Article By Jim Collins

Range: Northern & Central Chile

Habitat: Western slopes of the Andes up to 4,000 ft .Rocky areas close to open grassland.Savanna habitat.

Natural history:
This species of rodent is quite closely related to the familiar chinchilla. However, unlike the chinchilla, Degus live in colonies and are diurnal in activity. This daylight living makes them much more suitable as a pet species and easier for observation purposes.

Degus are very resistant to the cold but dislike damp conditions and extreme heat. Feeding primarily takes place on the ground and a wide range of grasses, seeds, leaves and fruit are incorporated into the diet.1 or 2 litters are produced each year and litter size can vary from 1 to 10 usually 5 to 6. Gestation period is approximately 90 days and females experience a post- partum oestrus. The young are born furred and are weaned at approximately 4 weeks of age. Sexual maturity is typically attained at about 6 months.

Captive care:
Degus make excellent pets being extremely easy to handle and fascinating to observe. They very seldom bite and are active throughout the daylight hours. housing can be either in pairs of the same or opposite sex or else in groups of up to 6 breeding pairs. Diet can consist of hay, a good quality rodent mixture, any variety of vegetables, the branches from non-poisonous trees and a small quantity of apple. Care should be taken to avoid excessive use of fruit in the diet due to a tendency to develop diabetes when given too great a quantity of sugar containing foods. handling should be undertaken by cupping the degu in the hand never by the tail which can be shed quite easily.

Accomodation can be in converted glass aquaria, Chinchilla type caging or outside in aviary type accomodation. in the latter, any wood used in the construction must be protected from the dugus chewing activities and the bottom must be dug out, meshed and then recovered to prevent escapes by digging. the roof and the sides should be covered to prevent dampness in the enclosure( a real killer for degus) but no additional heating is required what so ever, even the u.k's coldest days rarely compare with the averagely cold winter days on the mountain slopes of the Andes.