# Degu Questions?



## michael anderson (Mar 3, 2007)

Hi just got 2 female degus yesterday and wanted to ask a couple of questions: victory:

When i got them from pets at home yesterday they told me not to use sawdust and to use wood pellets(as thats what they use) But i have heard mixed things on internet. Some say dont use as they can kill the degus if eaten,Some say use sawdust and i have also read just use shredded paper. At moment i have them on wood pellets from pets at home is this okay or should i use something different?

Also what is a good treat to give the degus now and again?

also any other tips you could give me on looking after these would be great i do have a caresheet from pets at home but thought there might be some tips othere people have. Cheers Mike:2thumb:


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

I know they cant have raisins or anything sweet as they can get diabetes. I used to have them and kept them on shavings and paper. They used to sing like little warbling birds, sweet little things and very active.Always digging jumping and having sand baths


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## michael anderson (Mar 3, 2007)

Shell195 said:


> I know they cant have raisins or anything sweet as they can get diabetes. I used to have them and kept them on shavings and paper. They used to sing like little warbling birds, sweet little things and very active.Always digging jumping and having sand baths


Yeah they do sound like birds. I know about the diabities and not to give anything sweet thats why i wanted to know what i can give them as treats: victory: I would also like to know if pellets are allright to use as i got told not to use shavings as it makes them sneeze and wheeze.


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

the pellets are ok but you could probably use shredded paper or newspaper. degus have hay dont they?


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

degus need to be fed a specialised diet there can have chinchilla food, degu food of course and i think i read somewhere their can some rat foods, for treats mine get rosewood natural range what you can buy here Acrorats there also need lots of things to chew on as there love to gnaw, what cage do you have for them?
Clare


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## Harrison (Feb 29, 2008)

Pets @ Home are awful with their degus, they give the wrong info and use the wrong foods etc. Sure, they know what they are talking about for a lot of animals and products, but join any degu forum online and read horror story after horror story. Take anything they suggest with a pinch of salt. They've been caught providing the wrong foods plenty of times.

Here is a good site with a forum so you can ask questions! It has a good caresheet etc and lots of info about these gorgeous guys! Degu World-Home

Amazing animals, they deserve better than what [email protected] can do for them.


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

They are prone to diabetes, so watch their diet carefully. They also produce pretty potent, smelly urine that does stain things, so if you are using a wooden cage, make sure it's properly sealed. They are very active, intelligent and vocal. The first pair I ever had came to me as a rescue in a fishtank with woodshavings (similar to a gerbil setup). I changed them over to a chinchilla-style tall cage, with kitty litter, and the change in them was astounding. They went from being highly possessive over their wheel, and downright aggressive if you went near them, to being really loving, secure, handleable pets.

Mine had branches and shelves in their cage (photo at the end of this post), along with a nest box (half way up on the right, with access for them from below. The whole top lifted off for cleaning) that was filled with hay. As they got older one became less mobile, and the other would move the nest from the nest box down to the ground for it, so I started giving them a nest there. Both managed to use the whole cage right up until the day they died; one started using it less and less as she got older and stayed on the ground and the first shelf (the feeding shelf).

I don't know what the official line is with regards to wheels; when I got mine, the only continuity they had ever had was their wheel; they were very possessive over it, and were aggressive if you got too near to it, so I decided to leave it in their new cage as a bit of security. Once they had gotten used to the "new" way of things with me, they became far more tolerant of people and weren't so bothered about the wheel, although they did use it a lot. The enclosed shelf 2/3 up on the left was their sand bath; they used it pretty frequently.

One thing I found with mine was that they were both possessive over their food bowls, as well as their wheel. I don't know if this was due to them being rescues, but it ended up being easier to put two bowls in, and each had its own bowl that only it would use.

My two were pretty quirky little things (possibly due to their start in life...??), but were definitely amongst the most intelligent of rodents that I've ever worked with. I would have said they were more intelligent and showed a wider range of social interactions than rats etc, and were certainly right up there with chinchillas in terms of being demanding, and their problem-solving abilities.

This was their cage; 3' x 2' x 6', with a mesh front but solid sides to make them feel safer. As said, the difference in their personalities and general "secureness" was incredible when I gave them an adequately-sized cage, rather than the fishtank that they had been used to:










Andy


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## michael anderson (Mar 3, 2007)

The cage i have is this one:
Chinchilla and Degu Cage by Thickets House-Cages and stands-Pets At Home
I have wood pellets on floor with a nest(hay inside), A hay Rack,Water Bottle,Food Bowl,Tube And a couple of flavoured wood things too chew.
The food they have is Pets At Home guinea pig nuggets thats what they had been feeding them and told me to do the same.
I have dust and container for there dust baths, Also have mineral stone(but dont know if i should put block in or break it up?) and i have some vitamin supplement to go into there water once a week.


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## soozthecat (May 24, 2008)

Rats are definatly affected by wood shavings, a lot of people say it can have an effect on other rodents breathing and general health, so I'd go with something like yesterdays news, I started using it when I got my rats and now use it for all my rodents!


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## beddzyboy (Nov 21, 2007)

*hi*

Hi well i have had my degus for years on sawdust and they have all been fine including the 2 litters i had! They can not eat anything with sugar in as they are diabetic including things like banana. They do like carrot though! and mine go mad for fresh grass!


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## michael anderson (Mar 3, 2007)

you know with mineral stone do you just put the whole block in or do you break it up? Also how long do you leave in cage for? And one more question how often do you change dust in the dust bath I have my bath filled about 2" in depth and put it in cage for 30mins-1 hour everyday. Cheers Mike: victory:


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## animal addict (Jun 1, 2008)

hi, I have just rescued 2 male 10 month old degu's that were going to be homeless!!! They are on wood pellets and as far as I can gather they havew been for the last 10 months and they don't have any problems - plenty of kitchen roll kinda stuff is fine also as as well as making this bedding they have great fun ripping it into shreds and running round with it.
Treats wise - occassional bits of carrots (mine go nuts of this also but it cant be fed too regularly) or broccolli is ok too, there is a naturals range available from pet stores thats ok but the best treats to give them is something hay based in like a ball or cube so they get to play with it first as they really are inquisitive little creatures that need a lot of entertainment and it also helps keep their teeth down. Dandelion leaves - washed well to be free of pesticides also introduce slowly and give occassionally in small amounts to prevent diarrhoea, all treats should really be fed in moderation as a degu diet is traditionally made up of very poor quality foods which is why they are prone to diabetes as they arent used to sugary foods and you must be careful not to let them get obese either


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## LindaE (Apr 20, 2008)

we have degues, lovely little creatures i got all my info from a great site called degue world it`s like here run by people who know good luck


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## Magpie (Apr 12, 2008)

For substrate, I definitely recommend dust-extracted woodshavings, as well as plenty of hay which they will use to burrow and also to eat. Mine adore the woodshavings and I wouldn't take that away from them now - if one degu is using the sandbath, another will use the woodshavings as sand and roll in them. Sometimes if I've run out of sand, I fill their sand bowl with them. Of course it doesn't do the same job as sand, but they have fun with it til I can get some more.
As for treats, it's really hard to know what to give them. I had this same problem not too long ago - I felt like I was leaving them out, being able to give all the other rodents honey treat sticks, hamster chocolate drops, etc., which you know they can't have due to them being very prone to diabetes. The only treats you can give them really are vegetables, things like carrots and broccoli which they enjoy. I know when mine had their litter I put some unsweetened porridge made with kitten milk in for Mummy and the male degu Winston ate the lot ! He loves it, but I don't know that it's good for them so I only give it when they have a litter to keep Minnie's strength up. 
As for food I've never seen an actual degu mix for sale. I was told to feed them chinchilla pellets but mine refuse these, so I scour the pet shop shelves for anything that doesn't contain locust beans, raisins, molasses, and sunflower seeds. It usually ends up being a guinea pig mix. They can't have rat food because of the high fat content, rabbit food contains locust beans (and often molasses), and hamster food is full of sunflower seeds which gives them fatty liver. You just have to read all ingredients carefully before deciding which food to get them. As long as they don't contain the four things mentioned above, it's fine for them.


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

michael anderson said:


> you know with mineral stone do you just put the whole block in or do you break it up? Also how long do you leave in cage for? And one more question how often do you change dust in the dust bath I have my bath filled about 2" in depth and put it in cage for 30mins-1 hour everyday. Cheers Mike: victory:


Putting the whole block in should be fine - mine never used theirs though...

With the dustbath, you want it so that the sand only just covers the bottom, so only a couple of mm deep. They need to be able to flick it on their backs and roll in it, and sand doesn't behave like dust if it's too deep. Change it whenever there's more than a few poos in it.


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## Magpie (Apr 12, 2008)

I put mine a full block in once and they demolished the whole thing within hours. I was scared they'd overdose themselves on salt so just give small ones now.


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## LindaE (Apr 20, 2008)

the best food for goos is by mailorder from zooplus they do a proper degue diet


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## bellabelloo (Mar 31, 2007)

When I had degu ( 3) I started with saw dust, but as I had them in a mesh cage they would make a terrible mess so ended up using soil and sand which they loved..especially when I modified the cage so they couldn't chuck it all out.....they loved the sand baths. For treats they would get dandelion leaves, bean sprouts and the very occasional worm or wood louse. I found these great little pets, as soon as we used to get anywhere near the door coming home you'd hear them warbling. They where also great escape artists and would chew through the metal bars of the cage, I firmly believe these are very intelligent little beasties so be prepared!!!. Give them plenty of hard wood to chew on and watch the doors as mine learnt quickly how to open the doors.


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## Nattsuko (Jun 1, 2008)

i saw some degus today in pets at home in norwich! there adorable! i know nothing about them so i cant help answer your question but just know i'm very envious of you! :lol2:


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## Magpie (Apr 12, 2008)

If you can find them anywhere else but Pets at Home I would get them elsewhere. Pets at Home are an absolute rip-off, the one near me sells them for £22.50 each ! Crazy pricing, I paid £5 each for mine from a private breeder.


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## Jo-Bug (Jan 14, 2008)

Hi, If its the wood pellet litter from PAH then that is fine to use for all small animals, including degus. I use the wood pellet cat litter for my guinea pig and my OH uses them for rats and they dont chew on it at all. The pellets contain nothing that would harm your degu should they nibble them, so I wouldnt worry  I find pellets are better for rodents as they absorb urine better, which reduces smell 

Also agree with Magpie. Generally a guinea pig mix is best for degus. When I worked at pets @ home a mix of guinea pig and chinchilla mix were given as well as fresh veg 


Hope this helps a little bit

xxx


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## fatratsandcheesekk (May 18, 2008)

100% cat litter is good like carefresh or Doc Martins its safe and no dust perfect for rats (i use both) and quite possible degus


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## michael anderson (Mar 3, 2007)

Magpie said:


> If you can find them anywhere else but Pets at Home I would get them elsewhere. Pets at Home are an absolute rip-off, the one near me sells them for £22.50 each ! Crazy pricing, I paid £5 each for mine from a private breeder.


Thats what i paid £45 for a pair


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## michael anderson (Mar 3, 2007)

Thanks for all your help and i have now joined degu world:2thumb:


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## pecks (Dec 29, 2007)

Degus are latent diabetics! If you are looking for treats then collect some different wild grasses, hang them up to dry and give them those. Treats can also mean different smells, a pinch of dried herbs here and there in their enclosure can be fun for them. Have you given them a pummice stone to nibble at?


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## michael anderson (Mar 3, 2007)

pecks said:


> Degus are latent diabetics! If you are looking for treats then collect some different wild grasses, hang them up to dry and give them those. Treats can also mean different smells, a pinch of dried herbs here and there in their enclosure can be fun for them. Have you given them a pummice stone to nibble at?


No but they do have a mineral stone hanging up.


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

zombie


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## animal addict (Jun 1, 2008)

michael anderson said:


> Thanks for all your help and i have now joined degu world:2thumb:


I'm on degu world too its a gr8 site :0


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