Other do degus make good pets?

[sara85]

Was wondering if anyone here had experience with degus? Do they make good pets? Do they mind being handled? How big does their cage need to be? (I know it's comparable to chinchillas). Are they a better choice than rats?

 

[Piggersrule]

It all depends on what you want for a pet. Degus can be handled but aren't lap animals. Degus are related to Chinchillas and do like to jump and bounce around and need dust baths. Rats can make nice lap pets, mostly males because they are calmer than females, but not always true though. Some females can be very calm. I have a female that just loves to lay on my lap and be petted.

 

[sara85]

i have the piggies for lap pets--i am more looking for something fun to watch. debating between chins and degus and rats.

 

[Emmett]

My experience with degus is that they spray urine. I know my friend had to put her degus's cage on the floor because when they were up high on a shelf they would spray people as they walked by. They still spray not they just get your legs not your head. Other than that they are cute. :mischievo

 

[kala83]

I had never heard of the spraying pee thing but my boyfriends sister owns Degus and her and him have tried to convince me of owning some my self...lol maybe some day but since I am already planning on getting some mice, a Hamster, Hermit Crabs, and new fish as well as my three new Guinea Pigs lol I think I should cut back just a lil. But I have heard a lot of people say Degus are fun to keep..but I have never even seen one up close and in person I mean

 

[aqh88]

They are great pets if you want something very active to watch, give treats to, and build neat cages with lots of toys for. They are not a good pet if you want something to carry around the house, pet, and interact with frequently. They are too active and wiggly to handle and while a couple people have taught degus to ride around on their shoulder they take extreme effort to tame. Unless your degus have been handled well since birth (none in petstores and few in rescues are) then expect it to take months before they will even approach you and possibly years before they will let you pick them up without scrambling off. Most remain timid enough that catching them is near impossible without removing everything from the cage. They are very cute, interesting pets, but most are not the least bit cuddle and cannot be easily taken out of their cage and played with.