[StargirlJ]

HI all!
I am fairly new to degu as adopted 2 6 month old boys from my local pet shop 2 weeks ago. They had been returned to the pet shop as they were brought for breeding but didn't get on with the females.They are super friendly but wont sit still when I hold them. I would also like to be able to just stroke them when the cage is open and to encourage them to be able to either come out to me when I want them to? It takes me ages to catch Monty but his brother dobby tries to escape every time I open the cage door. He has managed it a few times aswell. Can any one help with this?

 

[Sasami]

Do you have a degu-proofed room you could let them roam in? Like maybe a bathroom or even a walk-in closet? A bathtub with tall sides could also work temporarily. Then you could sit with them and let them come to you on their own terms.

In general, though, young degus are not going to sit still for long or cuddle. They'd rather run around and play. They'll calm down a bit as they age but degus are active creatures .

 

[StargirlJ]

Thanks for the response. I let them free run once a day in my room. The cage they live in is meant to be 2 story as I had it for rats before and as the Degu only live in half of it I block off the half of my room with the wires in so they can free run in a safe space. They do come and climb on me when I'm sat there with them but I just wondered if there was a way to make them want to be held because Dobby loves being let out but catching him again and also trying to catch Monty seems to stress him out. Didn't really want to over stress them.

 

[Sasami]

Give them treats (find something they go nuts for) whenever they go back to the cage on their own (or even if you put them back). That will help with caging them. To catch them without grabbing them, try scooping them up with a container.