QUESTION-
Burrowing & Digging |
ANSWER |
My
degu sometimes looks like he’s trying to dig when I let him out. Do
degus like to dig?
|
Degus
are semifossorial, meaning they live partly underground and partly above
ground. In the wild,
degus dig out burrows and tunnels that they use to hide from predators and
to keep cool during mid-day in summer. To an extent degus have the
behavioural need to dig, which is why you may see your degus trying to dig
through their cage substrate. Why not try making them a digging
pit for their play area? |
My
degus have a tank filled with soil substrate for them to dig in. Do degus
prefer to dig in hard or soft soil?
|
Degus
prefer to dig in soft soil as it is less energetically expensive per unit
of soil shifted. In the wild,
degus will often dig out burrows in the winter, just after rainfall when
the soil is soft.
|
How
do degus dig burrows?
|
Degus
use their teeth and front feet to shear the soil whilst combining front
and rear foot motion to shift loose soil out behind them. Degus may also
use their head to break up soil on the roof of the tunnel. Wild
degus will organise themselves to form digging chains and decrease the
time taken to create a burrow.
|
Do
degus bury food? |
Yes.
Wild degus will
store food in their burrows for winter food shortages, but will also bury
their favourite tid-bits in order to stop other degus hassling them when
they are eating and stealing/finding it. Degus bury food by clearing a
space with their forepaws, placing in the bit of food and then covering it
up with rapid forepaw movements. Degus have been observed to frequently
uncover and re-cover the food when burying it (as if to check it's still
there). They may also return to the place they last stored it regularly to
make sure it hasn't been discovered! However it's not unusual for the degu
to forget where they buried it! |
QUESTION-
Vocalisations & Sounds |
ANSWER |
Do
degus make noises?
|
Yes,
degus have a wide variety of vocalisations with many uses including
warning, aggression, social contact, isolation, playing calls of pups and
maternal calls.
Degus also make other sounds
such as tail beating and drumming. Degus are a very vocal species and most
of the sounds they make are within the human hearing range- which means
they can also hear us when we talk to them! |
When
my degu is out, sometimes he squeaks loudly and runs for no reason at all.
Why does he do this?
|
Degus
will give an alarm vocalisation,
known as the 'wheep' (a loud squeak) if they think a predator/threat is approaching to alert
other degus (and you). If your degu feels insecure, he may run to a place
that is covered where he feels more secure until the threat has passed. If
your degu does this, try and see what could be scaring him, for example a
loud noise or if he sees a cat or unfamiliar object.
|
Sometimes
early in the morning one of my degus chirps really loud like he's
screaming? does this mean he's bored? once I manage to pick him up and
cuddle him he seems to calm down and starts wobbling with his brother
which is really cute. |
Degus
have a variety of different vocal sounds
and calls. The loudest, most squeak-like sounding calls are the alarm
'wheep' and the territorial 'bark'. The alarm wheep is given out a few times
when the degu thinks there is danger nearby. Pet degus may do it as the
result of a sudden movement, or loud or unfamiliar noise to warn other
degus that may be listening that there may be danger. The bark is
used mainly by male degus after mating, but also by females as a
non-immediate territorial alarm, and is very repetitive; the degu will often squeak
like this for several minutes, even hours! It is most commonly used after a male has mated with a
female, or occasionally after dominance mounting with another male.
There is one other type of unknown call that sometimes degus emit whilst
asleep; it is a repetitive squeak that degus start while still sleeping-
whether it is caused by a dream-like state is unknown. The other sound you
hear (the 'wobbling') is a friendly call, the 'chitter'; it tells one degu
that they are happy to see the other- a bit like saying hello. You will
also hear them use this call when playing together. |
QUESTION-
Circadian Rhythms |
ANSWER |
Are
degus nocturnal?
|
No,
degus are diurnal (awake during the day, like humans). However, their
biological clock (also called ‘circadian rhythm’) can be changed to
fit in with their environment, so for example if you work night shifts and
feed your degu at night, your degu may also become nocturnal.
|
Are
degus more active at certain times of day?
|
During
hot days, degus may be more active during the morning and evening when it
is cooler.
This is when most foraging activity would take place in the wild. |
Help!
My degu is nocturnal, but I don’t feed him at night! Why is this
happening?
|
Research
has shown
that degus allowed continual access to a running wheel may become
nocturnal. This is because running makes them hot, so in order to minimise
heat generation running is done in the coolest part of the day (at night).
To return your degu to diurnal rhythm, simply remove his wheel at night
and reduce the temperature of the room during the day. |
My
degu is STILL nocturnal even though I take the wheel out at night!
|
If
you have recently done this, give your degu time to adjust to his new
rhythm. Also, check the temperature of the room your degu is kept in, if
it’s too hot he may prefer to be active at night when its cooler. Try
feeding him half his feed in the morning and half in the evening to
encourage him to invert his rhythm. As an alternative, if your degu is
female try housing her in the same room as another degu who is already
diurnal. Your nocturnal female will take odour cues from your diurnal degu
and adjust her rhythm accordingly (this doesn’t work so well in males).
|
Why
do my degus run on their wheel more in the morning and evening? |
Degus
show increased wheel running activity at dawn and dusk as this relates to
their circadian activity patterns of foraging in the wild.
Wheel running has been shown to be analogous to foraging behaviour. |
QUESTION-
Biting & Chewing |
ANSWER |
Why
is my degu biting me? |
If
your degu is new to you, they might need some time to get to know who you
are and that you aren't dangerous. A stressed degu will be more likely to
bite you, so make sure you aren't trying to pick him up incorrectly (let
him come to you)
and don't corner them. If your degu is a new mother, she may try and bite
you if she feels you are threatening her pups. Make sure your fingers
don't smell of food. Alternatively, your degu may simply be grooming you a
little enthusiastically, so try showing him it hurts you by making a
'squeaking' noise and moving your hand away. This is how degus tell each
other they are being groomed too hard. |
My
degus are female and are now about 2 and a half months old. They are
extremely friendly towards me and I have a lot of fun playing with them,
although lately they have (mostly just one of them) been nibbling my
fingers when I put my hands out for them to get on. I make sure I wash my
hands so I don't have food smells on me, but this doesn't seem to make
much of a difference. I have also tried making little squeaking sounds
whenever they do it (despite how funny I sound when I do it!), in hopes
that they realize it could hurt me. The nibbling is not enough to actually
cause me pain, its more like they're gently pressing/scraping their teeth
on me, but I'm afraid that if I kept my fingers there, that they would
bite! Any suggestions on how to train them to not do this?!? |
Obviously
I can't guarantee this, but I'm almost certain that your degu is
'grooming' you. This is the process by which they use their teeth to
gently nibble each other/you (you have probably seen them doing it to each
other). This is a sign that a) your degu trusts you, b) your degu
recognises the fact you are a 'friend' (sees you as a degu) and c) wants
you to groom her back! Next time she does this, don't squeak but give her
a tickle behind the ears- they love this- and see what happens. She may
even lift her front paw up for you to rub her belly. Degu grooming
attempts are nearly always gentle, but if she gets carried away and grooms
a little too hard, let her know by what you were doing before- moving your
hand away and making a gentle squeaking sound by quickly and gently
sucking air through your lips. This replicates a sound known as the 'pip'
that degus use to tell each other "ouch!". |
QUESTION-
Intelligence & Learning |
ANSWER |
Are
degus clever? |
Degus
are extremely intelligent which is more than likely related to the fact
they are a complex, highly adaptive social mammal. It has been claimed
that degus are more intelligent than rats and guinea pigs. They can
certainly be trained to do various tasks, such as jumping through a hoop,
or using a tool to retrieve an out-of-reach treat! |
Can
you teach things to degus? |
Yes.
Due to their intellectual capacity, degus are easy to train.
They pick things up very quickly and this is easily reinforced by giving
small amounts of food or grooming as a reward. Degus have been taught to
come to their owner when called by name, get in and out of their cage on
demand, tug on a trouser leg when they want attention and climb onto and
open hand when asked. |
Do
my degus know their names? |
Probably,
if you use it often enough. Degus are very intelligent and their sensitive
hearing and good auditory
range make it easy for them to recognise specific vocal commands.
Degus have been observed to associate specific acoustic signals with
particular people, tasks and objects. Therefore if you call your degu's
name, they will probably approach you as they associate this sound pattern
(their name) with attention from you. |
Does
my degu know who I am? |
More
than likely. If they see you often enough, degus can recognise individual
people by their voices, appearance, smell and actions. Degus also have a
good associative memory, which means they remember people that have been
nice to them (rewarded them) and people who they have had bad experiences
with. |
I'm
trying to hand train my degus but they won't eat from me, how can I hand
train them if they wont accept treats? |
This
could be caused by one of two things:
1. Your degus are not yet
familiar with you and you need to develop their trust first through more training
work- how long have
you had your degus? At first, degus can be wary of new people and they
need time to recognise you're not a threat to them. This comes with time
and familiarity.
2. Your degus are not
motivated to eat that particular treat. What treats are you using? You
need to find one that they don't get fed on a regular basis and that they
really like- sunflower or pumpkin seeds are good (not too many) and I
found that natural puffed rice or natural rolled oats are loved by all as a reward- I
use these a lot when training. Also, think about when you do your
training. Your degus motivation to work for a food reward goes down the
less hungry your degus are. I strongly recommend you train your degus
before you give them their feed, as their motivation to work for food will
be highest then. If you limit training to the mornings and evenings, you
will find that your degus are more active and ready for what you have to
tell them.
Let me know what you
think and I might be able to help you specify your training so you have
more success.
|
QUESTION-
Sociability & Grooming |
ANSWER |
Do
degus like each other's company? |
Degus
are highly social and require each other's company in order to be healthy
and happy. Wild degus live in large groups
and carry out a range of social behaviours including playing, grooming,
burrowing and mating. Degus kept on their own in captivity can become
depressed and even physically ill if not given enough social contact- they
really rely on their friends! |
My
degu lifts his front leg up for me to tickle his belly! Why does he do
this? |
Your
degu is letting you groom him. Degus frequently groom each other as it is
pleasurable for them and allows strong bonds to form. The fact that your
degu lets you do this shows he has bonded with you and trusts you- a very
special thing. After grooming them, try keeping your hand still and your
degu may even groom you back! |
My
male degu loves me to groom him, but my young female degus don't want to
know. Why is this? |
Research
has shown that sociable animals housed alone will often express stronger
bonds towards humans than socially housed animals. Time is also required
for degus to learn to see a human as another degu and bond with them. This
is probably the reason your male degu lets you groom him (he has bonded
with you and views you as a valuable social companion), but your young
females do not (they have neither the experience nor the need to bond with
you). But don't worry, given time and a bit of patience, your degus will
be queuing up for your attention! |
My
young degus run around the floor 'chattering' to each other when I let
them out. Sometimes they even stand on their hind legs and look like
they're trying to 'slap' each other! What is the meaning of this? |
Your
degus are playing. The 'chattering' is a specific sound
that degus make when they are excited or playful, and is frequently
emitted to other degus as a greeting. The 'slapping' behaviour is actually
play fighting, again accompanied by 'chattering' and often followed by one
or both degus involved leaping into the air (also known as 'frisky
hopping'). It shows your degus are
relaxed and happy in their environment and is a lovely thing to
watch/hear. |
My
female degu flicks her tail at a male degu and displays her rear end
toward him. Why? |
Tail
flicking is a sign of excitement and displaying her rear end shows the
male she is in oestrus- she wants him to mate with her. See the breeding
FAQ for more info. |
QUESTION-
Fighting & Dominance |
ANSWER |
When
I let my two male degus (brothers) out of their cage, they 'grunt' at each
other and lunge out. Sometimes they even kick each other and flip in the
air! Are they play fighting? |
There
is a line between play fighting and real fighting. Play fighting can
always be distinguished as it is accompanied by 'chittering'
sounds and only lasts short lengths of time. Your males 'grunt'
at each other, which is a good indicator they mean business! Real fighting
is a serious problem, as your degus could really injure themselves. If
your males only fight when you let them out, it could be they are
competing as there are females present, or a food source. Try removing all
sources of potential conflict from their play area. If your males continue
to fight in their cage, you may need to separate them as there could be a
dominance issue between them. |
Why
does my degu flick their tail and grind their teeth at another degu? |
This
tail flicking/teeth grinding combination acts as a threat warning towards
the other degu. It is a way of saying "I'm not happy with you and if
you come any closer I will bite!" It could be that your degu does
this toward an unfamiliar degu, or it is sometimes seen in two male
companions in the presence of females. This is a good indicator that your
degu is going to start fighting, and you should be
prepared to take action. |
I
have a pair of degus- they have identical genitalia, but one is trying to
mount the other rather frequently and one of them has been spraying urine.
What's up with this? Typical puberty shenanigans or have I sexed them
incorrectly? From everything I've seen, they're both boys. |
If
you're convinced they're both the same sex I would suggest the most likely
explanation is that they are exhibiting dominance behaviour. The most
common way of one establishing dominance over the other is to mount the
subordinate, as this puts the subordinate in a position where they are at
their most vulnerable. It's completely normal. Another possibility could be
that if they're both youngsters, it's just a form of play, however the
increased incidence of scent marking suggests the former. Scent
marking is a territorial behaviour and also frequently observed in
degus.
I hope this helps,
and if you're still unsure it might be worth getting someone else like a
vet to check the sexes to confirm you're right- better to be safe than
sorry!
|
Hey!
I just noticed my two females today and one of them keeps trying to mount
the other one, but I am almost positive they are both girls!! I've checked
underneath them and their genitalia are the same and resemble the female anatomy
pictures. Is this just for dominance or should I be worried about
possible babies?!? (Not to mention they are from the same litter). I am
sure someone has asked something like this before, but I just want to be
sure! Thanks for your help. |
This
behaviour is quite common amongst most animals. You're right, the most
likely explanation here is that you're seeing dominance behaviour, since
both degus have female anatomy. Mounting each other is a normal way of
establishing dominance, the more dominant degu will mount the lesser degu,
which will 'submit' and hold still in recognition of this. This mounting
usually follows a minor argument or squabble as a reminder of who's boss.
This behaviour is also frequently seen in juvenile degus, not as a
demonstration of dominance but just in play. The difference is that
playing degus will often use the characteristic 'chitter' vocalisation
throughout.
Mounting is an
effective means of demonstrating dominance as it requires the subordinate
to adopt their most vulnerable posture and completely submit themselves to
the more dominant degu.
If you're still
worried, it's worth keeping an eye on them just to be sure that they are
the same sex. If they look identical in terms of genital anatomy, chances
are they're the same sex but it's worth checking from time to time!
|
Ok,
here I go! I thought for sure I had 2 males... I examined them often as
they grew... they were born in January. even now when I look at them they
appear to be the same sex, But I just walked in on them doing the deed! I
hear that males will do the dominance thing... So I'm hoping that this is
the same thing, but one had his genitals out... any others out there have
males practicing to to the point that their genitals are out? |
Yes,
this is most likely to be a dominance thing and as long as your degus both
look the same underneath, they are both males. The easy way to tell is
that males have a large space between the urethra and anus, females have
almost none. In all groups of degus there is a dominant degu and a
subordinate. Problems arise when both degus compete to become dominance,
but this doesn't seem to be a problem with yours. Dominance is frequently
decided by one degu mounting (and attempting to mate) the other as this is
the most passive position a degu can be in and is a way of saying 'don't
hurt me, look I'm even going to let you mate with me'. It's perfectly
normal and is seen in both males and females. |
We
have had a single male degu for about 6 months now. He was born this past
Valentines day and was severely abused by his siblings (he lost his tail).
After rescuing and rehabilitating him back to a social tolerance, we have
acquired two female companions for him (we wanted to buy him another
male but were warned against doing so because they may fight to the death
and ended up with two females instead). last week, when they were
introduced, he was so happy to see them and have someone to
"talk" to. He cuddles with them and is so happy. Yesterday
however, I came home to find him huddling in the corner with spots of
blood around and his left pinky finger missing!!! He was also squinting
one eye and his tail nub was cut. We separated the girls from him (they
all live in a 6'x3'x3' multi-level cage with lots of caves and stuff) and
after resting for a bit he began trying to "break them out" of
their separation cage. They also would liven up when he came around them.
So, we let the less aggressive seeming one out with him and after chasing
and sniffing her a bit, she attacked him and made him squeal really loudly
and hide under a cave. We separated her again, let him rest and tried the
other one. They got along great and seemed quite happy to be together
(running, exploring, etc.) but then he was sitting and minding his own
business when she snuck up from behind and bit his tail which erupted into
a fight and he again ran away and hid (this girl is also missing a finger
but it may have happened before we got her).
I don't know what
to do. We have kept the girls separated from him all night but he and the
fingerless girl are sitting right next to each other while the other is on
the other side of the cage. The girls seem to squabble a bit too. I don't
want him to continue being hurt but he loves their company so much. I'd
also hate to take one away and it be the one he likes best. Do you have
any suggestions?
|
It's
quite a tricky process introducing degus as you can never tell how each
degu will react- they all have their own unique ways of acting as I'm sure
you know. It sounds like your male was picked on because he is not
naturally aggressive or dominant- perhaps he was the smallest of a litter
or just has a shy personality. Either way, he is the omega degu, the most
submissive when in a group. Your two females, on the other hand. Do you
know their history? How long have they been living together on their own?
They may be very settled in their ways. Can I ask- when introducing them
to the male, how long did you keep the male apart from the females for? It
is essential to let your degus get used to each other before introducing
them, and should involve several steps to achieve cohabiting harmony! I'll
help you with these steps if you like, I just need to know what they've
had already, or you can read and download the step-by step guide on how to
introduce degus. For now, I suggest that you keep both females in a separate
cage to the male, but keep it so they can have some contact with each
other (like sniffing) if you haven't already. Patience is the key here. It
might be that your two females have more dominant personalities and will
therefore be harder to introduce, but if you keep at it, it might work. If
all else fails, the one thing I can suggest is introducing the male to a
neutered male. Neutered males are naturally submissive and should be much
easier for him to get along with. But let's see if we can fix this first!
Let me know about what
you've already done and we'll see what we can do.
|
I
have had 2 male degus for the last 7 months all ok apart from food time. I
have now been given 2 more unwanted male degus. I have had them separated
in the bottom half of a 3 tier cage for the last 5wks , so they can smell
and see each other but I keep on putting off putting them together as I
know how nasty they can be. What can I do to bring them together? I have
bathed them in vanilla sand so they all smell the same. Do I chance just
opening the cage and let nature take its course (FIGHTING) or something
else? |
Introducing
male degus can be very tricky, especially if they are all adult males and
sexually mature. It is often impossible to introduce strange males without
them fighting, even if you separate the cages as you have done. I would
suggest that you don't just let them mix in the cage, as this will almost
certainly lead to fighting. Instead, use a large room that the degus are
not used to being in- this way none of the degus will have yet claimed it
as their territory. Then, let each of the degus bathe in vanilla sand. Put
the first pair in the new room and let them have a quick explore. Then put
the second pair in the room and see what happens. If there is immediate
fighting, separate the degus as soon as you can (careful not to get
bitten!) and remove one of the pairs. If the fighting is not
severe, i.e.
just a few warning
grunts and pushing, leave it for a few minutes
and see what happens. If all goes well, return both pairs to their
separate compartments and try again the next day, but for a bit longer.
Repeat this until both pairs are comfortable being let out together, then
you can take the next step of letting them share the same cage.
Incidentally, you should try to avoid integrating degus during breeding
season, which is from late winter to mid spring each year. This is when
their sex hormone levels are highest and they are much less tolerant of
newcomers as a result (for both male and female degus!). I hope
this works out for you, but unfortunately males have a hard time getting
along if they haven't been together from an early age. If there's no way
they are going to tolerate each other, but you want them to live together
still, there is always the option of neutering two of the degus. that
should sort out any fighting between them. More info on neutering can be
found here. |
I've
got two new male baby degus in the family (around 5-6 weeks old). They
seem to fight quite a bit, mostly over food (even though I've given them
two different dishes) and over the one exercise wheel. Is this normal?
It's only been a week, but listening to them squabble is hard. Should I
get them two wheels? Or is separating them the only answer? They get along
at least half the time, and bicker the rest. At feeding times, they even
growl at me if I go in near their food dish. |
You
will find that degus of both sexes will bicker and argue over resources
that they value highly. This is most noticeable over food, but as you have
seen, often occurs over running wheels and other toys. This is completely
normal- in most cases the bickering tends to be mostly noise (the whine
and groan vocalisations- see the sound
page), along with pushing/shoving and occasional lunging or nipping. I
would only be worried about the fighting if is gets
serious- i.e. you see
signs of physical injury, or one degu tearing/kicking at the other.
Basically, your degus have a conflict of superiority and are trying to
sort out their hierarchy- both want to become the alpha degu and get first
say over the food/wheel. This should settle down after a while once some
sort of order is established, but you will always get some 'possessive'
squabbling, it's degu nature! In the meantime, you are absolutely right to
give separate food bowls. In addition, you could try placing one bowl on a
different level to try and keep the two apart at mealtimes. I also think
getting another wheel would be a good idea, although they will still
squabble over one (the old 'I want what you're playing with' syndrome!). I
also recommend you give them as much fresh hay as they can eat to provide
them with another source of boredom relief and keep their gut functioning
healthily (if they don't have hay already!). |
QUESTION-
Stress |
ANSWER |
One
of our degus has been chewing the fur off his front paws for the last
couple weeks. Until the last few days, it hasn't been that big an issue,
he just had bare paws. He's not working his way up his front legs and he
started to pull so hard it started to bleed.
We're nearly positive why
he's doing this. He's stressed because of some problems he's having with
his eye (the chewing increases as his eye gets worse). Since we've had
him, the tear duct between his eye and nose has been blocked or is
non-existent, leaving his eye squinty and full of mucous. We have a
surgery appointment in a couple weeks to hopefully get this remedied.
In the meantime, we were
wondering if you had any suggestions to get him to stop. We've read about
a stop chew lotion that's available in the UK, but by the time it would
get here, he would've a) had his surgery or b) chewed all his fur off.
I've heard that some people use Bitter Apple spray, designed for dogs, to
stop chinchillas from doing this. Has anyone tried something along this
line? We don't want to give him anything that is dangerous or will hurt
him.
|
That's
really interesting- Degutopia's Jeremy
has had the exact same problem! However, with Jeremy, he has always chewed
the fur off his left paw as a stereotypy/stress response and only
recently did his tear duct and sinuses become infected as a result of
blockage. He had a week's course of antibiotics which not only cleared up
the infection but also sorted out the blockage which cleared up by itself-
now he has completely stopped chewing the hair off his paw. I have to say
that I didn't try and stop him doing this as it might have caused him to
develop a more serious stereotypy through behavioural suppression-
chewing hair is a way of coping with the stress. However, his fur- chewing
was not as bad as your degu's, the worst it got was chewing it up his leg
as well and some on the other paw. I think that the degree if paw chewing
is directly related to the stress levels your degu is experiencing and
thus his attempts to cope are increasing. Since your degu is actually
self injuring (a maladaptive behaviour) I can suggest that his ability to
cope and his welfare is decreasing. By stopping this paw chewing, you may
stop your degu from inflicting further damage to himself, but this will not
improve his welfare as he will still be attempting to cope with his situation but it will now either be inhibited of expressed in some other
form. In the worst case scenario, by stopping your degu paw chewing you
could induce learned helplessness- a state of complete behavioural
suppression in which your degu will stop interacting with his environment
entirely.
But I might be
being a little pessimistic here, this is the worst possible outcome after
all. The best advice I can give is to get the sinus problem sorted out
ASAP to completely remove the source of stress and the stereotypy will
disappear with it- if you catch it in time.
A full guide to
treating fur-pulling in degus can be found here.
|
QUESTION-
Handling |
ANSWER |
Do
degus like being held? |
Degus
will only tolerate being held (restrained) for short periods of time if
they are familiar with the person and only when they are comfortable.
Degus hate being held completely around the abdomen (middle) as this is
similar to being grabbed by a predator in the wild.
If held in this way, the degu will try and wriggle out of it to break free
(this promotes survival from a predator). However your degu will enjoy
sitting on your hands/arms for a while if you give them a rub behind the
ears. Very tame degus have even been known to sleep on their owner's
shoulder or in their hands. A relaxed degu will sit very still or even lie
in a comfortable position. You can tell if your degu is comfy if they
yawn, stretch, close their eyes or grind their teeth together briefly. Try
some hand training to get your degu used
to climbing on your hands. |
I
have recently bought two new degus- they are both from the same litter and
are brothers. I have put my hand in for them to come out and sniff, one
degu does this but the other just gets really scared and lies down in his
bed. I take the other degu out and put him in a separate cage whilst
trying to get the one who is scared but he still hides away from me and
makes a loud squeaking noise constantly for about 5 minutes, can you help? |
Don't
worry, your degus just aren't used to you yet. It sounds as if the one
that hides is a little more timid than the other. I recommend that you
don't separate them, as this might make the shy degu worse. When you put
your hand in to pick him up, he squeaks because (in his eyes) you are a
predator coming to grab him. Picking him up in this way not only will
scare him even more, but may prevent you from ever being able to handle
him. But don't worry, there is another way! You must teach both your degus
that you are not a predator and are not going to harm them. This will
involve training your degus and you must be patient, but it will be worth
it. To get you started, here's what I suggest you do: Keep your degus
together- this will decrease their fear and the braver degu may help
encourage the other. Open their cage in a safe room and let your degus
investigate their surroundings. This may take a while at first. When a
degu approaches you, reward that degu with a bit of food. Repeat this
exercise daily. I recommend that you do this training before you feed your
degus- this makes it easier to get them back into the cage. I also
strongly suggest that you read the training
section- it gives you a step-by-step guide of everything you need to know.
If you need any more help/advice I'm always here to help so please don't
hesitate to ask! |
QUESTION-
Fear & Anxiety |
ANSWER |
Why
does my new degu become immobile (freeze) when I put her on the floor? |
Degus
that are intensely afraid or anxious remain completely motionless when
exposed to a new environment or unfamiliar object. This is an anti-predatory
response and allows the degu to camouflage with their surroundings, which
happens even in captive degus. Freezing is a fear response and is
stressful to your degu, so it's best to remove your degu from the
environment if they do not start to explore. A cautious degu will even
explore the new situation, which is a more natural response. |
Hi,
I have just rescued a couple of Degus (a boy and a girl) and I am worried
that they haven't settled in yet. I got them on Sunday so maybe I'm just
worrying and that I should just leave them alone. They have a 3 tier
chinchilla cage as a home and all they do all day is sit on the top shelf
together and they look really sad. They have a wheel and other toys but
there just not interested. They won't come near me to give them treats so
I cant get them to start trusting me. They were in large litters when I
got them so maybe they just miss the other degus. This is really starting
to worry me so if you have any ideas or comments I would be really
grateful. |
It's
quite normal that your degus are acting this way. They have just had some
major lifestyle changes- being taken away from their littermates, moving
to a new cage, getting a new owner, moving to a new house with new smells,
routines and even a different temperature which will all affect their
behaviour. Your degus are still adjusting to their new life and will need
time to get used to you, your routines and their new environment. At the
moment they are just sitting still in a place where they feel safe and
sticking close to each other for reassurance. Gradually, they will start
exploring their new cage and becoming braver and more active, but this is
going to take a little time. I would suggest that before you let them
familiarise themselves with you, you let them adjust to their new home.
Move their cage to a quiet room and leave them alone for a couple of days,
just feeding them etc like normal. When you come in, try to be quiet and
talk to them in a soothing voice to help them adjust to your presence.
When you notice your degus moving around more in their cage this is a sign
they are comfortable and have adjusted, so you can begin working on
gaining their trust and letting them get more used to you. More tips can
be found on the guide to 'taming a nervy degu'.
Are both your degus
from the same litter? I only ask as you have a male and a female housed
together and they are going to breed when they reach sexual maturity. It
is not a good idea to let two related degus mate as this inbreeding can
lead to problems with the pups due to something called genetic depression.
This is a particular problem in degus so I thought I should point it out-
hope I'm not intruding!
|
I
recently rescued two four month old girls from a horrible pet shop and
brought them home. I am being patient, they are VERY nervous. I have held
them and have not been bitten, but if I go near them they run for cover,
actually they hardly come out from their "hide" boxes, only when
no one is around. It may just be that they are nervous, they are soooooo
adorable.
I do not know what
to do next, I am patient, but I also want a pet I can cuddle, I do not
want to hold tight, or hold for long periods of time, but it would be nice
if I could eventually scoop them up without cornering them, it seems cruel
but I have to when I clean the cage. I have only had them a week.
|
Degus
grow to become loyal companions that are more loving and understanding
than any pet I've ever had. They're so unique in their behaviour that I am
fascinated by them- hence all the work I have done/am doing for them! I
have eight degus at the moment and one five year old male I rescued a year
ago is so attached to me that he follows me around everywhere and likes
nothing better that sitting on my knee and letting me groom him. He even
sleeps on me for hours, he's such a softie. The others are not as attached
to me as he is (yet!), but they are getting that way. It's always the same
when you get a new arrival, particularly ones that may have been
traumatised by their previous experience and who may not be used to human
attention. In your case, all you are going to need is a little patience
and your degus will do all the rest for you. Your degus are a little
scared at the moment as they've just experienced some major lifestyle
changes, including moving cages, moving handlers, moving environment and
are experiencing unfamiliar smells and routines. Their natural response is
to hide away somewhere they feel safe, particularly when they feel
threatened. Of course they aren't familiar with you yet so immediately
retreat to safety when you approach them- you need to teach them you are
OK and aren't going to 'eat' them! It's a good sign that they come out of
hiding when no one's around- it shows they are adapting to their new home
and settling in. Now is the best time for them to start getting to know
you. To begin with, what I suggest you do is whenever you are in the
house, sit with your degus in a quiet room while they are in their cage.
You could watch TV (quietly) or something whilst doing this so you don't
get bored! This will allow the degus to familiarise themselves with your
presence, and when one comes out of hiding you could try talking to it in
a soothing voice to reassure it. You will need to do this until you are
confident your degus are OK with you being there and you're not going to
hurt them. This should only take a few days, and in the meantime go about
feeding them, etc as normal, remember to talk calmly to them whenever you
do this. When sitting with them, you could also try putting your hand
against the bars for them to sniff you and adjust to your scent. When you
are confident your degus are comfortable with your presence, you can
proceed to the next step which is important in gaining their trust. Not
only will it teach your degus that you are a 'friend', it is also the
first step in hand training them so they are easy to pick up. To do this,
when you feed your degus, don't put their feed in their bowl like usual,
but keep it in your hand. Put your hand inside the cage with the food
inside your open palm and hold very still. Your degus will be hungry as it
is their usual feeding time, so will be more inclined to overcome their
fear of you to get the reward of food. To begin with, your degus will
approach your hand with caution and this is when you will need the most
patience, but they will quickly realise you are 'safe' and will associate
being near your hand with positive reward (food). You will notice as their
trust develops as they will stop snatching bits of food and running off to
eat it and will start sitting next to your hand to eat, or even climb on.
When they're brave enough, you can start specifying their training to
picking them up, but they do need to trust you for this (for a
step-by-step guide on hand training your degus please see the training
section). All this should only take a couple of weeks, but remember this
is directly related to not only their past experience but also to your
patience and time- the more time you spend doing this the quicker they
will come out of their shells. Remember that what you put into doing for
your degus is what you will get out of them tenfold- you will not be
disappointed! Talking to many degu owners they have all told me that they
have a special bond with their degus unlike that they have had with any
previous pets- and I'm sure you will know exactly what they mean in a
couple of months. I would also like to briefly mention the 'normal' degu
behaviour you are going to experience in the near future: running up to
the cage bars when you come in the room to greet you; following you around
the room at feeding time; charging around the room when you let them out
and playing with each other making little chirping sounds; running,
jumping and climbing all over you; sitting in your hands while you give
them a rub behind the ear; running off with the pen you were using to do
the crossword (grr!); trying to burry that little bit of food you just
gave them in the carpet; leaping in the air for apparently no reason at
all; I could go on but I think you get the idea! I hope what I've said
persuades you to give it a try and not give up on them- you've already
helped them so much by giving them a good home. I can promise you that in
the end, you will not regret adopting these little guys. If you need any
more help or advice I'm always here, please don't hesitate to e-mail me.
You might like to join our Yahoo group and talk to the other members too.
One more thing- you might find the guide to taming
a nervy degu is helpful as well! |
Well
I only recently got my degus, being I got one yesterday December 16th, and
one December 15th. But I've been wondering, my one Kojiro I've had since
the 15th, he seems to trust me a little more than he did, he took a piece
of alfalfa block from me today and he lets me pet him if I repeat his name
in a calm voice, but my newest one Booboo squeaks out loudly and runs when
I put my hand in, but he stops when I pick him up and let him run around
on my bed, and once he goes back into the cage, he settles down... I was
curious also if handling them often or just talking to them a lot may
help, because I know that sorta thing works with mice, if their skitzy you
handle them more often and baby talk to them to show that everything is
okay. Would that work with degus? |
Sounds
like your degus are still getting used to you. Remember they have to build
up their trust in you before they will start learning and responding to
training- luckily this doesn't take long. I would suggest you work on
letting them get to know you. Spend a few days sitting with them or
sitting next to their cage and talking to them, letting them approach and
sniff you in their own time. After a few days, start handling them a bit
more, picking them up and putting them down straight away whilst still
talking. Repeat this often but don't force your degus into your hands if
they're still to afraid to be picked up- this could destroy their trust.
Remember that with training, food is not the only form of reward and a
little stroke or a few soft words can also be motivating your degus to
learn.
I would say after a week or so their
trust in you will be noticeably developing and you should have no problem
with training.
|
QUESTION-
Other |
ANSWER |
Do
degus store food like squirrels?
|
Yes,
wild degus store
food during the winter, either in their burrows ('larder hoarding') or
outside in the ground ('scatter hoarding'). Squirrels store food as a supply
during hibernation, but as degus don’t hibernate their store is simply
an extra source of food. If your degu is full or has a lot of food
already, if you give him a nut he may bury it for later, even if he’s
trying to ‘bury’ it in the carpet! |
My
degu’s REALLY naughty. When I tell him to stop doing something he does
it MORE. Why?
|
Your
degu isn’t doing it to be naughty, he just wants your attention. If by
doing something he gets shouted at, he will quickly realise that doing it
more results in more attention from you. Try ignoring him next time and he
will stop, but play with him more when he’s being good.
|
Do
degus get angry? |
Anger
is a human emotion and cannot be directly related to animals. However,
degus exhibit similar aversive reactions in similar situations to us, such
as the 'leave me alone' grunt they use when they have some food that they
don't want to share! Remember that this behaviour and aversive responses
are related to stress, so it's a good indicator that your degu isn't
happy. |
Why
is my degu rolling around on the floor? |
Degus
will try and dustbathe in areas that are frequently urine marked, even if
there is no sand. This is thought to be a territorial
response and may also suggest they are struggling to find their sand bath. |
Why
do degus flick their tail? |
Tail
flicking is a sign of excitement and is used in a variety of situations.
Male degus nearly always flick and beat their tail on the ground just
before mating with a female. Female degus may flick their tail at an
aggressive male to try and calm him down, . Unfamiliar degus sometimes
flick their tails at each other as a warning before fighting. |
I
have seen one of my degus 'waving' their tail. Is this the same as
flicking? |
No,
tail waving is a completely separate behaviour. Tail waving is unusual in
the degu and is rarely seen in our pets. Because of this, we are unsure
what it means. From the times it has been observed, it can be speculated
that degus use this when confronted with a more serious threat. This
supposedly acts as a warning to other degus to stay back, and is probably
more commonly used by wild degus. |
Ever
since I put the girls in with Dennis he has changed towards us, the night
before last he woke us up at 2am CHIP CHIP CHIPPING! What a row! I checked
on the girls and they were curled up in the nest box quite content, we had
to move the tank into another room just so we could get some sleep. He
does not want to be handled but is forever trying to jump out of his cage
when we try to give him attention, the girls come over and climb on our
hands and are very sociable but Dennis doesn't even want a tickle anymore,
can anyone tell me what is his problem? We are missing the fun side of his
nature :( |
You
will find that your male barks ('chips') quite loudly and for long
periods of time after he has mated with a female (not necessarily
successfully). I have also noticed that degus can sometimes begin barking whilst they are asleep, a bit like dreaming. I found the best
way to stop them from squeaking for too long is to distract them, for
example by giving them a bit of food or scratching their belly for a few
minutes. I'm not sure what's causing his change in behaviour, it could be
a variety of reasons. I would suggest that it's partly due to the rise in
his testosterone levels caused by the increase in female presence and
mating activity, and partly that he's competing for dominance and
territory. I would think this should all settle down in the next months,
but keep me posted! |
My
two females are 7 months old and are quite friendly. One will climb up my
arm and perch herself on my shoulder. The other is still quite timid and
is only interested in her wheel. I have noticed that when I remove the
wheel from their cage, my timid girl suddenly takes an interest in me. She
will jump into my hand and very cautiously climb onto my arm. I've also
observed the girls bickering when the wheel is removed. It's a sort of
judo-kick boxing type of exercise! They don't harm each other, but you can
tell they want to scrap. Once the wheel is replaced, the fighting stops
and timid girl is back running in her wheel.
Has anyone else noticed this type of behavior?
|
That's
quite unusual- I've never heard/observed this type of
behaviour before!
Research has shown that wheel running in degus is analogous to
foraging behaviour. In the wild, degus spend large portions of their behavioural time budget foraging for food, due to the poor quality of
their diet- they must spend more time eating. Our pet degus are fed a
very good diet (usually!) and therefore need to eat less per day, but
this does not remove the behavioural need to forage. To compensate,
degus spend more time in a running wheel, as this activity of moving
around is similar to the motion of moving around whilst foraging.
When you remove the wheel, your degus find it harder to keep moving
around the cage and so are deprived of that particular behavioural
activity. This has a direct impact on their welfare, as they can no
longer exhibit a full behavioural repertoire. Thus stress levels
increase, and this is more likely to trigger agnostic interactions
with companions, and, as you have seen, an increase in interest in
things they usually aren't bothered about.
Degus are likely to adjust to the suppression of behaviours by
development of a stereotypy, which is usually a bad thing (such as
pulling fur out or bar chewing). This way they compensate for lack of
a wheel by 'doing something else'. I suggest that if you're going to
remove the wheel, you need to substitute by providing more low
nutritional quality food for them to continuously feed on. This could
mean feeding them a small amount of their usual diet once per day,
and providing them with as much fresh hay as they can eat throughout
the rest of the day. You might also try crunching up some crisped
rice and scattering it over the cage floor for them to 'find'- more
accurately allowing them to forage (only do this on a clean cage
floor, though). If you do remove the wheel, it may be worthwhile letting your degus
out more frequently and for longer periods of time. This 'distraction
therapy' will attempt to divert their attention from the lack of a
wheel and give them the exercise that they're missing out on.
However, I recommend that you keep the wheel in. After all, it's not
doing them any harm (the reverse in fact, and by taking it out the
situation becomes negative), and they're getting great exercise (at
least one is!). Perhaps you could only remove the wheel whilst you
are training with them to get both of their attention, or maybe even
limit training/play time to when they're out of their cage. This way
they won't have any distraction (once they've explored) and you will
get more out of training/play sessions.
Try it out and let me know how you get on. |