Could my degu be happier by herself?

[melaniefaubert]

I've said before that I plan on buying a friend for my Mirou. She's only about a year old, and according to all the websites, she needs a friend. But is there exceptions to this? First of all, she seems very happy, and she cuddles all the time. She even naps on me and talks (warbles?) to me like she used to do with Bizou befor he/she died. Its like I"M the other degu. I like this, and she loves the attention.
This is my concern though: if I get another degu, I won;t be able to give her the exact same level of attention that she's getting now. Which she really seems to enjoy, (And so do I)
Would she feel left out, to have to share some attention with another degu? Right now she has me all to herself. Whereas before, with a second degu, she was more anti-social, and just seemed to assume I'd give all my attention to Bizou. I don;t want her to get back that way. Especially since we have a really close bond now, I don;t want her to feel left out. But if her happiness is guarenteed 'll get the new degu. I really like how the she cuddles, and naps on me, and warbles to me. I feel special that she let me in her little world that way. Its a little selfish too, I know. Do degus get competitive for attention? Do they feel left out? Can I prevent this if I get a new degu? And keep that close bond? She gets LOTS of attention right now. LOTS!
What do you guys think?

[mebri123]

I think that if you are spending every day spending attention to her.. and you feel that she is happy without another degu then keep it that way.... Remember that even if you get another one they might fight to the death or hurt eachother (mine got in a fight and had a broken foot) (bone poking through the skin) After this happening to mine I would never want to try to introduce two degus together..... but I wasn't patient and didn't do it right some people on here say it is possible though so...... Its a icky situation.... get one all goes well....get one all goes to ****-o.. lol If you feel she is happy I would leave her the way she is..... you know her best... What does she really want.....degu (no degu) degu (no degu)...

eeeeek what to do lol

[Kendalle]

personally i would leave her by herself too, if you give her lots of attention everyday. i think you bonding with her would be just as good as another degu, and if you got one and they fought you would have to split time even more to give both attention but not at the same time... maybe you could even get to the point of having her free roam when you are home?

i honestly dont think some people treat little animals like other animals, cats and dogs are very social but not many say oh you have to get 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 horses, 2 cows, 2 goats... alot of animals are social but live long happy lives with human and other animal compainions

(not saying alone is always the best solution but sometimes it works well as it is.. )

[Sammy H]

thats a toughie.... i was in the same situation. my boy, Raisin was on his own and we became ever so close before he died. we used to snuggle pretty much every night and i was his "degu-buddy"

i took the opinion, that regardless of how happy he was with me as his friend, it would ultimitaly be best if he had other degus around to chat with. i was given three girl degus who had the cage next door (no mixing )

not only did he not show the slightest bit of interest in the girls (even though they loved him and flirted lots), but he started weeing on me everytime he came out on my lap, and marking me as his territory! not the slightest bit interested. so i ended up with one very clingy male degu and three females!

basically, what i'm saying is that, it is fantastic that you have this bond with your degu! its a lovely feeling to know they love you so much and depend on you.
BUT if there is a possibility that she could have a degu friend (and as she is young, you may have a better chance), it would be in her best interests! whilst i'm sure youre going to be the best degu mum in the world for her, you'll still never be a degu and be able to groom her/talk to her in the way she needs!
However, there is no guarantee they'll get on and you could end up with two clingy degus!

[kandy]

I say keep her alone

It seems that you have a bond with your degu that some people never get to have. From the way you describe her it sounds like shes a pretty happy degu. With introducing new degus you can encounter problems and you can never know ahead of time how things will go. You could end up with two very happy degus or you can end up with hurt degu(s) or you may have to purchase a whole other cage/accessories for the new degu if they don't like each other.

In my opinion I would have to agree with your concern:

Quote: if I get another degu, I won;t be able to give her the exact same level of attention that she's getting now

Quote: Do they feel left out? Can I prevent this if I get a new degu? And keep that close bond?

I believe it would be possible to keep the close bond with an extra degu, but remember that to do this you may have to spend equal time with each degu individually especially if you expect the same bond with the new degu.

In my opinion I would say to keep her alone. As long as you can afford to spend the time with her to keep her company like you are currently doing I can't see a problem with a degu having a human best friend .

If by chance in a few years or so you notice that you aren't able to spend enough time with her or she seems unhappy then you should get her a buddy, but until then she seems like a happy little girl

Good Luck with whichever direction you choose to go

[melaniefaubert]

Thanks Guys! That's exactly what I'll do then. Keep her alone for now, and if she gets unhappy THEN consider a new one. And she DOES get free roam of me bedroom when I'm in, hours a day in fact. Lots of hmwk. Ok, I feel better.