Degu Playtime on a Sunday Afternoon

Today is the 3rd time since my Degus moved in that they've been out of their cage to play. The girls are still a little nervous around people so it was a bit of challenge when I let them out to play the first time but it's getting easier.

Until they are tamer I am using their dust bath (a large plastic sweet container) and a large plastic storage box to transport them to their play area on the stairs landing. I put the sweet jar in their cage and as each one enters I gently take it out of the cage and they climb out in to the storage box. Then it's just a case of carrying them and some toys and food upstairs.

One thing is for certain. Degus are incredibly entertaining to watch and practically fearless. I lost count of the number of times they went up the leg of my brother's shorts as he sat guarding the way down the stairs.

Degus are funny little creatures... Well, mine are. When they are in the cage they all run a mile when you go anywhere near them. Well, mostly they do. Sometimes they'll take food or sit on your hand but that's it. Get them out of the cage and it's a different story as they're quite happy to use you as a climbing frame! I just don't get what's going on their little brains.

I've also noticed that they never seem to stop eating, or pooping, or eating their poop. Yes, they eat their own poop. Nasty I know, but it helps with their digestive function. By the way, that's degu pellet in the picture and not poop!

I'm not quite sure who this degu is (still having trouble identifying them) but she loves her celery…

…and when she's not eating it, she's trying to steal someone elses!

I think they were out for about an hour and a half investigating and thankfully they didn't try to destroy the carpet like they did on Friday. Before I go here's a quick update on the sneezing situation. They are all still sneezing but it is mostly what I would call 'normal dry sneezes' from sniffing about in the hay etc. The degu who was worse than the others is sneezing much less and they don't sound as 'wet'. I on the other hand have a blocked nose and dry throat from shaking the dust from the hay the other day. Next time I think I'll be wearing a mask!

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My Degu Cage Plans

Building a cage to house my degus is starting to take over my life. I've spent weeks jotting things down and thinking of ways to make it as degu proof as possible. The problem is that I could probably spend months just making sure I've thought of everything so I've decided to go for it. This morning I worked out how much material I would need for a basic cage structure to the one below (allowing extra for adjustments) and popped down to my local Wickes to order it all. I will also be adding 2 sets of mesh doors and a mesh roof but I haven't drawn these on the diagram. I've gone for mesh doors as the room it will be in is a few degrees warmer than the rest of the house and it will allow for better air circulation. The RSPCA recommends a minumim CARA (cumulative available running area) of 12,000 sq.cm for 2 degus. Owners recommend a CARA of 17,000 sq.cm so I've gone for a happy medium of around 15,000 sq.cm. Ideally I should have at least 2 levels measur...

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Dozing Degus

I can't believe I've had my degus for a month tomorrow. I've been a little busy with work this past week but I thought I'd take time out to share a little video my brother took of the girls chillaxing on Saturday afternoon. About 30 seconds in I open the door for a better view. Enjoy!

The Degu Diaries

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