Degu is an animal that is not widely known among pet lovers. This charming animal belongs to the order of the Rodent and externally, according to fans of this creature, it resembles a mixture of jerboa, chinchilla and squirrel. It is small in size: about 0.15 meters is the length of the body and about 0.1 m is the length of a charming ponytail with a brush at the end. Pet weighs up to 0.3 kilograms.
What characteristics does degu have? This animal in the wild is an agricultural pest, because it willingly consumes plants cultivated by farmers. But for many years around the world they have been kept as pets and used in experiments on the treatment of diabetes mellitus, since the animals categorically do not tolerate sugar. The rodent is fed with high-quality hay and special chinchilla food. As a treat, mini-servings of cabbage, carrots, green apple, cucumber are suitable. Sweet and dairy products, cookies, bread are prohibited. They do not give cheese to animals either, since they are not mice.
Degu is a long-lived animal by the standards of its family. It is believed that in captivity with good care they can live five or more years (there are eight-year-olds). The positive thing is that the rodent eats only herbal food, so the results of its vital activity are almost odorless. In addition, he is active during the day, and sleeps peacefully at night, which does not create additional problems for the owners.
What else is interesting this animal? Degu is one of those rare pets that cannot be washed with water. Instead, the breeders buy special sand for him or calcinate the river, in which the little animal bathes and cleans its gray-brown coat. The rodent practically does not make loud noises, is sociable, loves its brethren, with whom it "speaks" in a language similar to bird whistling.
Degu is a very smart animal. The owners report that the rodent is quickly assimilating in a new place, after a few days it is already given up, and after a couple of weeks it even responds to the name received. To make the pet comfortable, it is recommended to buy a large cage (width and height from 0.5 meters, depth - from 0.4 m). A pallet with high sides is installed in it, "climbers", "houses", hammocks and a running wheel are securely attached. A couple of times a week there is put a “bath” with a sand.
There should always be water in the animal’s dwelling, preferably in a heavy glass drinker, so that the animal doesn’t gnaw, for example, its plastic variants. In addition, the bottom of the cage is laid out with chips without dyes and fragrances, sprigs of birch, willow, currant, so that the rodent can grind its teeth. The cage should not stand in a draft or near a source of loud noise. There were cases when rodents "protested" against the playing rock with a strong whistle.
As can be seen in many photos, degu is a curious animal, so the rods in the cage must be well adjusted, there should be no paint on them (the animal can nibble and swallow it). Doors should be locked onto an additional wire. Experts advise a couple of times a week, under personal supervision, to release degu to run around the apartment. First you need to lock the cats and dogs, and make sure that the pet does not gnaw the wires. In some cases, a walking ball is used to entertain the animal, in which degu can very willingly move around the premises. In this case, the risk of collision with other pets is minimized.