Degutopia Home

>Dedicated to the memory of Jeremy, the original Degutopia degu<

This is the place to learn all there is to know about degus, including their origin, behaviour, history, physiology and tips on how to care for them, all set on a sound scientific basis. We're proud to provide the most accurate, up-to-date, fully referenced degu information on the net!

<---- Please use the menu on the left to navigate Degutopia. We hope you enjoy your stay!

As you browse Degutopia, you may come across numbers like this¹ . Simply click on the number to display the reference (try it now!).
To find out more about the publication of scientific research and why it's important to reference your sources, read the 'Sense About Science' guide by clicking the button below.

Latest News:

April 2010: *There's a new link to Finacard bedding on our links section, our degus like it and we thought yours might, too! *We're currently working on a major update to the site, exciting! In the meantime other updates might take a little longer than usual... ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ March 2010: *At last you can now see some pictures from the Harrogate show in January! Go to the 'Degutopia-shows' menu to find them. *Sadly since we lost Dreggen last month I have now moved his page to the tributes section of the Degutopia's degus page. We do miss him very much. *I have also now added full monthly weight data for all our degus that have passed on to their respective pages. *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ January 2010: *HAPPY NEW YEAR from Degutopia! *A whole range of degu diets have just had their sugar content results back from the lab, the results can be found in the 'Degutopia-articles' section. *As a result, the relevant feeds on the diet page have been updated, well worth a look ('degu care-diet' section)! *We hope to see some of you at the Excel Small Animal Champs in Harrogate, Yorks, UK this weekend (30-31st), come and meet Degutopia Diego and Dreggen (and Chloe of course) at our stand (Hall 1)! *The degu tail survey results page has been updated, do take a look as the results are really interesting! Find it under the 'about Degutopia-Research' section. While you're there, why not take the survey yourself? *The degu age survey results have also been updated, and don't forget you can take this survey every year as your degus get older! *You are now able to register degus born in 2010- hurray! *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ November 2009: *A new fighting guide can be found in the 'Degu Care' menu with details about what to do if your degus are fighting. Don't panic! *There's now a graphic explaining the genetics of the white patched agouti colour variant on the 'information-colours' section. *We've had the results back for some further total sugars analysis tests on degu feed candidates. We're glad to say that both Beaphar's XtraVital Degu and Burgess' Excel Chinchilla passed with flying colours! The test certificate can be found via the Degutopia-articles section. *In light of this, Excel Chinchilla has now appeared as one of our recommended feeds on the diet page, and we're about to start trialing! ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ October 2009: *Some Degutopia web banners have been added to the Degutopia downloads section so you can add them to your own website- groovy! *There's a new link on the links section. *Metacam has been added to the veterinary meds list (care menu). *There are some new graphics explaining the genetics for degu coat colour, well worth a look! Find them from the information-colour varieties menu. *The results of our latest feed trial are in! Our report on the Pets at Home Degu Nuggets trial can be found in the articles section, or you can get to it from the feed's page in the diet section. Great stuff! *There are some new comments and pictures on the comments and pictures sections (Degutopia and information menus). We love getting e-mail! *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ September 2009: *There is a new tool on the housing page ('degu care' menu) that allows you to calculate the volume of your cage and assess how many degus it's suitable for- this is really handy so why not give it a try? ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ July 2009: *The results of our recent total sugar analysis of a selection of degu feeds can now be found in the diet and articles sections, interesting stuff! Thanks to all the Degutopia members who helped raise funds for this analysis, we couldn't have done it without you. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ June 2009: *You can now find out more info about how scientific research is reviewed and published by reading the 'sense about science' guide via our homepage. Degutopia prides itself on collating the latest scientific degu research articles and referencing them on the site so you can check out each article for yourself. *A brand new research paper on pup growth and development is available from the Degutopia articles section ('about Degutopia' menu). *In light of this, several pages have been updated with the new info, including the breeding guide, references, pup weight tables and a brand new page has been added with graphs depicting breeding female weight changes. Nice! *HAPPY BIRTHDAY Degutopia.co.uk! Our website is 5 years old this month- hurray! Thanks to everyone that made Degutopia what it is today. *Info on how to introduce a new feed to your degus correctly has been added to the diet page (degu care menu). *We have a new shop, selling Degutopia's own degu-themed merchandise! Find it via the contents menu. *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ May 2009: *We have had to remove Burgess Supa Excel GP nuggets from our list of recommended feeds- more info on this coming soon... *The Degutopia degus' page has been updated, you will now see three new faces! Also, sadly Lilly is no longer with us as she passed away this month. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ April 2009: *We have added another new feed to our 'recommended degu feeds list', Pets at Home Degu Nuggets. We will be trialing this product shortly. *The completed trial report of our recent feed trial on Science Selective Degu has been added to the articles page (about Degutopia menu). We found this to be a suitable feed for supplementing degus, to find out more have a look at the report! *There is a new vocalisation paper in the articles section, regarding use of ultrasonic frequencies in pups (also see the sounds page, degu information menu). *There is another case study in the articles section, written by Jo Bridges about stabilising the blood glucose levels in her diabetic degu, Firball. Very interesting study and well worth a read. *New pictures have been added the the memorials page. *Further information about what to do if your degu sheds their tail has been added to the handling page. *The degu sounds page (degu info menu) has been expanded to include the new findings of the pup vocalisation paper. *There are some new links! *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ March 2009: *The Beaphar XtraVital Degu feed has been re-instated as one of our 'recommended degu feeds' after the new version of this diet was released. We're so impressed with it we think it's the best degu-suitable diet we've seen yet! Find out more via the 'degu care- diet' section. *We've added some pictures of specific feeds to the relevant pages, demonstrating what 10 g of each diet looks like to give you an idea of how much your degus would be getting each day. *A new link has been added to the links page, we've found a great source of dust-free hay which our degus absolutely love, and we're sure yours will, too! *There are some new pictures on the 'pictures', 'memorials', 'infinite degu project' (definitely worth a look!) and 'illness' pages. *A new brand of insulin has been added to the veterinary medications list. *Details about how to get your degu looking trim can be found on the 'degu care-keeping your degus healthy' page, under the heading 'Degu Fit-Club'. Get those podgy degus into shape! *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ February 2009: *We have lots of pictures from the recent show at Harrogate- check the 'about Degutopia-Shows' menu to see them (you might be in one...!). *Lots more references have been added to the appearance, research, breeding, toxic woods and wild lifestyle pages. Why not take a look? *Some more info on our traffic light degu feed suitability system has been added to the diet section. *A brand new recommended degu feed has been added to the diet page- Supreme Science Selective Degu- which we are about to start trialing. *There are some new enrichment ideas on the enrichment page, thanks to Melissa! *New pictures are to be found on the 'degu information-pictures' page and don't forget to pay your repects to the new degus in the memorial section as well. *There are some new links for some great degu hammocks, and flying saucer wheels, definitely worth a look! *Some important new info about Gerty Guinea Pig feed in the US can be found on its page in the diet section. *The comments section has some new comments about our site. Hurray! *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ January 2009: HAPPY NEW YEAR! *It is now possible to register degus born in 2009! Hurray! *The degu age survey results and the tail survey results pages have been updated. Check out the latest data via the 'about Degutopia-research' menu. *Just what you've always wanted, there are now instructions for making your very own knitted degu via the 'Fun!' menu! Wheee! *Breeders are likely to find some new graphs on the pup weight tables page extremely helpful. Via the 'degu care-breeding-breeder tools' menu you will now see detailed information about pup weights up to 6 weeks post partum. *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. *Don't forget to come and see us at the Excel Small Animal Championships in Harrogate, Yorkshire, UK on the 25th-26th January! ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ December 2008 Part II: *To keep you warm over the winter, our brand new winter newsletter has just gone live! We hope you find it an interesting and cosy read. Find it via the 'about Degutopia-articles' menu. Brrrr! ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ December 2008: *Some new pictures of our degus have been added to their personal pages- don't they scrub up well?! *The degu registrant locations maps have been updated again, find them by clicking the link at the bottom of the registration form. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ November 2008 Part III: *Some good treats and training aids have been added to the 'degu care-training' and 'degu care-diet' sections of the site. Yummy! *There's a new question on the degu health FAQ about size and weight differences. *A new medication has been added to the 'degu care-veterinary medications' list, following successful insulin treatment of a hyperglycaemic degu. *I've added West Midlands as a UK county to the degu registration form- sorry about leaving you out! You're just so small... *There are some new comments on the 'about Degutopia-comments' page. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ November 2008 Part II: *Degutopia has a new house! Well actually it's more like a mansion... the site has a brand new server with bags of room to upload even more degu goodies! Although the site was down for a few hours it is now back up and running; I'm still working to fix any glitches so if you come across something please do let me know! ^_^ November 2008: *Quick update- There is a second addition to the 'degu care-housing' section highlighting the danger of paper cat litter pellets as substrate, with experimental demonstrations similar to those used for wood pellets. This is definitely worth a look if you have degus on this substrate, our tests indicate they may pose a significant risk to degus if ingested. *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ October 2008 part II: *Quick update- There is a new section highlighting the dangers of wood pellets to degus by way of an experimental demonstration. This is definitely worth a look, you will find it under the 'degu care-housing' section by clicking on the button. September 2008: *New section! There are now full step-by-step instructions on introducing degus to a single degu, packed with helpful tips and advice. The guide can be found under the 'degu care-introducing degus' menu. *Another new section! We have massively updated our info on degu colour varieties, so much so that we had to give it it's own page! It's well worth a look, you can find it under the 'degu information-colour varieties' menu. *I have slightly modified the substrate advice on the 'degu care-housing' page to avoid confusing everyone! Sorry! *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ July 2008 part II: *We have a brand new page providing information about traveling with your degus, and how to prepare for travel on hot days. If you're traveling with your degus this summer, even only a short way, please do read through this page to help your degus avoid potentially deadly heatstroke. Find it in the 'degu care' menu. *There is a brand new poem, courtesy of Melissa, on our 'fun!' menu. It's really, really good! *We've added a bit of new info about 'white' degus as a colour variation on the 'degu information-appearance' page. *There are some new degu pictures in the 'degu information-pictures' page and memorial section. Why not have a look? *If you visit the 'degu care-housing' page you'll find some pictures (click the buttons) of our BRAND NEW breeder cages, custom made by John Hopewell (thanks, John!)- they're brilliant! *Some new pics of 'flying saucer' wheels have appeared in the 'degu care-enrichment' section! *There have been some slight changes to our 'degu care-diet' page, in particular check out the Beaphar Xtravital Degu feed which has recently been modified. *The 'about Degutopia-comments' page has been updated. *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ July 2008: *We have a new page in the form of a guide to feeding vegetables to your degus! This can be found on the 'Degu care-Diet' page by clicking on the button in the 'vegetables' section. Well worth a look! *There is a new case study in the 'about Degutopia-articles' section. *There are some new entries to the degu veterinary medications list. This list can be found on via the 'Degu care' menu. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ June 2008 part II: *A rather exciting new degu registrant location page has appeared, complete with maps! If you're interested in finding out where abouts the current registrants are from, why not take a look at the 'about Degutopia-registration' page? *Wow! We have heaps of new enrichment ideas to spice up your degus' lives! Be sure to visit the 'Care-enrichment' page for the latest ideas. *There are some new photos on the 'Information-pictures' and memorials pages, and on the 'Care-housing' page. Why not have a look? *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~ June 2008: *Happy Brithday Degutopia! Our site is 4 years old this month, and to celebrate we have given it a makeover! We hope you find the new layout refreshing and easy to navigate- your comments are always welcome! *We have a new survey! If you're a degu breeder, why not take a moment to fill it out? *There is a new page, providing information on veterinary medications for degus. You can find it under the 'Care' menu. *The degu waiting list has been updated again. You can see the current list from the 'Degutopia-breeding' menu, and don't forget to add your name now if you would like to reserve pups from our next litters. ~Check back here for more updates and additions coming soon...~
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Since June 2004

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