All about degu

Squirrel degu in Russia is contained exclusively in captivity. Outwardly, this entertaining pet at the same time looks like a squirrel and a jerboa, it looks pretty cute, while the animal is unpretentious, does not require any special care and almost does not emit unpleasant odors.

Decorative rat with all its appearance, rather, it resembles a hamster, jerboa or a big mousethan a jumping inhabitant of parks, squares and forests, however, it can be mistaken for an exotic chinchilla - with this animal degu, the shape of the ears and rather thick undercoat are related. The little animal has South American roots, so her people are most often called Chilean.

In nature, she lives in sandy, rocky and forested areas near the Andes, along with her fellow tribesmen, and Australian species are also found. Captive, decorative rat very quickly gets used to its owners and all the time requires increased attention to itself.

In the natural habitat you can find greyish and tan individuals, for home breeding breeders have been bred several breeds with sand, black and spotty color, abdomen usually slightly lighter than the back.

Characteristic features of degu:

• body length - 10-20 cm;
• elongated muzzle;
• ears are rounded, long;
• the tail reaches 105 mm, on the tip is a brush;
• weight - about 500 g;
• the coat is short, thick, very soft.

The rodent sees quite poorly, which is explained by the features of the structure and placement of the eyes, however, this is more than compensated by the perfect sense of smell and good hearing. In natural conditions, degu can navigate not only in the daytime, but also in the dark.

The person who decided to become the owner of this cute little animal needs to know that decorative squirrel is a very curious animal who likes to chat with his relatives. If you start several rodents at once, then the animals will always be in an exceptionally good mood, but if the rodent lives in your house alone, then be prepared for the fact that he will have to pay a lot of attention - constantly stroking and talking often.

Thus, you compensate for the lack of communication with your relatives. It will be useful to teach him to take food from your hands. If left alone, the animal will begin to show aggression towards its breeders, in addition, often a nervous breakdown leads to poor protein health.

When keeping degu at home, several important points should be considered.

Despite the relatively small size of rodents, a lot of space is needed for them. The fact is that proteins are very mobile creatures, so for games and comfortable movement they need large cells.

The minimum allowable aviary size is 60x60x60 cm, but a cell with parameters of 120x60x100 cm is considered ideal. It is desirable that the enclosure was made of stainless steel, all other materials are not suitable here, since both the wood and the plastic animal can simply be cracked with their pointed teeth in literally a few minutes.

It is optimal to equip two or three levels inside, as well as create a compartment for night sleep and rest of the animal with a hammock in each aviary, usually for this they get a small house. In the cage must certainly be a tray with sawdustBy the way, they can also cover the bottom of the cell. And if there are no shavings or sawdust at hand, then you can replace them with white sheets of plain paper or pressed corncobs.

Chilean squirrels behave like children: they like to hide in all kinds of shelters, so be sure to consider the design of such places. Usually caring owners put small clay pots, driftwood or ornate branches in a cage - animals with great pleasure jump on them, and at the same time sharpen their teeth.

In the natural habitat, degu are in constant motion. At home, they do not have the ability to move as intensely, because they usually put a wheel in the aviary. Moving along it, animals spend their energy and feel very comfortable. Be sure to put several feeders for different types of food, and a drinking bowl.

After purchasing this funny rodent, the first desire of any owner is to place it as soon as possible in a new habitat. However, this should not be done - the fact is that degu takes some time to get used to and adapt to new environmental factors. It is advisable to leave it in the carrying box briefly, placing it near the cage.

Over time, the animal will get used to it and begin to behave more calmly in the new house, only after that it will be possible to remove it and move it into a spacious cage. This should be done with all caution, in no case do not cause unnecessary anxiety in the animal.Even before the change of “place of residence” it is necessary to put a part of the litter from the carrier in the cage - in this case, degu will smell its smell in a new place, and this will ease its condition, help to cope with strong excitement.

When the animal settles in the aviary, it will need to be released from time to time for a walk. Do not allow him to freely walk around the house, a small fenced area inside the living room is enough, however, keep in mind that this place should be freed from electrical wiring and sockets, glass objects, and also some indoor plants (sansevieria is dangerous for squirrels, calla lilies, rhododendron and ivy).

Often, after a pleasant walk, the rodent does not feel much desire to return back to the cage - then the cage should be placed near it and the door left open. As soon as the animal is hungry, he will certainly return inside. If you do not have the opportunity to wait long, try to attract his attention with a treat and defiantly put him inside in the feeder, these manipulations are best accompanied by a quiet whistle. Rest assured, the squirrel will remember such a sound and in the future will certainly react to it, immediately approaching the feeder in anticipation of a tasty treat.

Chilean proteins in the wild are herbivorous creatures, so the diet of their food at home should be mainly plant, but at the same time, complete and varied. Food should include:

• grain mixture;
• crushed crackers;
• dried green peas;
• oatmeal and other cereal.

Be sure to include cereals, vegetables and seeds in the menu. Fruits are allowed, but they must be unsweetened (for example, green apples), otherwise your pet may develop diabetes. It is not recommended to include in the diet overripe fruits, as well as dried fruits. A strict taboo lies on all types of dairy products, as well as meat and fish products, it is unacceptable to eat leftovers from the table.

Many breeders will certainly appreciate the fact that they don’t need to wash Chilean squirrels. These are very clean creatures by nature, which do not need additional bathing. These cute little animals will completely cope with self-care - for this you just need to put in a cage a small bath with river sand. Animals tumble in the sand, cleansing all adhering dust and dirt particles from the wool.

But the hygiene of the animal’s home should be given special attention. Every 2-3 days you will have to change the litter, at least once every 10 days you need to wash the cell with warm water and a brush, without fail using household or antibacterial soap. At the end of washing, the pallet is wiped dry, sheets of paper are laid on it, sawdust is poured on top.

Daegu are very communicative creatures that quickly get used to human hands and begin to recognize their owner by smell. Believed that uthe most highly intelligent creatures among all species of rodents, you can even teach these squirrels to respond to their name and teach simple commands. Each individual has its own individual temperament, but at the same time they all show vigor, activity and mobility.

Despite the fact that these exotic rodents are very cautious and rather shy, most often curiosity still prevails over them, and they are the first to take the initiative in an attempt to establish relationships with their owner. However, any harsh word or loud sound may scare them away.

To begin with, you should talk to him as often as possible, in an even gentle voice, constantly calling by name. Communication should be regular and accompanied by stroking. The first attempts to tame a rodent must be done carefully - the hand is necessarily stretched with the back side down. It will take several weeks before the animal gets used to you and begins to meet joyfully in anticipation of treats.

Keep in mind, this animal does not tolerate familiarity, and if some person tries to establish contact with him by force, then the bites with rather sharp teeth will be the answer to such actions. Believe me, they bite painfully, and you will not feel the most pleasant sensations. For this reason, degu can not be called a good pet choice for young children.

To obtain healthy and strong offspring, females aged from one to five years old weighing over 200 g are allowed to reproduce. In theory, female degus can become pregnant immediately after childbirth, but in this case the mother simply does not have enough strength to feed already appeared on light kids and make new ones. It is optimal for at least 1 year to pass between births, which is why the newly minted young mother is immediately sent to a separate cage.

Pregnancy lasts about 3 months, and to understand that the appearance of new proteins is already close, it is possible only by the end of the first month of pregnancy. At this point, the animal is noticeably rounded, and all movements of the degu become clumsy and awkward.

Usually, a female gives birth to from 1 to 10 cubs, on average, the number of babies in each litter is 4-8. Keep in mind that childbirth at home in degus usually goes quite difficult, often with severe complications, so the female requires specialist help. It is advisable to go to a veterinary hospital, since there is a high probability of extreme cases when a cesarean section or other special manipulations, as well as injections, may be required.

Chilean squirrels are born with open eyes and thick hair. They are quite rapidly developing and growing, therefore already at six weeks they become independent and may well separate from the mother cell into their own, separate one.

There are situations when a female dies during childbirth or shortly after them from complications - in this case the breeder will have to take care of the newborns. It is necessary to feed babies with a mixture for newborn kittens, which is sold in any zoo pharmacy. Feeding is done every 2-2.5 hours with a syringe or a special bottle with a rubber tip. After each meal, massage the tummy of the cub.

In terms of the appearance of the kids, it is almost impossible to determine who it is - a boy or a girl, since Chilean squirrels completely lack sexual dimorphism. But you can still distinguish them, for this it is worth looking at the rodents under the tail. If the distance between the anus and the urethra is approximately the little finger, then most likely you have a male in front of you, and if this area is almost invisible to the eye, you are dealing with a young female.

Nature took care of the Chilean squirrels, endowing them with a fairly strong and stable immunity. The list of pathologies to which these funny animals are prone is small, among them the following diseases are most often common.

This is a disease, the predisposition to which is inherent in degu in genes. Usually provoking factors are non-compliance with the rules of feeding, the inclusion in the diet of sweets, as well as dairy and starchy substances. Excess nuts are also not particularly beneficial for the rodent. The first signs of diabetes are loss of coordination, decreased vigor and impaired visual acuity.

Frequent bathing in cool water, strong drafts and temperature fluctuations - all this often causes a cold in degu. At this moment, the beast discharge from the nose appears, eyes begin to watery, all this is usually accompanied by a refusal to eat. In the fight against colds, experts usually recommend drinking plenty of fluids, rest and the introduction of vitamin top dressing in the diet.

Alopecia in decorative rodents can occur for a variety of reasons: due to errors in feeding, due to mechanical abrasion of the coat, allergies, fungal skin pathologies. In most cases, with a correctly defined cause of the disease, baldness is treated quickly and without any unpleasant consequences.

Each specialist will tell you that it is nutrition that becomes one of the most important aspects of degu life in captivity. Imbalance in the diet and deviation from the prescribed diet cause problems with the digestive system.

Many breeders turn to clinics with a request to vaccinate their pets. And in vain - Chilean squirrels are not vaccinated, and there are two reasons for this:

• degu are not prone to all kinds of infectious and viral diseases;
• a vaccine that would be completely safe for decorative rats has not yet been invented.

In the wild, degu live for about 5-6 years. In captivity, when creating a comfortable living environment, this parameter is longer - up to 8-10 years. As a rule, life expectancy directly depends on compliance with hygiene requirements, physical activity and a balanced diet. The longest degu life in the house was fixed at 15 years.

When acquiring Chilean squirrel, first of all, you need to pay attention to its appearance and general condition of the animal. A healthy protein is as follows:

• eyes bright, shiny, clear cilia do not stick together;
• teeth are yellowish, a pair of upper incisors is clearly distinguishable;
• the coat is smooth, shiny, the hairs fit snugly to the body;
• the behavior is quite active, but the animal is wary.

Chilean squirrel is a very interesting animal, the content of which at home has many advantages:

• the animal is miniature, so it does not need a lot of space;
• degu eats much less than, for example, guinea pig;
• rodent biological rhythms completely coincide with human ones.

However, for all its merits, degu is still an exotic animal and, despite the fact that this pet was brought to Russia many generations ago, it still comes from warm countries with a hot, humid climate. therefore, degu will require some special features from the situation in his house.

• Need for sand baths. Chilean squirrels love to swim in the sand, scattering it in the aviary, so if you are determined to get yourself such a pet, be prepared for cleaning near the cage.
• Sharpening the incisors. Degu has 8 pairs of them; growing teeth need a periodic warm-up. If the squirrel is not provided with suitable materials, then the animal will nibble everything that comes under its teeth - furniture, toys and much more.
• Degu experiences a truly physiological need for communication. If the pet feels lonely, it loses activity, begins to wither, and may even die.

10 degu myths see in the video below.