Q. How long do they live for?
A. They live to be about 5-6 years
Q. What do they eat?
A. Our guys eat Nutri-Block which provides them with a balanced diet. Avoid sweets as they cannot digest sugar, it's as though they're diabetic. Feel free to give them veggies as a treat.
Q. What kind of cage and bedding do I need?
A. They need a larger hamster cage or one for a guinea pig. Also provide a wheel for them, our guys run on them for hours. Pine is the best kind of bedding for degu.
Q. Should I have more than one?
A. Yes. Degu are best in pairs. They'll play, groom eachother and box. A single degus will not live as long.
Q. How much will this set me back?
A. Simon and Garfunkel were $30 each, so not cheap, but relatively inexpensive none the less. Their cage was $40.
Q. What are their common health problems?
A. Diabetes is common if you feed them too much sugar. Mouth disease is also common, two degu will clean eachothers teeth therefore diminishing the odds of this.
Q. Are they easy to find in pet shops?
A. It's hit and miss really. Almost every other pet shop carries them now a days.
Q. What kind of maintenance do they require?
A. They're low to medium maintenance.
Q. When do they sleep?
A. Degu sleep in 20 minute intervals. So they aren't nocturnal per se.
Q. Do they make noise?
A. They sound like birds chirping when they do make noise. They make noise about 25% of the time I'd say. It's not very loud so it won't keep you up at night. However, a squeaky wheel may.
