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Degu Life Expectancy - Octodon Degu Life Expectancy

Degu Care Sheet

The degu life expectancy (pronounced dee-goo) lists top tips for a healthy Degu.

Degu life expectancy will vary on the care you give your degu but generally you can expect them to live for five to ten years.

Degus make great pets for adults and older children and are not really suitable for small children as they do tend to wriggle about a bit when held until tamed.

Never pick your degu up by the tail as this can damage the tail skin, stripping it back to the bone!

A degu cage A degu cage should be a large wire cage with multiple floors - as big as you can afford! Similar to the rat cage shown left.

They are easy to feed and water. They will thrive on guinea pig pellets, good fresh smelling hay and fresh water with the occasional root vegetable or hard fruit - don't feed sugary or honey coated treats as degus are prone to developing diabetes.

Degus need occupational wooden toys capable of being gnawed. These are an essential part of your degu's daily life. The gnawing action wears down their teeth and prevents overgrowth. Don't give them pinewood or cedar as the resins are toxic to degus.

Provide a dust bath for an hour or so daily, filled with a proprietary 'chinchilla sand', to give your degus the opportunity to groom themselves. Remove after use to avoid your degus using it as a toilet.

Degus are naturally clean, so their cage, equipment and toys should be cleaned every week using a pet-safe disinfectant.

If your degu shows any signs of illness contact your vet immediately.