How to care for degu at home

How to care for degu at home? With love! Every pet needs to be loved. Then leaving will be easy, and the neighborhood will only be joyful. True, you need to know some of the subtleties of the content.

Daegu is a rat, but looks very much like a squirrel. The owners of these cutest animals claim that they are the most intelligent of all rodents, have a high level of intelligence. They are easily tamed, quickly begin to recognize the owner, they rarely show aggression, they do not smell. A fairy tale, not a pet!

Right home

When purchasing degu, it is worth remembering that these are primarily rodents. Therefore, they must be kept appropriately. There can be no talk of any wooden cages. The rods will fall under the onslaught of teeth almost immediately.

The metal cage should be large. Most conveniently square, with sides of 70 cm or more. It would be nice to arrange several floors for the little animal. They are very mobile, jumping. The system of ladders, tunnels, all kinds of moves will add enthusiasm to the bushy rat. For the upper grill, you can hang ropes, crossbars. A running wheel will allow the animal to warm up and maintain mobility when it is impossible to walk around the apartment.

House
A glazed ceramic pot with a chipped edge is ideal. The wooden dwelling "Chilean squirrel" will quickly turn into chips. If, nevertheless, a house made of wood was chosen, then you just need to change it more often to a new one.

Litter
Straw will not do. None. Degus is herbivorous, so they will try to taste it. Hay is also an unsuccessful litter option. It is dusty and can cause respiratory diseases.

Purchased pellets or cat litter may damage the delicate skin on the paw pads. Painful corns, corns will appear. The best option is pressed sawdust, or wood-particle filler of a small fraction.

Do not be afraid of a specific rodent amber. In captivity, degus practically do not smell. If you remove wet spots on time, then you can completely change the litter only once every 3 weeks.

A good alternative to a metal cage would be a large terrarium or aquarium. The only inconvenience will be the puzzle of how to fix sports equipment on glass walls. But there will be much less dust flying around. But if instead of a glass cover you use a grid or a grill, then it is quite possible to hang everything you need to it.

Accordingly, do not forget about ventilation. Glass walls do not let air through. And forced airing is already a draft. The most convenient thing is to replace the lid or one of the walls with a fine mesh.

Drinking bowl
The simplest, nipple. Water is changed daily, although shrub rats drink little. But they are very smart, they will quickly understand how to use this device.

Still need a feeder. Better stable so that the pet does not overturn it. The nursery for hay and grass should be the same. Naturally, only made of metal or ceramic.

Sand bath
It is put in a cage for 1 hour per day. Do not bathe Degas, do not wash. They are very clean animals and themselves cleaned with sand. For hygiene, this is more than enough. If the sand will be standing with the pet constantly, then it will be used as a place for the toilet. For filling use purchased sand from a pet store. This is easier than cooking yourself.

Various pebbles, branches, snags, roots will create conditions for pets that are close to natural. It will be a kind of playground for them.It would be nice to add special stones to the interior. Animals gnaw at them with pleasure, at the same time replenish their mineral balance.

Tip. To degu less bitten wooden devices, you need to choose them from conifers. To grind teeth, it is better to lay separate branches.

Where to put the cage

Degus are very demanding on temperature. Ideally - from 23 to 25 ° C. High humidity is also fatal. In the kitchen, windowsill, under the window, the cage does not belong. Shrub rat contraindicated:

• cigarette smoke
• direct sunlight
• pungent odors
• loud sounds
• drafts
• cold
• low place

The last item on the list looks strange if you don’t know the features of the genetic psychology of “Chilean squirrels”. In nature, their main enemies are birds of prey. Therefore, putting the house too low, instead of a cheerful degu, you can get a frightened animal.

At least 1.5 m from the floor and now the animal ceases to hide when the owner approaches.

Tip. When guests arrive, you need to remove the cage away. The animals react very nervously to noise and smells.

What to feed

Herbivorous rodents. This is the main thing. The main component of the degu menu all year round is good grassy hay. For a change of diet, you can include small amounts in the pet menu:

• Cereals. Grains of corn, wheat, barley, rye, oats, flax, hemp.
• Fresh greens of nettle, plantain, dandelion.
• Bean dry grains. Beans, lentils, peas, lupins.
• Bark of pear, linden, apple tree, willow.
• Dried rosehip, hawthorn, carrots, apples, cherries.
• Fresh pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, chokeberry fruits.

Of course, I want to treat the pet with treats. So hilariously watch them. But do not forget, they are strictly forbidden to give food from the table. For a regular rat, a piece of cheese is a treat, for a shrub, it’s harm.

You can purchase special food for guinea pigs or chinchillas at the pet store. Just be sure to read the composition! No sugar should be. In the body of degu, it does not break down. Absolutely. A pet can get diabetes, even just sometimes getting in the diet raisins, nuts, dried apricots or sweet fruits.

Hay. It must be dust free. They carefully monitor that the herbs are without poisonous plants. Speaking of poisons. Most home flowers are deadly for degu. Therefore, letting them out for a walk, they carefully monitor that the animal does not gnaw the greens.

You should ask the seller what the animal was fed. A sharp switch to a different type of diet can cause digestive upset and even death. It is necessary to transfer the animal to new food gradually, gradually adding new food daily and decreasing the dose of the usual one.

Tip. Once a day, inspect the cell. Shrub rat likes to stockpile for later and forget about them. You need to remove all the leftover leftovers daily, except for hay.

Social aspect

1. It is not recommended to keep the degus where other pets are already.
2. In the wild, Chilean squirrels live in large families. One animal will be bored, even having a large game park. If it is not planned to breed animals, then they often acquire two same-sex rodents. So they will have something to do.
3. In order for one animal to be bored, you need to communicate with him more often. Pick up, talk in an even, quiet voice, feed from the palm of your hand. By the way, boys are tamed much faster and more willingly than girls.
4. Different-sex degus are non-aggressive to each other, get along well in one cell. They are planted only before childbirth, because the female can become pregnant immediately. After 10 days, the male is returned back.
5. After getting used to the owner, the bushy rats perfectly remember their nickname and begin to recognize the owner by smell. Sometimes they communicate with him. Their conversation is very similar to bird twitter.

Tip.If you bought an adult degu, do not immediately grab it with your hands. Let the animal get used to the situation. And after that you can accustom to the owner's caresses.

Breeding degus

Shrub rats give birth once every 6 months. If you do not control the process, then much more often. Pregnancy lasts from 85 to 92 days. Most often, from 3 to 11 cubs are born. Males very tenderly protect posterity, warm them. But for some time they are otssed from the female so that re-fertilization does not occur.

Babies eat milk for about 4 weeks. By this time they are already independent jumpers. Weaning parents can start from 2 months.

If you leave everyone in one cell, then the family will become simply crowded over time. By 6-7 weeks, rodents may begin to mate. Therefore, they will still have to be jailed in order to prevent incest.

Tip. During pregnancy, it is recommended to remove the wheel and other sports equipment from the cage. As soon as the babies reach the age of 1 month, you can safely return everything to its place.

Special attention to the tail

Chilean squirrels have a very interesting feature. This is a very delicate skin on the tail. Under no circumstances should you touch him. Even a simple stroking can do the irreparable. Rodents take off their skin and run away. After the bare tail dies. Or the animal itself gnaws it. Unlike lizards, their new tail does not grow back, and a piece remains. This does not affect the animal’s health, but the appearance is not the same.

Tip. Do not grab degu from above, it can get scared and bite. You can put a few seeds on your palm and show it to your pet. He will climb into his hand.

Immediate care

Breeders argue that caring for degus is not difficult. Every evening, remove the remains of juicy food and other food, wash the feeder and drinker. Preferably clean water, without the addition of strong smelling detergents.

Periodically inspect the house for feces. They are cleaned with a spatula or simply washed with a napkin. Wet spots on the litter are regularly cleaned.

Once a month, the litter is completely changed. At the same time, the cell is disinfected.

It is recommended to use a metal pallet for litter. Wooden or plastic will certainly be tested on a tooth, and if possible thoroughly damaged.

Often check the reliability of the fastenings of swings, ladders, ropes. Animals love to run, jump. Therefore, poorly fixed things can injure the legs or other parts of the body.

Tip. You must carefully choose a wheel for running. The smaller the distance between the crossbars, the less likely the pet to damage the tail.

Useful subtleties

1. While walking around the room, they carefully monitor the animal. Gnawing wires or something else harmful to them is the sweetest thing. Current manufacturers offer a variety of walking balls for rodents. A wonderful invention allows you not to run after your pet around the house.
2. If they notice the brightening of the eyes of the animal, then immediately go to the veterinarian. White eyes are the first sign of diabetes.
3. Another sign of any disease is severe baldness. Moreover, the wool does not necessarily fall out completely. The appearance of even the smallest roundish spots is already an occasion to turn to veterinarians.
4. You decided to make a degus? Call the clinics in advance to find out where they are being treated. No matter how they protect the pet, anything can happen. And with their mobility and speed ...
5. Shrub rats cannot be wetted. From the word at all. When for some reason the rodent has gotten dirty with wool, then it can be wiped with a slightly damp cloth. Better generally dry. The pet will clean everything else on its own with the help of sand.
6. If hard branches are not given to degus, then their teeth grow strongly. In the future, this makes eating difficult.It just becomes painful for them to eat with a deformed jaw.
7. In captivity, shrub rats, with proper care, live up to 8 years. They become infertile by 5 years.
8. Be sure to once every 3 months conduct deworming dosed with special veterinary drugs.
9. What are good degus? Contrary to stereotypes about rodents, they sleep wonderfully at night. The active time for them is morning and afternoon. So you won’t have to wake up from rustling and squeaking.
10. For a cozy nest, a few leaves are put in a cage. The animal will select the necessary ones and drag them to itself for bedding. Or you can buy a special synthetic winterizer for rodents. It is processed so that the paws do not get entangled in the fibers.
11. If you leave the pet for a long time without master's hands, then it will safely forget its domesticated nature and can bite quite painfully.

How to care for degu at home? Follow recommendations, pamper, groom. And then the animal will be only in joy.

Video: degu maintenance and care