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 If
you are still doubting about purchasing degus or not, it's important
to know the advantages and the disadvantages. From my own experience
I know many advantages and disadvantages of the keeping of degus.
I put these in a list for you, which you see below.
Advantages:
- Degus are very curious and playful.
They are very lively, and they like climbing and jumping very
much. This is what makes them a pleasure to watch !!
- Degus need a big cage, especially the
height of it is important. They need a lot of room for climbing.
The width and length of the cage may be smaller. So you can very
well keep degus at a pretty little surface. Degus really like
everything, especially for climbing and gnawing. You can be very
creative in furnishing the cage !
- Degus don't smell bad ( if you regularly
clean the cage).
- You must keep at least two degus, because
they are very social. This is fun, because it's nice to see them
play together.
- It is no problem to leave your degus
alone for a few days, if you give them enough food and water.
- You don't have to take a degu male
away from the female when she is pregnant or has a nest.
- Degus don't get a nest as often as
other rodents (because the pregnancy lasts three months).
- Degus won't bite soon and are generally
friendly.
Disadvantages:
- Degus are not suitable for cuddling.
They will never become as tame as a guinea pig or hamster. They
don't like being picked up, and it's hard to stroke them, because
they walk away when you try to touch them. Degus are usually
not suitable for children, because children usually want to stroke
their pet, and they want to pick them up.
- Degus gnaw at everything, and their
cage must be made of iron or glass, to prevent it from being
damaged. Degus will also try to gnaw at your fingers.
- If your degus escape, it's a real hard
job to catch them. They gnaw at everything, like electricity
cables and furniture, and they are very rapid. It's sometimes
necessary to use a net for catching them, because you are unable
to catch them with your hands (If they escape you can best try
to catch them with a trap, like a peanut in a box, which you
can close as soon as the degu is in the box).
- Degus are real nightcrawlers. They
become very active in the evening, and they go on until late
at night. This can be troublesome when your bedroom is not far
from the degu's cage.
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