Post by Katt on Nov 13, 2011 11:35:26 GMT -9
Facts:
Scientific Name: Octodon degus
Weight: about 170-300g (varies according to type)
Size: 9-12 inches
Life expectancy: 6-8 years (average, can live up to 12 years with proper care)
Sexually mature: 5-9 weeks (varies by species)
Estrus Cycle: Seasonal
Gestation period: 90 days
Size of litter: 2-12 (average 6)
Weaning age: 4-6 weeks (separate genders at this time as well)
www.smallangelsrescue.org/doc/small_angels_rescue_degu_care_sheet.pdf
www.degutopia.co.uk/deguhouse.htm
exoticpets.about.com/cs/degus/p/degus.htm
www.sandsexoticanimals.com/care/degu.html
www.angelfire.com/on2/degus/degus.html
www.ehow.com/how_2059842_care-pet-degus.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degu
Care:
Cage: Degus should not be kept in plastic cages or glass tanks. Wire cages are appropriate and should be at least 70cm L x 70-100c, H x 45cm W in dimension for two degus, but the bigger the cage the better. Every additional degu in the cage will increase the necessary cage size. The cage should have several wooden platforms (made with untreated wood) that the degus can sit and jump on. The shelves, floor, and ramps should be solid, not wire as this can lead to injuries and arthritis.
Bedding: Many substrates are appropriate for degus, but there are some that are dangerous. The top two recommended bedding materials are Aspen or Carefresh. Other appropriate bedding materials include: newspaper or paper towel (good for monitoring sick gerbils), toilet paper, shredded paper fiber beddings, etc. NEVER use pine or cedar bedding as these woods have oils that are toxic. Degus like to dig, so it is nice to provide a deep layer of bedding in the bottom of the cage for them to burrow in.
Food: (see Diet board) IN PROGRESS
Hideouts: It is very important that your degus have places to hide so that they can feel safe in their home. Hides can be things like: cardboard boxes, chew huts, wooden dens, etc. It needs to be a place where your degus can build a nice nest. The hide should be nice and dark and allow enough space to move around n comfortably. As they are avid chewers, it is best to not use plastic dens such as the igloos sold at pet stores to prevent the ingestion of plastic.
Wheel: Having a wheel for your degu is absolutely necessary. In the wild they will run around looking for food and shelter for hours. They can’t do this in a cage, so they need another way to get a lot of exercise. The best wheels are plastic wheels such as Silent Spinners. Wire wheels should NEVER be used – they can be dangerous as your degu can get its foot stuck in the grating. Also, metal wheels tend to become squeaky over time and can be noisy when you are trying to sleep! Plastic wheels are safer, quieter, easier to clean, last longer (no rust!), usually come with a stand and a way to attach it to the cage bars (more versatile and saves space), and come in fun colors. Be sure to buy plastic wheels with smoother surfaces and no cross bars to avoid making your degus’ feet sore!
Toys: While degus may not "play" with toys like a dog or cat, they do need enrichment like any other animal to keep them mentally and physically healthy. Chew blocks are important to help maintain healthy teeth. Various shaped objects to run on, under, or through will provide mental stimulation and exercise. A critical "toy" to have is a wheel to ensure that the mice are getting enough exercise. Various hiding-huts, mazes, and different sizes and shapes of chew toys will provide enrichment for your degus. Also toys that make noise, such as cat jingle-balls may catch their interest. Just be sure to use supervision with any plastic toys or toys with pieces that can be easily broken by strong teeth or swallowed.
Water: Water bottles should be available, full of fresh water, at all times. Bowls are not recommended as they easily spill or become contaminated.
Exercise: Exercise is very important to keep your degu healthy. In the wild they can run miles a day. Providing a wheel in the cage will allow your degu to exercise on its own time. You can allow your degu to explore your bedroom under supervision. This will give them physical exercise, as well as mental stimulation as they explore different surroundings.
Handling: How you handle your degus depends on what they are being kept for. Even if your gerbils are breeders or feeders, regular handling is important. We recommend a minimum of 15-20 min every other day. This will keep them used to handling and make it easier for you to check for injuries, move for cage cleaning, check nests, etc. If your degus are pets you will want to handle them even more – at least 20-30 minutes a day. The more you handle and spend time with your pet degus, the friendlier and more social towards humans they will be. When picking up your degus, reach in with both hands and scoop it up from underneath. In the wild birds and other predators snatch hamsters up from above, so if you reach for your degu from above you will scare it.
Grooming: Degus are very clean animals, but they do require the occasional dust bath. Chinchilla bath dust or sand can be used 1-2 times a week. The dust will cling to the dirt, oils, and loose fur on their bodies, carrying it with it when they shake the dust off and effectively cleaning the degu. Do not bathe degus in water.
Tunnels: Degus like to tunnel and burrow. You can provide cardboard tunnels from a pet store. They will also chew these to use for bedding. Supervise the use of any plastic tunnels as they will want to chew on the plastic, which can be dangerous if ingested. You can also make your own tunnels with things like old soda and cereal boxes, or provide a box full of soft bedding for them to burrow in.
Chew Toys: Having chew toys will help your degus keep their teeth in good shape, as well as decrease the chance that they will bite and chew on the cage bars, which can be noisy, and will scratch the paint on the cage. It is also mentally stimulating for your degus, especially if you get different types of chew toys.
Treats: While giving your degus treats is not strictly necessary, they really enjoy them. Be sure not to feed treats too often though of you will spoil their dinner! Healthy treats like fresh veggies and greens are okay to offer on a daily basis in small amounts (see food list).
Nesting Material: It’s nice to offer your degus material to build a soft nest with; however, DO NOT buy the nesting material sold in pet stores. Rodents have been known to get tangled in the material and several have died. It is better to offer a little bit of toilet paper, paper towel, or newspaper.
Friends: Degus are social animals and do best when kept on groups of at least two or more. They should NEVER be kept alone as they can become severely depressed. Degus are best kept in same-sex groups unless you plan on breeding. If you are breeding your degus, try to keep one male to every 2-3 females.
Cleaning: The cage will need to be cleaned once a week. The best cleaners are: baking soda and water, vinegar and water, liquid dish soap, Nature’s Miracle, or a dilute (10%) solution of bleach in water. Do NOT mix cleaners as this produces dangerous fumes. Also, be sure to rinse your cage VERY well before putting the hamster back in – you want to remove any dangerous residues.
Important Notes: Some more important notes on care… Be sure not to place your cage in a spot that gets direct sunlight as your degu can overheat quickly. The more you give your degu attention and exercise, the happier and healthier it will be – and the friendlier! When you first bring your degus home, you will want to let them settle in and get used to the new surroundings for a week or two before handling. They may be jumpy and nervous for a little while, this is normal – they are in a new place and stressed out. Keep talking gently and handling in short bursts and your new degus will settle into life with their new family.
Scientific Name: Octodon degus
Weight: about 170-300g (varies according to type)
Size: 9-12 inches
Life expectancy: 6-8 years (average, can live up to 12 years with proper care)
Sexually mature: 5-9 weeks (varies by species)
Estrus Cycle: Seasonal
Gestation period: 90 days
Size of litter: 2-12 (average 6)
Weaning age: 4-6 weeks (separate genders at this time as well)
www.smallangelsrescue.org/doc/small_angels_rescue_degu_care_sheet.pdf
www.degutopia.co.uk/deguhouse.htm
exoticpets.about.com/cs/degus/p/degus.htm
www.sandsexoticanimals.com/care/degu.html
www.angelfire.com/on2/degus/degus.html
www.ehow.com/how_2059842_care-pet-degus.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degu
Care:
Cage: Degus should not be kept in plastic cages or glass tanks. Wire cages are appropriate and should be at least 70cm L x 70-100c, H x 45cm W in dimension for two degus, but the bigger the cage the better. Every additional degu in the cage will increase the necessary cage size. The cage should have several wooden platforms (made with untreated wood) that the degus can sit and jump on. The shelves, floor, and ramps should be solid, not wire as this can lead to injuries and arthritis.
Bedding: Many substrates are appropriate for degus, but there are some that are dangerous. The top two recommended bedding materials are Aspen or Carefresh. Other appropriate bedding materials include: newspaper or paper towel (good for monitoring sick gerbils), toilet paper, shredded paper fiber beddings, etc. NEVER use pine or cedar bedding as these woods have oils that are toxic. Degus like to dig, so it is nice to provide a deep layer of bedding in the bottom of the cage for them to burrow in.
Food: (see Diet board) IN PROGRESS
Hideouts: It is very important that your degus have places to hide so that they can feel safe in their home. Hides can be things like: cardboard boxes, chew huts, wooden dens, etc. It needs to be a place where your degus can build a nice nest. The hide should be nice and dark and allow enough space to move around n comfortably. As they are avid chewers, it is best to not use plastic dens such as the igloos sold at pet stores to prevent the ingestion of plastic.
Wheel: Having a wheel for your degu is absolutely necessary. In the wild they will run around looking for food and shelter for hours. They can’t do this in a cage, so they need another way to get a lot of exercise. The best wheels are plastic wheels such as Silent Spinners. Wire wheels should NEVER be used – they can be dangerous as your degu can get its foot stuck in the grating. Also, metal wheels tend to become squeaky over time and can be noisy when you are trying to sleep! Plastic wheels are safer, quieter, easier to clean, last longer (no rust!), usually come with a stand and a way to attach it to the cage bars (more versatile and saves space), and come in fun colors. Be sure to buy plastic wheels with smoother surfaces and no cross bars to avoid making your degus’ feet sore!
Toys: While degus may not "play" with toys like a dog or cat, they do need enrichment like any other animal to keep them mentally and physically healthy. Chew blocks are important to help maintain healthy teeth. Various shaped objects to run on, under, or through will provide mental stimulation and exercise. A critical "toy" to have is a wheel to ensure that the mice are getting enough exercise. Various hiding-huts, mazes, and different sizes and shapes of chew toys will provide enrichment for your degus. Also toys that make noise, such as cat jingle-balls may catch their interest. Just be sure to use supervision with any plastic toys or toys with pieces that can be easily broken by strong teeth or swallowed.
Water: Water bottles should be available, full of fresh water, at all times. Bowls are not recommended as they easily spill or become contaminated.
Exercise: Exercise is very important to keep your degu healthy. In the wild they can run miles a day. Providing a wheel in the cage will allow your degu to exercise on its own time. You can allow your degu to explore your bedroom under supervision. This will give them physical exercise, as well as mental stimulation as they explore different surroundings.
Handling: How you handle your degus depends on what they are being kept for. Even if your gerbils are breeders or feeders, regular handling is important. We recommend a minimum of 15-20 min every other day. This will keep them used to handling and make it easier for you to check for injuries, move for cage cleaning, check nests, etc. If your degus are pets you will want to handle them even more – at least 20-30 minutes a day. The more you handle and spend time with your pet degus, the friendlier and more social towards humans they will be. When picking up your degus, reach in with both hands and scoop it up from underneath. In the wild birds and other predators snatch hamsters up from above, so if you reach for your degu from above you will scare it.
Grooming: Degus are very clean animals, but they do require the occasional dust bath. Chinchilla bath dust or sand can be used 1-2 times a week. The dust will cling to the dirt, oils, and loose fur on their bodies, carrying it with it when they shake the dust off and effectively cleaning the degu. Do not bathe degus in water.
Tunnels: Degus like to tunnel and burrow. You can provide cardboard tunnels from a pet store. They will also chew these to use for bedding. Supervise the use of any plastic tunnels as they will want to chew on the plastic, which can be dangerous if ingested. You can also make your own tunnels with things like old soda and cereal boxes, or provide a box full of soft bedding for them to burrow in.
Chew Toys: Having chew toys will help your degus keep their teeth in good shape, as well as decrease the chance that they will bite and chew on the cage bars, which can be noisy, and will scratch the paint on the cage. It is also mentally stimulating for your degus, especially if you get different types of chew toys.
Treats: While giving your degus treats is not strictly necessary, they really enjoy them. Be sure not to feed treats too often though of you will spoil their dinner! Healthy treats like fresh veggies and greens are okay to offer on a daily basis in small amounts (see food list).
Nesting Material: It’s nice to offer your degus material to build a soft nest with; however, DO NOT buy the nesting material sold in pet stores. Rodents have been known to get tangled in the material and several have died. It is better to offer a little bit of toilet paper, paper towel, or newspaper.
Friends: Degus are social animals and do best when kept on groups of at least two or more. They should NEVER be kept alone as they can become severely depressed. Degus are best kept in same-sex groups unless you plan on breeding. If you are breeding your degus, try to keep one male to every 2-3 females.
Cleaning: The cage will need to be cleaned once a week. The best cleaners are: baking soda and water, vinegar and water, liquid dish soap, Nature’s Miracle, or a dilute (10%) solution of bleach in water. Do NOT mix cleaners as this produces dangerous fumes. Also, be sure to rinse your cage VERY well before putting the hamster back in – you want to remove any dangerous residues.
Important Notes: Some more important notes on care… Be sure not to place your cage in a spot that gets direct sunlight as your degu can overheat quickly. The more you give your degu attention and exercise, the happier and healthier it will be – and the friendlier! When you first bring your degus home, you will want to let them settle in and get used to the new surroundings for a week or two before handling. They may be jumpy and nervous for a little while, this is normal – they are in a new place and stressed out. Keep talking gently and handling in short bursts and your new degus will settle into life with their new family.