Degu
This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.
Quick Facts
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Degu |
| Size | Small (6-10 oz) |
| Lifespan | 6-9 years |
| Diet | Hay, degu pellets, vegetables |
| Social Needs | Highly social - groups |
| Activity Level | Very High |
| Care Level | Intermediate |
| Space Requirements | Multi-level cage |
Recommended for Degus
Buy a pellet labeled for degus, or a high-fiber hay-based pellet that does not list molasses, honey, or dried fruit in the first ingredients. Hay is the food. A yogurt drop, a raisin, or a fruit mix is the usual reason a degu develops cataracts and diabetes. By the time the eye clouds, the sugar has already done the damage.
A Chilean rodent that should not see a raisin
Degus weigh about 6 to 10 ounces and often live 6 to 9 years. They are diurnal enough to be awake when you are, which is rarer than hamster marketing suggests. They chew. A plastic cage is a snack. Multi-level space, hay, and safe wood are the housing. The tail skin can slip off if you grab it. Scoop them up instead.
They bark and whistle. They are not a quiet child's first pet, and they are not a hamster with a longer life. By the time a degu's lens turns cloudy, the sugary food that caused it has already been eaten.
Teeth and blood sugar
Incisors and cheek teeth overgrow when the diet is soft. A degu that drools or drops food needs a dental exam under anesthesia by someone who treats exotic mammals. Diabetes shows up as drinking, weight loss, and cloudy eyes. Merck is the clinical reference. A degu off its hay is the appetite page.
Degu questions
Can a degu eat fruit?
Almost none. Sugar is how degus become diabetic and develop cataracts. Hay, a measured pellet made for them, and the occasional plain vegetable are the diet. A yogurt drop is not a treat. It is a problem.
Do they need company?
Yes. Keep a same-sex pair or a group that was raised together. A single degu is a welfare failure unless a vet has a reason.
What is the dust bath for?
Coat health, a few times a week, not a pool they live in. Take the dust out after they bathe so it does not become a litter box.
Decision Guides for Degu
Orange incisors are the healthy color
Octodon degus is a Chilean rodent, about 6 to 10 ounces, with lives often around 6 to 9 years. The incisors are orange because the enamel carries iron pigment, and that color is the healthy look. A pale incisor is the tooth to show an exotic veterinarian. They are awake in the daytime more than a hamster, they chew through plastic, and the tail skin can slip if someone grabs the tail, so the lift is a scoop under the body. Hay and a pellet whose first ingredients skip molasses, honey, and dried fruit are the diet. Sweet fruit and yogurt drops are the foods tied to cataracts and diabetes in this species.
Fruit and sweet treats do not belong in the cage.