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6K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  Amethystbelle 
#1 ·
Hello, I am new to this site. My name is Heather and I am from Niagara Falls, Canada. I have a degu, his name is Fez. I actually bought him from a pet store about 2 years ago. He was just a baby then, he is definately full grown now!! Just a few questions if anyone can help. Although I have had him quite some time, I am still researching Degus. Mine is friendly but you can't take him out of his cage. He will jump on your hand, and he responds to your voice but won't come out?? He will nibble on my fingers, not biting me though, but any other contact his just runs down to the bottom level of his cage. He likes getting his chin rubbed and his belly but won't let me take him out. Is this normal?? He loves my cats, they go around the cage and he will climb up to see them. One of my cats lays next to the cage to keep him company:rolleyes: My daughter and I didn't know at the time, we should have purchased 2 but he was the only one left. Is it too late to introduce another degu or has he been on his own too long? I noticed he has been scratching a bit lately. Not constant but enough for me to notice. Could he have mites?? I use the Carefresh bedding, not alot of it, he tosses most of it out on the floor and some Timothy Hay. I know I am asking alot of questions, sorry about that, I should know these things. He won't eat the guinea or chinchilla pellets, so I have been giving him a gerbil mix with fresh vegetables and dandelion greens. I can't find a degu food here in Canada. If anyone knows of a place could you let me know. I really want him to be eating the right food!! Sorry for rambling on, if anyone can give me some information I would greatly appreciate it.
 
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#2 ·
Firstly welcome to PT :)

Degus aren't a cuddly type of pets they much prefer to come to you on their own terms. He trusts you completely as he lets you tickle his belly and behind his ears and for degus that is a sign of complete trust in their owner, you also mention he jumps onto your hand which is also another sign he trusts you. I would work with him a little and try and go that next step so you can lift him up and out. I would try when he is in your hands lifting him up slightly off the floor and see how he feels with that and then each day progress a little bit more till you can lift him out of the cage and cup him securely. Reward him after each session so he sees it all as a good thing and knows it is safe. Most degus don't like being held so i wouldn't worry too much, most prefer to sit on your shoulder.

The nibbling is a greeting, its a greeting degus use with each other and with their human friends too, sometimes they do get a little carried away and nibble a little too hard but if they nibble you then they are normally just saying hello ;)

Introducing male degus is tricky. I have done it a fair few times and it doesn't always end with positive results so that is something you need to be prepared for and it also takes time. If you was to get another degu then i would advise you get a youngster as adult males tend to accept immature males better then older ones. It also all depends on the degu aswell, if you feel your degu is lonely and it would benefit him then it would be a worth while thing to do :)

Degus tend to scratch a lot when preening, they also do it when they are hot as they cannot sweat. Has he got any fur missing? Patches of fur missing tend to be a sign of mites but that would need diagnosing at a vets.

Foodwise, i wouldn't feed the gerbil mix as normally gerbil mixes contain a lot of seeds which are fattening for a degu so are best avoided. If he won't eat chinchilla or guinea pig pellets then i would feed guinea pig mix as it will contain all the nutrients and vitamins he requires, look for one such as Gerty Guinea pig which has added vitamin c :)
 
#5 ·
Thank-you for all your knowledge about Degu's. I thought the food mix was wrong, I will get the guinea pig mix tommorrow. I will try lifting him in his cage and see what happens. He really is a friendly little guy, just not cuddly. Once I learn how to post a pic I will send one. Thanks again,
Heather
 
#6 ·
Welcome! Amethystbelle has given great advice :). I agree with changing the food...gerbil mix isn't good for degus.

You said he jumps on your hand...then can't you remove your hand and therefore get him out of the cage? Unless he jumps back in. You could also try luring him into a container and using it to transport him...that's what I do with new degus :).
 
#7 ·
Hello: Thanks for replying. I have tried to move him out of the cage but he just jumps back in. Its almost like the cage is his safe spot and he doesn't want to leave. I have transported him out into a smaller cage when I do the cage cleaning. He's not too happy about that but the transfer isn't that easy. I have to put the small cage against the bigger cage with the doors open and he sort of jumps into the smaller one. Then he makes all kinds of noise until he is put back in his regular cage. As for the gerbil mix, that has been tossed and I am going out tommorrow to get a guinea pig mix. I am always on the net looking up degu's and what types of toys he could have. He has an exercise wheel which he loves, a little house, tubes to crawl in, I wonder if I could get him a hammock to hang from the cage. I had one for my rat and he loved it. Unfortunately my rat died 2 weeks ago, I think Fez is missing him. They were never in the same cage, but in the same room. Never any interaction with each other but they could see each other:) Would a hammock be a good idea or would he chew it to bits:( Thanks again for all the tips.
Heather
 
#8 ·
All my boys have hammocks and they love them, its lovely to see them snuggled up on a cold morning all cosy :lovies: They have chewed them a little but nothing major. Another thing you could create for him is a digging pit, 50/50 mix of organic compost and chinchilla sand, it encourages his natural instinct to dig :)
 
#9 ·
Welcome to the board!

There are two Guinea pig foods I am able to find here in BC, one called Living World extruded guinea pig. My Degu's loved it, though I've changed b/c Petcetera is now the only place that carries that food and i don't want to support them so i don't shop there (Plus they charge way to much).... a bummer. Anyways the next good one is called Martins Guinea Pig food, i use their rabbit food too, both great products. I found 1 pet store i could order it from, and now a feed store closer buy. You have to ask if they 'can' carry it, most places will be happy to order you in a bag.
When looking for a guinea pig food make sure it dosn't have cane molases in it (which neither of these brands do). It took me forever to find a brand that didn't have molasses in it. Finding food for a Degu is Canada is tough work but it can be done :)

This is my Degu mix -


Pretty much just Guinea Pig Pellets, some rolled oats, puffed wheat and a bit of millet mix. But mostly the pellets.
All my goo's are healthy and happy on this diet and it's not super expencive either.

Do you hand feed you Goo treats?
I've just been very lucky, all 5 I have here are super friendly. But giving them hand treats will help win his affection. I know with gerbils, if they are in pairs usually they are more friendly, as the other gives them a bit more confidence so they aren't scared of things as much... but then that's gerbils I'm not sure if it would be the same for Degus.

Good Luck with him, and hopefully he learns quickly how much fun you can be.
 
#11 ·
Wrong Food Again!!!

Well, I went out to get the guinea pig food yesterday. Thought I got the right one, but after reading some posts I checked the ingredients. The one I bought has cane molasses in it. So another bag into the garbage:mad2: I bought Fez an out of cage play area too. Its quite large, I just set it up on the living room floor. I put the big cage inside, opened the door and he hopped right out. The only problem was he tried to climb out so I had to keep a really good eye on him. Boy can they run:panic: The hard part was getting him back in his cage. I couldn't pick him up, he wanted no part of that, so I moved the big cage back in with the door open. He kept running around the cage, missing the opening, I really don't think he wanted back in:rolleyes: My daughter and I managed to get him back in, he seemed really happy he was able to run and stretch. I am glad I bought it, now he can come out every day for a run!! Hopefully soon he will allow me to pick him up. I just can't believe how fast they are. Anyway, back to the petstore and this time I am going to read the ingredients:club:
 
#12 ·
aaww.... :( The pet store should have a garuntee on the foods they sell, tell them the pet dosn't like it and return it for a in store credit.
If they don't you can donate the food to a small animal shelter or the SPCA.

I too had my goo Bruce running around for the first time on the floor, i found out he loves going down the stairs.... i'm lucky though he will stop for me so i can pick him up. I'm sure with a bit of time your Fez will learn to trust you and figure out how much fun people really are.
 
#15 ·
Great Idea

Hi Again: Thanks for all the great ideas. I am going to bag up all the unused food (plenty of it) and take it to our Humane Society in Niagara Falls today. I am sure they can use it:) I do have a ramp from Snickers(my rat, RIP) old cage that I could probably use. That would make it alot easier. Can anyone explain how to post a pic. I would really like to, but don't know how:panic: I bought the new food yesterday from a different petstore. I checked the ingredients, this one doesn't have cane molasses but has sugar beet molasses. Is that the same?? He won't eat pellets so I am having a real problem with the food. I see from other posts that degus can have some types of cereal. What is the best? Thanks for all your help:D

Heather
 
#18 ·
My 2 girl goo's (great shorthand idea btw) live with me in a 1 bedroom basement apartment. i just open the cage door and they run around our place (there's no small holes in walls or anything). I close all the doors to other rooms so they don't get distracted and lost. but they looove to run around our place, and while they do that i clean the cage, the last thing i put in is fresh food and by that time they're coming back to the cage on their own (because they know's its a safe spot). i've pinned degus as being really smart, like dog smart (or close). they go nuts if i even go near the tupperware holding their food. and they go nuts when i come home after being gone all day. they're such loving little critters. as for food i use any guinea pellets. i read somewhere that alfalfa and alfalfa based things contain too much calcium? and to use timothy hay instead. i don't know how valid that is, but i know alfalfa hay is very green compated to the timothy hay i buy. the guineapig stuff i use i just get from pet valu or wal mart. i also read dandelion greens are not good, but broccoli and celery are. i'm sure cheerios are okay to give them as treats. you can also use any lentils, pinto beans, go to bulk barn or something. they're not cogenitally diabetic, but too much sugar will induce it (like humans).
 
#19 ·
Hello Natalie: Thanks for all the info. I give Fez dandelion greens once in a while. I do have this Soy Crunch multi grain cereal that has puffed wheat, soy crispies, oat bran, puffed oats, seseme seeds, cinnamon. He really likes it, but I'm not sure if I should be giving it to him. I just started this week, a little bit a day. He won't eat any type of pellets. He leaves them in the dish and eats everything else:mad2: I bought an out of cage fencing area for him this week. Set it up and he was running around like crazy. The only problem is, he tries to climb out. You would think they could make these things a bit taller. So I am on constant watch, if he got out there is no way I could catch him. Fast little guy:rolleyes: He won't let me pick him up so I would have to wait for him to find his way back to his cage. "And that could take days" I see you are from Ontario. Whereabouts?? Talk to you soon

Heather
 
#20 ·
Alfalfa hay is ok to give once in a while but not as an everyday hay due to its levels of proteins and calcium. Other alfalfa based products such as pellets and hay cubes don't pose the same problem so they are ok to give once or twice a week max. I use high quality timothy hay for my guys and also mix it with other dried grasses to give them variety and to also keep their teeth worn down as different grades of hay and grasses help the teeth so thats why it is important to source good quality hay.

Dandelions are also ok to give every once in a while. Mine prefer dried dandelions to fresh and they get a good pinch once a week. If using fresh they need to be clean and dried throughly before being given to your degu and also limit the amount you give them and introduce it slowly over a period of time. I also feed mine a variety of fresh veggies and herbs such as broccolli, sweet potato, carrot, peas, cauliflower, spring onions (scallions), peppers, green beans, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, radishes, brussel sprouts, cabbage (white and savoy), butternut squash, leek, mangetout, pumpkin,
courgette, sugar snap peas, parsley, basil, chives, corriander and mint. I also feed dried veggies aswell inbetween such as dried carrot, peas, leek and corn. I also very occasionally (usually once a month) give them a little apple, fresh or dried as a treat. As their bodies can handle a small amount of extra sugar occasionally as its only occasional so the body breaks it down fast.

Cereals are ok as a treat occasionally. I would check any cereal you give them for added sugar and avoid if it has any. I try to use 100% natural products with nothing added. Treats should only ever be treat as treats and given occasionally. I tend to vary my treats so they get something different every time and no two same things in the same week. Treats i use are: raisins, dried carrot, dried peas
dried corn, dried rose hips, a small cube of apple (occasionally once a month max), dried pasta, alfalfa biscuits, carrot biscuits, hay cubes, dandelions (fresh or dried), dried hawthorne leaves, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, plain porridge oats, puffed rice (wheat’s), bran flakes, shredded wheat’s, wholemeal toasted bread, ryvita, melba toast and crackers. I also occasionally once every couple of months give them a whole nut in the shell to crack open as it wears the teeth down and gives them an interest for a few hours. Nuts that are suitable are Peanuts, Hazlenuts, Walnuts and Brazil Nuts. These should be given no more than once a month and limited to just a nut each :)
 
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