Degu - a species of small rodents hailing from South America. They are often called proteins for external similarity with these lovely creatures. Life expectancy of degus with competent care for them is seven to eight years.
To keep degu at home is a responsible and time-consuming task. First you need to study the temperament and habits of these animals. Domestic squirrel dego are animal schooling and do not like loneliness, so they need to pay a lot of attention. If you do not play with the only degu in the house, it will become very wild and completely cease to go in hand. If you decide to start a degu - be friendly with her and pay attention to her.
Care and maintenance of protein degus
Degus is desirable to contain in pairs (as in nature they live in flocks) in a large enclosure where it is necessary to imitate part of the natural habitat - wooden hemp, twigs, stones, equip mink and shelves from improvised materials, install a small wheel. At the bottom of the enclosure, lay paper or fill the sawdust. Place the cage in a dark place, protected from drafts.
When you bring the degu home, do not rush to pull it out of the carrying hands, to put it in the cage. Place the carrier inside and leave it for a while until the animal leaves it.
What to feed the degus?
In the wild nature, dego mussels feed on roots, grass and seeds. At home they can be fed the same, and you can buy special feed for them in pet stores. Arrange in several places around the enclosure different bowls with various feeds and fix them so that the food is not scattered everywhere. Be sure to add pure water to a separate bowl every day. You can feed degu fresh fruit , but little by little - no more than fifty grams a day. Seeds and nuts are not forbidden, but they should also be given little by little. There must be hay in the enclosure.
Watch for protein nutrition and remove the uneaten remains from the cell. Do not feed her with dairy products, fatty or rotten food, and also unripe fruit.
Protein degu is forbidden to feed sweets, since they are prone to diabetes mellitus. They do not fit the food for hamsters. A high quality balanced feed for chinchillas can be a good substitute for feed for this animal. At the degus, the teeth grow constantly, and they need periodic teeth grinding. For this purpose, in the cage a pet puts mineral stones and tree branches. Squirrels degus clean their sandpaper with sand, but the usual river for this is not suitable. The river sand poorly cleans the coat and scratches the skin. Buy sand for chinchillas and add a little talcum. Bathing in the sand allows the degu to clean the wool from fat and remove excess moisture from it. Pour the sand for chinchillas in a small bath and take it from the enclosure immediately after "bathing".
Regularly clean the cage, change the sawdust in it, but not all - leave a bit of the usual smell for the animal. Degus can be ill with colds, so there should not be wet litter in the cage.
If you want to release the animal from the cage, it must be completely tame. Since you will never catch a wild and timid animal, and naturally, do not put it in a cage. Cautious and afraid of all degu can very painfully bite. Therefore, first make friends with the squirrel and accustom it to your hands. Before releasing the animal "walk", make sure that it does not have plants with poisonous stems and leaves, as well as large unstable objects that can pinch the animal.