How to care for degu at home

How to care for degu at home? With love! Every pet needs love. Then the care will not be burdensome, and the neighborhood only joyful. True, you need to know some of the subtleties of the content.

Daegu - although a rat, but looks very much like a squirrel. The owners of these cutest animals claim that they are the most intelligent of all rodents, have a high level of intelligence. They are easily tamed, they quickly begin to recognize the owner, they rarely show aggression, they do not smell. A fairy tale, not a pet!

Proper housing

When purchasing a degu, it is worth remembering that first of all these are rodents. Therefore, it is necessary to contain them accordingly. No wooden cages are out of the question. The bars will fall under the onslaught of the teeth almost immediately.

The metal cage should be large.The most convenient square, with sides of 70 cm and more. It would be nice to arrange for the animals a few floors. They are very mobile, jumping. The system of ladders, tunnels, all kinds of moves will add excitement to the bush rat. It is possible to hang ropes, crossbeams for the upper lattice. The running wheel will allow the animal to warm up and maintain mobility when it is impossible to walk around the apartment.

House
A ceramic pot without a glaze with a chipped edge will fit perfectly. The wooden dwelling "Chilean squirrel" quickly turns into chips. If, however, a tree house was chosen, then it will just be necessary to change it more often to a new one.

Litter
Straw is not suitable. None Degus are herbivores, so they will try to taste it. Hay is also an unfortunate version of the litter. It is dusty and can cause diseases of the respiratory system.

Purchased pellets or mineral cat litter can damage the delicate skin on the pads. There will be painful corns, natoptysh. The best option is extruded sawdust, or wood chip filler fines.

Do not be afraid of specific rodent amber.In captivity, the degu practically do not smell. If you clean up wet spots in time, you can completely change the litter only once in 3 weeks.

A great alternative to a metal cage would be a large terrarium or aquarium. The only inconvenience will be a puzzle, as on the glass walls to fix devices for sports. But there will be much less dust flying around. But if instead of a glass cover to use a grid or grating, then it is quite possible to hang everything you need.

Accordingly, do not forget about ventilation. Glass walls do not pass air. And forced airing is already a draft. The most convenient is to replace the cover or one of the walls with a fine-meshed net.

Drinking bowl
The simplest nipple. Water is changed daily, although shrub rats drink little. But they are very clever, quickly understand how to use this device.

Still need a feeder. It is better stable, so that the pet does not overturn it. A nursery for hay and grass should be the same. Naturally, only from metal or ceramics.

Sand bath
Placed in a cage for 1 hour per day. Degu do not bathe, do not wash.They are very clean animals and clean themselves with sand. For hygiene this is more than enough. If the sand will stand with the pet all the time, it will be used as a place for the toilet. For filling use purchased sand from a pet store. It is easier than cooking yourself.

Various pebbles, branches, snags, roots will create conditions for pets that are close to natural. It will be a kind of playground for them. It would be nice to add to the interior of the content of special stones. Animals with pleasure gnaw at them, at the same time replenish their mineral balance.

Council To degu less gnawed wooden fixtures, you must choose them from conifers. For teeth grinding it is better to put separate branches.

Where to put the cell

Degus are very demanding on temperature. Ideally - from 23 to 25 ° C. High humidity is also destructive. In the kitchen, windowsill, under the window pane is not the cage. Shrub rat contraindicated:

• cigarette smoke
• direct sunlight
• sharp odors
• loud sounds
• drafts
• cold
• low place

The last item on the list looks strange if you don’t know the peculiarities of the genetic psychology of “Chilean squirrels”. In nature, their main enemies are birds of prey. Therefore, putting the house too low, instead of a cheerful degu, you can get intimidated animals.

At least 1.5 m from the floor and now the animal stops hiding when the owner approaches.

Council When guests come, you need to remove the cage away. Animals very nervously react to noise and smells.

What to feed

Herbivorous rodents. This is the main thing. The main component of the degu menu all year round is good grass hay. For a variety of diet, you can include in the pet menu in small quantities:

• Cereals. Grains of corn, wheat, barley, rye, oats, flax, hemp.
• Fresh green nettle, plantain, dandelion.
• Bean dry grains. Beans, lentils, peas, lupins.
• The bark of pear, linden, apple, willow.
• Dried wild rose, hawthorn, carrots, apples, cherries.
• Fresh pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, chokeberry fruits.

Of course, I want to pamper your pet with treats. So hilariously watch them. But do not forget, they are strictly forbidden to give food from the table.For an ordinary rat, a piece of cheese is a treat, for a shrub one is a harm.

You can purchase in the pet store special food for guinea pigs or chinchillas. Just be sure to read the composition! There should be no sugar. In the degu body, it does not break down. Totally. A pet can become ill with diabetes, even just sometimes getting raisins, nuts, dried apricots or sweet fruits in the diet.

Hay. It should be dust free. Carefully watch that the grass was without poisonous plants. Speaking of poisons. Most home flowers are deadly for degu. Therefore, letting them go for a walk, carefully watch that the animal is not nibbling the greens.

Should ask the seller what the animal was fed. A sudden transition to another type of food can cause indigestion and even death. It is necessary to transfer the animal to the new food gradually, gradually adding a new feed every day and reducing the dose of the usual one.

Council Once a day, inspect the cell. The bush rat loves to keep stocks for later and forget about them. It is necessary to clean up all the uneaten remains daily, except for hay.

Social aspect

1. It is not recommended to keep degus where there are already other pets.
2. In the wild, Chilean squirrels live in large families. One animal will be bored, even with a large game park. If breeding of animals is not planned, then two gay rodents are often acquired. So they will have something to do.
3. To one animal was not boring, you need to communicate with him more often. Pick up, talk in a flat low voice, feed from the palm of your hand. By the way, boys are tamed much faster and more willingly than girls.
4. Degues are non-aggressive to each other, they get along perfectly in one cell. They are seated just before delivery, because the female can become pregnant immediately. After 10 days, the male is returned back.
5. After getting used to the host, the bush rats remember their name very well, they begin to recognize the owner by smell. Sometimes they communicate with him. Their conversation is very similar to the chirp.

Council If an adult degu is bought, do not immediately grab it with your hands. Let the animal get used to the situation. And then you can accustom to the master's caresses.

Degus breeding

Bush rats bring offspring every 6 months.If you do not control the process, then more often. Pregnancy lasts from 85 to 92 days. Most often from 3 to 11 cubs are born. Males very gently protect offspring, warm them. But for some time they are removed from the female to prevent re-fertilization.

Babies eat milk for about 4 weeks. By this time, they are independent jumpers. It is possible to begin excommunication from parents from 2 months.

If you leave everyone in the same cell, then the family over time will just be closely. By 6-7 weeks, rodents may begin to mate. Therefore, they still have to be set aside in order to prevent incest.

Council During pregnancy, it is recommended to remove the wheel and other sports equipment from the cage. Once the kids reach the age of 1 month, you can safely return everything to the place.

Special attention tail

The "Chilean squirrel" has a very interesting feature. This is a very delicate skin on the tail. Under no circumstances should you touch it. Even a simple stroking can make irreparable. Rodents take off their skin and run away. After a bare tail dies. Or the animal bites it off itself.Unlike lizards, their new tail does not grow, so a piece remains. It does not affect the health of the little animals, but the appearance is not the same.

Council Do not grab the degu from above, it can get scared and bite. You can put a few seeds on your palm and show your pet. He will climb on his hand.

Immediate care

Breeders claim that grooming is easy. Every evening in the evening, they remove the remnants of juicy food and other food, wash the feeder and the drinker. It is advisable to clean water, without the addition of strong smelling detergents.

Periodically inspect the house for the presence of feces. Clean them with a spatula or simply wash them with a napkin. Regularly remove wet spots on the litter.

Once a month, the litter is completely changed. At the same time, the cell is disinfected.

It is recommended to use a metal pallet for bedding. Wooden or plastic will certainly be tested on the tooth, and, if possible, and thoroughly spoiled.

Often check the reliability of the mount swings, ladders, ropes. Animals love to run, jump. Therefore, poorly fixed things can injure the legs or other parts of the body.

CouncilWe must carefully choose the wheel for running. The smaller the distance between the crossbars, the less likely the pet will damage the tail.

Useful subtleties

1. While walking around the room closely watching the animals. Gnawing the wire or something else harmful to them - the most lovely thing. Current manufacturers offer a variety of walking balls for rodents. A wonderful invention allows you not to run after your pet around the house.
2. If you notice the lightening of the eyes of the animal, then immediately go to the vet. White eyes - the first sign of diabetes.
3. Another sign of any disease is sharp baldness. And the wool does not necessarily fall out completely. The appearance of even the slightest round spots is already a reason to turn to veterinarians.
4. Decided to have degus? Call the clinics in advance to find out where they are being treated. No matter how they protect the pet, anything can happen. And so with their mobility and speed ...
5. Shrub rats can not be wetted. From the word at all. When for some reason the rodent has gotten hairy, it can be wiped with a slightly damp cloth. Better dry at all.The rest of the pet will be cleaned on its own using sand.
6. If you do not give the degu hard twigs, then their teeth grow strongly. In the future, this makes it difficult to eat. It just hurts them to eat a deformed jaw.
7. In captivity, bush rats with proper care live up to 8 years. Become barren by 5 years.
8. It is imperative that once in 3 months de-worming is carried out in doses metered with special veterinary preparations.
9. What are the degusses good for? Contrary to stereotypes about rodents, they sleep remarkably at night. Active time for them - morning and afternoon. So waking up from rustles and squeaks will not have to.
10. For a cozy nest in a cage enclose a few leaves. The animal will select the necessary ones and drag them to itself for bedding. Or you can buy a special sintepon for rodents. It is processed so that the legs do not tangle in the fibers.
11. If you leave your pet for a long time without master's hands, he will safely forget his domestication and can bite quite painfully.

How to care for degu at home? Follow the recommendations, pamper, groom. And then the animal will be only in joy.

Video: content and care degus