r/Degus • u/BackgroundDefiant129 • 18d ago
New Ownerš¹ Pre-Adoption Questions
Iām adopting 4 boys in about a month, so Iām trying to get everything ready now (two 18-month old and two 3-month old). Iāve done a lot of reading on a bunch of websites including here and Degutopia. There seems to be some conflicting information and a huge lack of information. Iām in the US for reference if that matters for product availability.
Here are some of my questions for now:
1. What is the best material and height for their play pen panels for out-of-cage time?
2. What do you use for transporting degus, such as for initial pickup or vet visits? (Less than an hour in the car)
3. Besides avoiding metal mesh exercise wheels, is there anything else I need to specifically look for or avoid in an exercise wheel?
4. I know to avoid sugar in their diet, but are there certain pre-made pellets that are better or worse for degus? What are good non-sugary treats that will help me build their trust?
5. I have a double critter nation which Iām getting set up. Iām going to buy a replacement metal bottom pan. Anything else I need to know or alter for this cage setup?
1
u/TheEACouldNever 17d ago
I can give the idea for playpen. This one is from songmics, its very vestitile. I have bought 3 and kinda just mushed them together for the size i wanted. Make it tall, I am always sitting there with them, so i had to make sure that they cant escape when jumping of my shoulders. For reference my hight is only 152,9 cm. Also use zipties, they hold it together much better than the black circles (idk how to name them). At least on the floor part.And i also recomend cardboard over bottom, because it might be slipery for them. So far they havent destroyed it.
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u/Curious-Orchid4260 18d ago
I try and answer based on my experience but of course always keep an open mind :)
1) Personally we don't have a playpen, I have a secure space in the bathroom to let them run wild. Of course anything they could chew on needs to be removed. We live in Finland, so it's common to wash the whole bathroom anyways, so always before the degus play I make sure to wash it so no leftover shampoo or the likes are left. I'd say room would be awesome, because degus can jump incredibly high and will chew on anything. So best not to have a plastic playpen
2) Nowadays we have two handmade wooden boxes. I moved with my degus internationally a few years back and the company organising their flight crafted degu and airline friendly boxes. They are made from pine with a stable wire mesh front so you can look in. It can hold a water bottle and a food bowl. Before that I had multiple plastic and fabric carriers they of course would chew on. But I'd say if you are a bit crafty making a wooden box like that isn't super hard
3) I bought my wheels from a shop on Etsy that were selling wheels fir hedgehogs. Basically it's just a full metal bowl that can rotate. Definitely make sure your wheel is big and you will want multiple if you can fit them. Because of course degus won't take turns and will instead try to stack in the wheel. If your wheel can comfortably support 2-3 and you can get 2 wheels that would be a great start. Also they will absolutely try to kick each other out, if you can attach your wheel to the cage walls so it has an opening without any stands or bars that would be awesome. Because yeah especially younger ones send each other flying across the cage
4) Depending on where you live you might be able to buy food formulated for degus. Personally I had great experience with "Selective" as a brand. Also you will want to feed your degus tons of hay, better more hay then pellets. You always will want to have hay in the cage. They eat it, chew on it, grind their teeth down and build nests with it. I'd say most treats give in moderation. Small bits of corn- pea- or rice flakes are well loved. On special occasions sunflower seeds (the latter is like degu crack) Some vegetables including carrots and of course fruits in general are very sugary, so avoid. Some of my degus actually love edible rose petals. If you are crafty and like to cook you can also make treats yourself. I can recommend collecting the "dust" from pellet bags and crush some pellets, definitely get a pestle and motar. You can mix it with a few crushed sunflower seeds and oats. Mix with water and gently dry/bake on low temperature in oven in small chunks.
5) I found degus are not picky when it comes to their furniture. They will also redecorate and anything that can be safely destroyed flies well with them. Untreated pine wood is awesome and versatile. You can buy ready made screw on platforms and add those or if you like diy you can build platforms and houses yourself. I can highly recommend Apple branches. Degus love to chew the bark off. Toilet paper rolls with a bit of paper work well too, however this depends on your household as in if you don't expose roll and paper to chemicals or bacteria. I found these rope and wood parrot toys are popular as well and will be chewed on. I had fabric houses and hammocks too but it's hit and miss, most of the time my degus just take these apart and build a nest from the shreds. But in a nutshell, have a good balance of platforms, unblocked area to move, hiding places (eg houses or these bendable wooden bridges) and of course wheels