Degu Info

The degu is a small sized rodent that is native to the area of Chile in South America.  They are occasionally called the brush-tailed rat and grow to be up to 12 inches long not including their tail.  A full grown degu will weigh between 170 and 300 grams.  Their tail is long and thin with a black tuft at the end.  They sport dark ears with little fur, gray toes, and a nail on their fifth toe instead of a claw.

Degus are very sociable animals.  They make their homes in burrows and use teamwork to make their burrows quite large and complex.  They communicate and work together to form, what are known as, digging chains.  The females of the community regularly nurse offspring from other mothers.  Degus, also, use groups for added protection from predators while on the surface foraging for food.  They are able to produce 15 unique vocal sounds and use these to communicate with each other.  Although the sense of smell is slightly decreased in males, both males and females can identify individual degus by their scent marks.  They use their urine to leave a mark of their scent.

Degus reproduce seasonally beginning in the fall.  Females are pregnant for around 90 days and give birth in the early spring.  A litter of degu pups contains, on average, 6 newborns but can contain as many as 12 pups.  The pups are born with a full coat of fur and with open eyes.  Male degus help with raising the young and keeping them safe until they are old enough to be on their own.

Many rodents are nocturnal and spend the day sleeping and are awake at night.  Degus, on the other hand, are diurnal and are mostly active during the daytime.

The degu does not eat meat.  These herbivores eat grass, shrubs, and forage for seeds.  They have evolved to be able to handle the high amounts of fiber they take in with the dried forage.  Degus are very intolerant to sugar in their diet.  If it is hot during the day they will search for food during the morning and evening, while staying in their burrow during the middle of the day.

Degus are used in some scientific research because of their inability to process sugar and their ability to develop diabetes.  Other research involving degus involves changes in their behavior as they grow from a result of being separated from their mothers at an early age.  This separation anxiety seems to cause something similar to ADHD in humans.

Degus are slowing becoming more popular as pets. They can be found in some pet shops but they are still not a mainstream pet. They have an advantage over other small pets because they are not nocturnal and are sometimes preferred over normal rats because of their hairy tails. Degus live, on average, 6 to 8 years and have unique personalities as pets. Their teeth grow continuously so they have to chew a lot to keep those teeth from getting too long. Because of this, they can't be kept in plastic pet cages. If you are planning on bringing a degu home look at the many available wire mesh rat cages for sale on the internet and in some pet stores. Degus can be known to bite if they are not tamed but so do most animals. They will, also, groom their owners once they are tamed and have spent some time with their owners.