Homeland and origin of degus, behavior in the wild, breeding features, description of the exterior, advice on maintenance and care, approximate price. If you have made such a responsible decision that you want to have some kind of pet in your house, but cannot make a choice in any way, turn your attention to the representatives of the rodent squad. These animals are always funny, beautiful and funny, easily tamed and rarely have any difficulties with them. In addition, the price of such a pet is almost always available to everyone, in the event that you wanted someone special, look at such a miracle of nature as a degu. This fluffy eccentric very easily gets along with a person on the same territory, and if you also treat him with various delicacies and goodies, then after a short period of time you will become his best friend.
But still, before you bring such an unusual pet into your house, it is better for you to get to know him better.
Homelands and origins of the degus
It is not a big secret for anyone that such a broad and immense concept as the "world of animals" includes just a colossal number of the most, that is, diverse, living beings. Each separate genus, class or family is an individual, it is a special and inimitable creation of nature. If we consider, for example, such a large and, it seems, just an amazing detachment of rodents, then the thought involuntarily comes to mind that most of all representatives of this detachment are no more than pure fiction. Since on our big planet Earth, it is probably impossible to find such a person who would know them all "in person and by name."
Such a peculiar, pretty creature lives on our globe, which is known to the world under the wonderful name - degu. This miracle of nature with an interesting name was presented to the world in 1782, at the same time the animal was classified into the class of mammals, the order of rodents, the family of eight-teeth and the genus of eight-teeth.
If we talk about the natural habitat of this mammal, then as its permanent place of residence, it prefers rocky locations, not far from which or directly in the same territory there are dense shrubs, some individuals can occasionally settle on the outskirts of forests, surrounded by shrubs and low trees …
The countries of South America, such as Bolivia, Peru, Chile, revered these delightful teeth as their homeland; they are also found in some regions of Argentina and Uruguay.
Features of degu behavior in open nature
These very amazing representatives of the world fauna, without remorse and even some doubts, can be called one of the most social, friendly and sociable animals. The thing is that they not only cannot endure loneliness, they even have difficult working days together with their relatives. The eight-teeth live mainly in relatively small social colonies, they rest in such groups, and they get food, and even are engaged in construction. As for the construction, you can still learn this necessary craft from the degus. The thing is that, like most of the rodents, they tend to build complex burrows, in which there are many snouts, nesting chambers and other "auxiliary rooms". But due to the fact that these pretty little animals are accustomed to doing everything together, even digging holes, the result of such works is more reminiscent of a complex, unexplored labyrinth than an animal's house - just, one might say, a palace in the life of all rodents.
Relationships in such a friendly company are formed with the establishment of clear boundaries and rules, as each such family owns its own territory, which is conditionally divided into two sections - the nesting zone and the area for obtaining food. Each such group very actively and zealously protects its property from strangers and simply unwanted guests. According to some sources, the area of one such location, where one group of degus lives, averages about 180-220 square meters.
The period of activity of these peculiar mammals falls mainly in the daytime, but since these friendly creatures do not really like the hot scorching sun, the main peak of their effectiveness falls either early in the morning or at a time closer to the onset of dusk. The relationship of these animals with the sun's rays is a separate story altogether, the whole secret is that they are very vulnerable to them and, even staying for a short time under the scorching sun, they can easily get heat or sunstroke.
The original degus have a wide variety of diets, although they are mostly plant-based. They most often eat green grass, leaves of trees and shrubs, plant seeds and their roots, in no case will they refuse fresh juicy fruits. If it happens that there is very little food on their territories, then these modest animals can be content with the waste products of livestock. The actual ceremony of eating these rodents takes place at the height of small trees or bushes, but sometimes they can dine on the soil surface.
As for how little degus defend themselves from their enemies, they have their own formed and reliable concept for this, in their opinion, the best defense is by no means an attack, but a quick and dexterous escape. At the same time, if such a nuisance happened and the animal was caught by the tail process, it does not despair in any way and does not begin to say goodbye to life, it simply sheds its skin from it and continues its running marathon, soon they gnaw off the part of the tail, which has lost its skin …
Continuing the degu genus at home
The mating season in small rodents usually begins in the last days of February and lasts until November, although in some areas it is shorter. In open nature, degus bring offspring only once a year, occasionally it happens that a degu female becomes pregnant twice in one year, but in captivity, breeding is a little different, according to many observations, the female is able to become pregnant literally in a few days after delivery.
The period of bearing babies in these mammals lasts from about 85 to 95 days, at the end of this period from 1 to 7 cubs are born, with a body weight of no more than 15 grams. Newborn degus feed on mother's milk for about 14–35 days, after which responsible mothers begin to “introduce complementary foods” to their babies, dragging young grass and leaves into their nest.
Characteristics of the appearance of the degu
If we talk about the appearance of these amazing rodents, then we can say that these are relatively small animals, their body length is on average from 10 to 23 cm, the tail process grows no more than 10 cm. The mass of their miniature body ranges from 200 to 350 grams.
The head of these animals is small, with a slightly pointed muzzle, the eyes are clearly visible, convex with vertically arranged pupils, which periodically, sometimes narrow, then expand, depending on the mood of the animal, time of day and weather conditions of the external environment. The ears are relatively long, slightly rounded.
The entire surface of their bodies is covered with short, but very soft and delicate wool in texture. In nature, there are two varieties of degus color - brown-gray and brown-yellow, but these are by no means different subspecies of eight-teeth. The dorsal side of the body is usually a brownish-gray color, it is often possible to notice that the back of the rodent shimmers with a slight orange tint. The abdominal area is yellowish cream, the limbs are painted in a light gray color. The caudal process is usually lighter, often ending in a small white tassel.
Keeping and caring for degus at home
The first thing to think about before starting such a kind of pet or any other is his personal roof over his head, because the animal will not be able to feel comfortable in its personal space. A fairly spacious and tall cage is perfect for your cute degu as a personal home, only it should be furnished a little in a special way. It is good to divide your eight-tooth's housing into several tiers using branches, shelves and driftwood. It is good to construct a labyrinth in a rodent's cage, which will be similar to its home in its natural habitat. Such a labyrinth can be easily done from pipes, running through such tunnels and passages, your companion from the wild will keep his physical shape every day, and just have fun.
The main guarantee of a long and happy life of your exotic is the right conditions in which it will live. In no case should it be dusty in the degu cage, and hay or straw should not be used as flooring, as this is a large source of dust. The point is not that these eight-speckled rodents are very clean, they just have a very peculiar structure of the nasal cavity and in dusty conditions they can often develop pneumonia, bronchitis, rhinitis and even neoplasms of the nasal cavity, all these troubles can lead to unpleasant, and most importantly irreparable consequences.
Of course, you can't do without some kind of soft and warm substrate in the cage of a South American rodent; as the latter, it is good to use pressed corn, wood or cellulose filler. You should be especially careful with wood, if you prefer this filler, then be prepared for the fact that you will have to change it more often than others, since it gets wet and rotten faster, and in such an environment, completely uninvited guests can begin to settle down very soon. Also, your original pup can eat such a filler, in addition, if there are wooden elements in the house of this domesticated cute mammal, such as houses, drinkers or feeders, then your friend from the wild will also try to eat them. But, if you notice this, you should not panic, your friend needs to grind his teeth less, and the wood is completely over-etched in his gastrointestinal tract.
Keep in mind that every pet needs to have its own utensils, and amazing degus are no exception. In the cage in which the animal lives, it is necessary to install a container for food, preferably, choose more or less heavy dishes for this, it can be made of ceramics and it will be good to attach it to the walls. And all so that this fluffy craftsman does not overturn his feeder and mix the goodies with the filler. It will be more problematic with a container for drinking water, for this purpose, you cannot put a plate and other containers, it would be best to install a special drinking bowl-dispenser, otherwise you will have to clean up your friend in the cage several times a day, but this is not the biggest problem.
The thing is that these fragile predators are very vulnerable to many diseases, especially those associated with hypothermia, so the soft fur of the animal should not be allowed to get wet. At first, it may be a little difficult for an animal to understand the essence of this complex mechanism, but degus by their nature are smart and intelligent animals, so they learn very soon. Do not pour too much water into such a drinking bowl, since these miniature animals consume very little liquid, and water tends to stagnate very quickly.
Bringing these pretty rodents into the house, you should not worry about any extraneous odors in your home, degu waste products do not emit any sharp or specific "bouquet", so this animal will not bring you any discomfort. Usually, in the first days of its stay in the cage, the animal will determine the place in which its restroom will be, where it will constantly relieve itself. This corner of the house should be cleaned regularly, at least once every two to three days. But general cleaning of the degu's house can be carried out approximately twice a month, it all depends on how many animals live there.
It is also necessary to install a container with special sand in the degu cage, which can be purchased at any pet store, sand for chinchillas is also suitable. In such baths, the animal will clean its fur, but in this it will need your help. Such bathing should be done about 2-3 times a week.
We must not forget about entertainment, animals such as degus are naturally very active and mobile, and these qualities should not be limited. It is good to install a running wheel in the cage, with small mesh sizes so that the animal cannot get injured.
The presence of a personal home for your pupil does not in any way imply the fact that the animal must be there all the time. It is advisable to let your pet go for a walk around the apartment, only this should be done very carefully, since this small-sized sly can easily run away to the most secluded corner of your house, from which it will be very difficult to get it. If you do not have time to keep your eyes on him, then it will be good to purchase special walking balls, in which the pet will be able to walk wherever he pleases, and you will not worry that he will get lost or some kind of trouble will happen to him.
The diet of these eight-tooth animals at home should be one hundred percent from dry food. Food for your friend's daily menu can be bought at the market or any pet store, usually such food contains a large number of different grains, such as millet, oats, wheat, rye, corn, flaxseeds, hemp seeds and many others. It is also good to include legumes such as peas, lentils, lupines, or beans on the degus menu. He will not refuse dried fruits - cherries, rose hips, pears, bananas, apples and even pineapples and mangoes. We must not forget about herbs, this rodent is very fond of nettles, dandelions and plantain. Be sure to install a hay feeder in this tenant's cage, from which he will feast on hay. You can treat your friend from time to time with young plant shoots, bark, sunflower seeds and nuts. But you should be careful with seeds and nuts, as they contain a large amount of fat, and this can have a very negative effect on the condition of your pet's liver and gastrointestinal tract.
It is strictly forbidden to feed the animal with fresh or insufficiently dried fruit and grass. Carefully monitor the health of your friend, degus very often suffer from trichophytosis, microsporia and many types of helminths that are dangerous for humans, therefore, as soon as you notice that something is wrong with him, the fur falls out or just on the body of the animal there are areas of baldness - hurry to the doctor.
Anthelmintic therapy for these amazing pets should be carried out at least once every three months, for this purpose, special medicines for rodents are used.
The average cost of one degus varies from 1,500 to 3,500 rubles.
For more information on maintaining and caring for degus, see here:
