[KatsCavies]

I have lots of degus, they are great little animals. They are very inquisitive and nosey and quickly become tame if handled regularly.
They do have a rather specialised diet as they are highly prone to diabetes so cannot be given high fat/sugar foods. I feed mine the same dry food as the guinea pigs which is fine plus plenty of hay. The only fresh food I really give them is dandelion leaves as they won't hurt them. They get the odd few sunflower seeds every now and then as a treat.
They have to have a completely metal cage as plastic and wood are quickly chewed. Height is more important than floor space as they love to climb and usually seek out the highest point of the cage. They love a wheel and will spend hours running in it.
Degu's come from South America and are most closely related to guinea pigs and chinchillas. Guinea pigs live on the grassy plains at the bottom of the mountains, chinchillas live up the mountains and degus live in between.
I don't know if I'm allowed to put up a picture of a degu for those who don't know what one looks like.

Kat