Animalscaretips
- Do degus sleep at night?
- Where do degus like to sleep?
- How do I know if my degu is happy?
- Should I get 2 degus?
- Can degus see in the dark?
- How do degus sleep?
- How often should you clean a degu cage?
- How often do degus need a dust bath?
- Can degus have carrots?
- What does it mean when a degu squeaks?
- Why is my degu squeaking at night?
- How do you calm a degu?
- Can male degu live together?
- What to do if degu dies?
Do degus sleep at night?
Degus are native to northern and central Chile and can be found living at high elevations (1,200m) in the Andes mountain range. They're also diurnal animals which means they're active during the day and sleep at night.
Where do degus like to sleep?
Make sure the nesting box/hideaway is located in the darkest place in the cage. Although degus can sleep anywhere in the cage, they will often prefer a dark place to take longer naps.
How do I know if my degu is happy?
For example, happy and content degus will often huddle together or groom each other (your degu might even try to groom you!). When your degu is feeling playful or happy in their environment, you will likely notice that they run, hop, jump and twist too.
Should I get 2 degus?
Degus are social animals that live in large groups in the wild. In general, it's recommended to keep at least a pair of degus. There are some rare cases where a degu is (temporarily) kept as a solitary pet. In that case, you'll need to provide your degu with a lot of attention.
Can degus see in the dark?
While degus can slightly see in the dark they actually have very poor night vision. Like most rodents, they don't rely solely on their sight to get around in the dark. They instead, use most of their other senses to move around accurately at night.
How do degus sleep?
Degus being the social animals they are will usually snuggle and sleep together in the bed/nest area of the cage. Always make sure you have a dedicated bed area for your cosy degus. Bedding can just be shredded pet safe paper or long soft strips of soft paper/ tissue.
How often should you clean a degu cage?
Cleaning the entire cage is usually needed once a month. A lot will depend on the size of the degu cage and the number of degus you keep. For a pair of degus, you can usually only spot clean daily and clean a part of the substrate (1/4) each week. Once a month the entire cage should be thoroughly cleaned.
How often do degus need a dust bath?
Degus need a dust bath at least two times a week and should stay in the dust bath long enough that they've covered their whole body in the dust and shaken it off a few times. Pet degus should always have access to dust baths so they can clean themselves and their cage mates.
Can degus have carrots?
Many fruits can be high in sugar and should not be given to degus. Some vegetables for example carrot, sweet potato, beetroot and parsnips can also be high in sugar, so should only be given in very small pieces as an occasional treat. Be wary of commercial treat products as these can also be too sugary.
What does it mean when a degu squeaks?
Many Sounds. Degus are said to have a wide range of sounds. An annoyed degu might chatter his teeth, which sounds like grinding. A rapid succession of squeaks usually signifies that the degu is scared; it is attention-grabbing, so you'll know to check on your degu if you hear it.
Why is my degu squeaking at night?
The main reason why degus can be so loud at night is usually that they're trying to communicate something to the other degus that are around them. ... These little squeaks are normal and it can mean that they're happy, so if they are mainly active at night and they're happy then you'll hear it often.
How do you calm a degu?
As normal, give your degu treats through the bars, but after a few, this time slowly and calmly open the cage door, then move back to your previous position and offer a few more treats through the bars just to put them at ease.
Can male degu live together?
Degus are very sociable and in the wild they live in colonies of up to 100 animals! They are best kept in single-sex pairs or groups of up to 6 as they love to play together and snuggle up to one another, and can become very depressed if kept on their own.
What to do if degu dies?
If you need to, visit the place your degu was buried. Send Degutopia a picture of your degu in happier times for the memorial page. Make sure any remaining degu(s) are coping with the absence and not showing signs of depression. Move the cage 'furniture' around to distract any remaining degu(s).
