General Degu Information

The Degu A Degu is a small 5-9" brown rodent with a tail 2/3 the length of the body, somewhat similar to Gerbil but larger(2-3 times the size).

Degus originate from the lowland areas of Chile where they live in large groups making their homes in rocks or brush. Degus are found in nearly every climate except the very high elevations. They are considered an agricultural pest in Chile, but here in the U.S. they are kept as pets.

Degus typically nest and storage their food are under the rocks in the areas they inhabit. Degus in the wild can live up to 15 years, but in captivity they rarely become 10 years old with an average age of 5 years. Once they get used to you, degus can be very affectionate and will want to be petted and picked up.

They are very sweet natured and won't bite unless threatened or hurt, and they can be trained to respond to their names. I have even heard that they can be trained to use a small animal litter box inside their cage, which I believe because mine always do their business in one corner of their cage.

Degus need a lot of attention or they can become depressed, significantly shortening their life spans. One reason I bought two degus was so they could provide company for each other, but now I couldn't even imagine owning only one. Degus are very verbal and the squeaking sounds they make at each other are adorable, and watching them interact is amazing because they do so many things together, from grooming each other to running together on their wheel. They are more intelligent than most rodents, which I had read while researching them, but didn't really sink in until I saw mine in action.

They are constantly rearranging things in their cage, and you can just tell by looking at their faces that there is something going on behind their cute little eyes.

Do not pull on their tails or they will rip off and will not regrow; this was a defence mechanism for wild degus.