|
Horse Dentist - Holland, Germany & Belgium |
Online pet magazine.Almost everything you need to know about pet care.Petmag supports Guide Dogs for the BlindDegu - Octodon degu
The Degu (pronounced dee-goo) have recently become popular as pets in the UK, though until very recently they were seldom found in traditional pet shops.Degus make great pets for adults and older children having an advantage over traditional small pets, in that they are active during the daytime rather than at night (diurnal) by habit. Degus are not really suitable for small children as they do tend to wriggle about a bit when held until tamed. They are easy to feed and water. Other traits and factors are their longevity living well over ten years in ideal conditions but generally to be around 5-8 years of age. Degus have a haired tail, as compared to rats and mice, which many people prefer. Degus are entertaining as not only do they have a complex vocal repertoire, including squealing, barking, whistling, chirping and more, for communicating but also drum with their feet, beat their tail and use their head to thump objects noisily too!
Untamed degus, as with most small animals, can be prone to biting, but their intelligent nature makes them reasonably easy to tame. Tame Degus often go through a grooming action with their owners, gently nibbling action to the skin, but they can give a defensive bite with their naturally orange teeth if they feel threatened.
|
|
One
disadvantage of the degu as a pet is that they are incessant gnawers; much more
than most other common rodent pets. They can easily get through plastic-bottomed
cages typically found in pet stores and because of this gnawing, plastic toys
and other items; bowls, etc. must be kept out of a degu's reach, because some
plastics contain components such as plasticizers that are toxic when ingested.
The other is that Degus are best kept in a same sex group, as big as you like,
or pair at the least. Degus are best kept in a largish wire cage with a number
of different levels.
Degus are mainly known for their brown fur, but through genetic mutations
of white, cream, black, blue, and tan coloured fur have come about through intentional
inbreeding, has established these colours, although at the time of writing not
readily available in the pet market place.
Pet Breeders, Pet Associations and Pet SuppliesGet your details listed in our Directory Or submit an article/feature You do not need to have a website to get listed, however you will need a contact email address - just click here to contact us. |