad things about [email protected] I think they sound a bit old to tame fully, although we've always been very lucky with ours. There are often degus looking to be rescued when inadvertent litters occur, have a look around your local pet rescues. Degutopia is a great website which has a yahoo group where they list animals needing a home too. 

I hope this is helpful, let us know how you get on!

Jenne


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## samamamia (Jul 1, 2009)

Thank you so much.
That is a big help.
I will check out that website and let you know how I get on.
Thanks again.
Sam


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## Neza (Nov 21, 2008)

If and when you get them, pics please. I love Degus.


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