Degu are cute squirrel-like animals. Some people call them American jerboas, others call them bush rats, and still others call them Chilean squirrels. These creatures live in South America.
Degu - who is this?
Degu is a species of small rodents from the eight-toothed genus. The homeland of these creatures is the foothills of the Andes, Peru and Chile. If you ask the local population about the degus, calling this creature a squirrel, then some residents will not understand at all who they are being asked about. And all because they call these animals bush rats. It is curious that not so long ago, degus began to be tamed as pets.
Choosing a degus house
In the wild, these animals live in huge flocks, so at home, the degu needs constant attention from its owner. In addition, degus, like other rodents, cannot exist without their own house. To do this, you need to purchase or build a house for your pet yourself.
A degu house should be spacious and comfortable. If this is a cage, then it should be well ventilated. The preferred height of the walls is at least 70 centimeters, and the total area is up to 1 square meter. It is worth noting that plastic houses for keeping degus will not work - the rodent will easily gnaw through their walls or rods over time and run away.
The degu cage should be positioned in the house so that no sunlight falls on it at all. Moreover, these animals do not tolerate strong and annoying odors, as well as loud music, constantly working TV and temperature changes. Since these rodents are not adapted to the Russian climate, there is no point in taking their house outside - not only will they not like it extremely, they can still catch a cold and die.
Degu care
You need to put small pebbles, tree branches and roots in your pet's house. The rodent simply loves to gnaw on bark and various wood. Moreover, the degu loves some kind of hiding place that allows it to disguise itself. Some people advise placing a game wheel in a cage with a degus, but keep in mind that not every individual will like this device. The fact is that such wheels are the prerogative of hamsters, decorative rats and other rodents that adapt to life at home do not use this device - they are not interested in it. This also includes most degus.
You need to put bowls of different food in the cage for your pet. It is better to pour water into a special drinking bowl fixed on the wall of the house. It is not necessary to use sawdust as it causes allergies in rodents. It is recommended to clean the degu's home as soon as it gets dirty, but at least once a month. Experienced people advise you to put a tray of sand in your pet's house once a day. This is because degus love to play in the sand. After the pet has played enough with sand, the tray must be removed. Otherwise, the rodent may start shitting in this sand.
What to feed the degus with?
In the wild, degus feed on tree bark, dry grasses, and plant seeds. They need to be fed with the same at home. Pet stores sell special feed adapted for Chilean squirrels. You can also make food for your pet yourself: it is necessary to include cereals, oatmeal, dried peas, grains, etc. in the grass. It should be noted that the degu should eat at least 50 grams per day of fresh green grass. In addition, this rodent eats pears, apples, radishes, carrots, cauliflower with pleasure.
