Help please new owner

[nhgrl8]

Of a Degu. Anyone familiar with them.She seems friendly no bite . Seems to be very vocal her first hour here. Abandoned in an apartment so I took her. Any advise would be greatly appreciated

 

[Stacykins]

Of a Degu. Anyone familiar with them.She seems friendly no bite . Seems to be very vocal her first hour here. Abandoned in an apartment so I took her. Any advise would be greatly appreciated

Thank you for taking her in. I wonder if you can get the previous tenant of that apartment charged with abandonment, since she would have starved to death or died of thirst had she not been found in time. Do you own the apartment building?

Because Degus are actually a social species of rodent, it could explain her behavior. They need to be kept in pairs. Though because she has been alone for so long, you would need a slow, careful period of introduction to minimize problems.

But social needs can likely wait for a bit. You need to make sure to meet her immediate needs such as diet and housing. How big is her enclosure? What is the bedding? I can't really tell because when the picture is enlarged, it is so pixelated and blurry.

What are you currently feeding her? The biggest components of a degu's diet are hay, protein (can be accomplished with a pelleted food), and fresh vegetables (some can cause bloating when given in excess, like cabbage). Fruits have a lot of sugar in them, so should be given only rarely as a treat. Be aware that some rodent feed 'mixes' contain bits of dried fruit, which are like cupcakes to a degu. So don't purchase that if you see it.

 

[nhgrl8]

. I took her directly to our local pet store and bought her a larger cage, degu pellet feed, dust bath, and a wooden house to hide and chew. She loves a good ear rub and let's you pick her up. Been vocal but seems quiter now. She is not hiding though . Her bedding is pine shavings I use on my chickens that's what pet store said no cedar. I do not own the apartment .

 

[Stacykins]

. I took her directly to our local pet store and bought her a larger cage, degu pellet feed, dust bath, and a wooden house to hide and chew. She loves a good ear rub and let's you pick her up. Been vocal but seems quiter now. She is not hiding though . Her bedding is pine shavings I use on my chickens that's what pet store said no cedar. I do not own the apartment .

Sounds like you're on track! That is a bonus that she is friendly!

Yep, the pet store is correct on the cedar! Aspen is the best shaving type bedding. Pine and cedar can lead to respiratory infections from the volatile oils, though pine is better than cedar.

One thing degus love is a good dust bath! It is how they keep clean and remove excess dirt and oil from their coat. They can happily use the same type of dust that chinchillas use. Normally it isn't offered 24/7, but for a period of time each day, so they don't soil it or kick it out of the dust container. One of those hexagonal fish bowls actually makes a perfect dust bathing container, since standing it on one of those hex sides leaves a degu height entrance, but keeps the dust nicely contained.

 

[nhgrl8]

Sounds like you're on track! That is a bonus that she is friendly!

Yep, the pet store is correct on the cedar! Aspen is the best shaving type bedding. Pine and cedar can lead to respiratory infections from the volatile oils, though pine is better than cedar.

One thing degus love is a good dust bath! It is how they keep clean and remove excess dirt and oil from their coat. They can happily use the same type of dust that chinchillas use. Normally it isn't offered 24/7, but for a period of time each day, so they don't soil it or kick it out of the dust container. One of those hexagonal fish bowls actually makes a perfect dust bathing container, since standing it on one of those hex sides leaves a degu height entrance, but keeps the dust nicely contained.

Thank You so much ! This is her dust bath .She is fun to watch even let's me rub her belly already

 

[Stacykins]

Very cool!

 

[PearlDragon]

I have had a pair of degus for the last 5 years or so. Recently the male died of old age. I was also somewhat thrown in the the degu world. I had not done a lot of research, but a situation arose where I could get a bonded pair from a woman who's boyfriend had gotten them for her without telling her. They knew nothing about them, not even their age. So we adopted them. Now quite a few years later and after many mistakes my degus have been a wonderful part of my life. After all this time I have many great stories and lots of advice. I will post again with some more information on degus. Please message me if you have any questions on anything concerning degus.

 

[nhgrl8]

I have had a pair of degus for the last 5 years or so. Recently the male died of old age. I was also somewhat thrown in the the degu world. I had not done a lot of research, but a situation arose where I could get a bonded pair from a woman who's boyfriend had gotten them for her without telling her. They knew nothing about them, not even their age. So we adopted them. Now quite a few years later and after many mistakes my degus have been a wonderful part of my life. After all this time I have many great stories and lots of advice. I will post again with some more information on degus. Please message me if you have any questions on anything concerning degus.

Thank you so much. I probably will have questions

 

[PearlDragon]

Degu information
-Lifespan 5-8 years or longer in captivity. My degus were full grown when we got them 5 years ago and recently one of them died so we think he was about 6.
-They tend to be good-natured, gentle, active, and very sociable. I have only been bitten by them when the female was nursing and by her daughter who didn't like being held.
-I feed my degu rabbit food pellets, and fresh vegetables including carrots, lettuce, tomatoes. I also give some seeds in very small quantities. As treats I will give apples.
-I give my degu her dust box once a week.
-Right now she has a small safe cardboard box to sleep in and some clean Kleenex tissues for her to play with. For bedding I use carefresh natural wood pulp stuff.
-Most of my degus lives were spent together. Degus are very social so it is recommended that you keep at least two. Recently after the death of my male degu we considered trying to finds is mate a new friend but decided against it when we thought about the fact that she is old and probably won't bond to another degu. If you spend a lot of time with her she will be okay, she will always look forward to seeing you and may try to find some way to escape.
I have probably forgotten something important. Hopefully this will help some.

 

[nhgrl8]

OK first real issue today. The Degu bit my son. Now screaches like a pig when we go near. Bite pretty deep bled over hour. Anyone know if the screeching is a warning?