I was looking on petfinder.com (wanting to adopt a rat) when I saw the word "Degu". They are so cute, but I just found out about them. Does anyone have one as a pet? Please help with the following questions...
1.Are they good as pets?
2.Can they be held and cuddled with?
3. Do they bite or can they be tamed easily?
4. I want to rescue or adopt one. Anyone know of any rescue groups around the Dallas, Tx area?
5.Do they require a special temperature like Chinchillas do?
6.Are they better than Rats?
7.Do they require anything special?
8.Do they get diseases easily?
9.Whats the bad and good things about these creatures?
Thanks for all your help! Any extra info I need to know about these little guys are most appreciated. Any websites to will help me a ton!
Answers:
1. Yes, they are good pets
2. Yes, they can be held, but it might take awile to get them to trust you
3. They don't usually bite, but they might run away from you at first
4. They're still fairly new to the pet world and aren't usually available to rescue or adopt, if you really want some (you have to get at least two they are VERY social animals) you'd probably have to go through a breeder
5. They're not as picky about temperature as chinchillas are.
6. I personally think they're better than rats, but that's a matter of opinion
7. They take dust baths like chinchillas and you have to be fairly careful about what you feed them. You want to stay away from fruits and any sugars because
8. They're prone to diabetes. And just like any rodent in captivity they could have teeth problems
9. I think that they make good pets, but since they're so new to the pet world it's hard to find information about them and we still don't know their dietary requirements, lots of vets wouldn't necessarily know what to do with one if you brought one in. You might want to wait a few years and see what happens they might become more available and more popular which will then increase research and education about them.
Please remember, you can't just get one degu. The only exception is if maybe you were to rescue one from a shelter and it was older and had always been kept alone. If you decide to do this remember it will require a lot of attention. As far as it's concerned YOU are the other degu.
no there just like rats except there not so jumpy and climby but they look better and alot calmer.(they are probly good boa food)
1. Yes, if you care for them properly, like large gerbils.
2. They can be held, but like most small rodents they don't much like being cuddled.
3. All small rodents, except for possibly rats will give the occasional nip, it hurts like getting your finger pricked when sewing, so not a big deal, can be a shock though. Apart from that, if you play with them regularly (at least twice a week) they will be very tame.
4. They're considered exotic in most places so uncommon at rescues, but by all means ring around, there may be some, just be warned that it's not all that likely.
5. Chinchillas don't need a special temperature, they need protection from direct sunlight, it's probably best practice not to put any animal in direct sunlight, but apart from that no.
6. They're different, no animal is 'better' than any other.
I'm leaving 7, 8 and 9 because they're opinion not fact.
If you really want a degu you're going to need to educate yourself using other things than petqna.com . Please go out and buy a good book and read it right through to decide if degus are the best pet for you.
On a final note, please remember these are social animals, and you're going to be wanting a single sex pair, they don't do well alone.
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