All about degu

The degu squirrel in Russia is kept exclusively in captivity. Outwardly, this amusing pet looks like a squirrel and a jerboa at the same time, 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, a jerboa or a large mouse, rather than a jumping inhabitant of parks, squares and forests, however, it can be mistaken for an exotic chinchilla - the shape of the ears and a rather thick undercoat are related to this animal degu. The animal has South American roots, so the people call it Chilean most often.

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

In their natural habitat, you can find grayish and yellowish-brown individuals; for home breeding, breeders have bred several breeds with sandy, black and spotted color, the abdomen is usually slightly lighter than the back.

The salient features of degus are:

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

The rodent sees rather poorly, which is explained by the peculiarities of the structure and placement of the eyes, however, this is more than offset by an ideal sense of smell and good hearing. Under natural conditions, the degu can navigate not only in the daytime, but also in the dark.

A person who has decided to become the owner of this cute animal needs to know that a decorative squirrel is a very inquisitive animal that loves to communicate with its relatives... If you start several rodents at once, then the animals will always be in an extremely good mood, but if the rodent lives alone in your house, 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 a deterioration in the health of the squirrel.

There are several important points to keep in mind when keeping degus at home.

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

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

It is optimal to equip two or three levels inside, as well as create a compartment in each aviary for night sleep and rest of the animal with a hammock, usually a small house is purchased for this. There must be a tray with sawdust in the cage.By the way, they can also be used to cover the bottom of the cage. And if there are no shavings or sawdust at hand, then they can be replaced with white sheets of plain paper or pressed corn cobs.

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

In their natural habitat, degus are in constant motion. At home, they do not have the opportunity to move as intensively, therefore, a wheel is usually placed in the aviary. Moving along it, animals expend their energy and feel very comfortable. Be sure to include several feeders for different types of food, and a sippy cup.

After buying this funny rodent, the first desire of any owner is to place it in a new habitat as soon as possible. However, you should not do this - the fact is that degus take some time to get used to and adapt to new environmental factors. It is advisable to leave it in the carrying box for a while, 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 take it out and move it to a spacious cage. This must be done with great care, in no case do not cause unnecessary anxiety in the animal.Even before changing the "place of residence", you need to put a part of the bedding from the carrier into the cage - in this case, the degu will smell its smell in the new place, and this will ease its condition and help to cope with intense excitement.

When the animal is comfortable in the aviary, it will need to be released from time to time for a walk. You should not allow him to walk freely throughout the house, a small fenced area inside the dwelling is quite enough, however, keep in mind that this place should be free of electrical wiring and sockets, glass objects, as well as 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 go back to the cage - then the cage should be placed near him and the door should be left open. As soon as the animal gets hungry, it will certainly return inside. If you do not have the opportunity to wait long, try to attract his attention with a delicacy and defiantly put it inside 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 something tasty.

Chilean squirrels are herbivores in the wild, so their diet at home should be predominantly vegetable, but at the same time complete and varied. The feed should include:

• grain mixture;
• crushed crackers;
• dried green peas;
• oat and other flakes.

Be sure to include cereals, vegetables and seeds in the menu. Fruit is allowed, but must be unsweetened (like green apples) or your pet may develop diabetes. It is not recommended to include overripe fruits in the diet, 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 there is no need to wash Chilean squirrels. They are naturally very clean creatures who do not need additional bathing. These cute little animals can handle self-care completely - all you need to do is put a small bath with river sand in the cage. Animals tumble in the sand, cleaning all adhering dust and dirt particles from the fur.

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 cage with warm water and a brush, always using laundry 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.

Degu are very sociable creatures that quickly get used to human hands and begin to recognize their owner by smell. It is believed that uhthen the most highly intelligent creatures among all types of rodentsyou 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 begin to be the first to take the initiative in an attempt to establish a relationship with their owner. However, any harsh word or loud sound can frighten them off.

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

Keep in mind, this animal does not tolerate familiarity, and if a person tries to establish contact with him by force, then the response to such actions will be bites with rather sharp teeth. Believe me, they bite painfully, and you will not experience the most pleasant sensations. It is for this reason that degus are by no means a good pet choice for young children.

To obtain healthy and strong offspring, females aged from one to five years with a mass over 200 g are allowed to reproduce. In theory, females of degus can become pregnant immediately after giving birth, but in this case the mother simply does not have enough strength to feed the light babies and endure new ones. It is optimal that at least 1 year elapses between childbirth, which is why a newly-made young mother is immediately placed in 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 becomes noticeably rounded, and all movements of the degus become clumsy and awkward.

Usually the female gives birth to 1 to 10 cubs, the average number of babies in each litter is 4-8. Please be aware that childbirth at home in degus is usually quite difficult, often with severe complications, so the female needs the help of a specialist... It is advisable to contact a veterinary hospital, as 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 developing and growing quite rapidly, therefore already at six weeks they become independent and may well separate from the mother's cell into their own, separate.

There are situations when a female dies during childbirth or soon after from complications - in this case, the breeder will have to take all the care of the newborns. You need to feed babies with a formula for newborn kittens, which is sold in any zoo pharmacy. Feeding is performed every 2-2.5 hours using a syringe or a special bottle with a rubber tip. After each meal, you need to massage the baby's tummy.

By 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 under the tail of the rodents. If the distance between the anus and the urethra is about a little finger, then, most likely, a male is in front of you, and if this area is almost invisible to the eye, you are dealing with a young female.

Nature has taken care of Chilean proteins, endowing them with a fairly strong and persistent immunity. The list of pathologies to which these funny animals are susceptible is small, among them the following diseases are most common.

It is a disease, the predisposition to which is in the genes of degus. Usually, the provoking factors are non-compliance with the rules of feeding, the inclusion of sweets in the diet, as well as dairy and starch-containing substances. An excess of nuts is also not very good for the rodent. The first signs of diabetes are loss of coordination, decreased alertness, and deterioration in visual acuity.

Frequent bathing in cool water, severe drafts, and temperature fluctuations are common causes of colds in degus. At this moment, the animal nasal discharge appears, eyes begin to watery, all this is usually accompanied by refusal to eat... In the fight against colds, experts usually recommend drinking plenty of fluids, rest and the introduction of vitamin supplements in the diet.

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

Every expert will tell you that nutrition is becoming one of the most important aspects of captive degus life. An imbalance in the diet and deviations from the prescribed diet cause problems with the digestive system.

Many breeders go to clinics asking them to vaccinate their pets. And it is completely in vain - Chilean squirrels are not vaccinated, and there are two reasons for this:

• degus are not prone to all kinds of infectious and viral diseases;
• a vaccine that would have been completely safe for ornamental rats until it was invented.

In the wild, degus live for about 5-6 years. In captivity, when creating a comfortable habitat, this parameter is longer - up to 8-10 years old. As a rule, life expectancy directly depends on compliance with hygiene requirements, physical activity and a balanced diet. The longest life span of a degus in a home was recorded at around 15 years.

When purchasing a Chilean protein, first of all, you need to pay attention to its appearance and the general condition of the animal. Healthy protein looks like this:

• the eyes are bright, shiny, clean cilia do not stick together;
• the teeth are yellowish, a pair of upper incisors are clearly visible;
• the coat is even, shiny, the hairs fit snugly to the body;
• the behavior is quite active, but at the same time the animal is alert.

The Chilean squirrel is a very interesting animal, which has many advantages in keeping it at home:

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

However, with all its merits, the 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, the degu will require some peculiarities from the furnishings in his home.

• The need for sand baths. Chilean squirrels love to swim in the sand, scattering it around the aviary, so if you are determined to have such a pet, be prepared to clean up near the cage.
• Sharpening of incisors. Degu have 8 pairs of them, growing teeth need periodic warm-up. If you do not provide the squirrel with suitable materials, then the animal will gnaw everything that falls "under its teeth" - furniture, toys and much more.
• Degu has a truly physiological need for communication. If the pet feels lonely, then it loses activity, begins to wither and may even die.

See the video below for 10 myths about degus.