Accessories

The wheel – Degus all love their wheels and I haven’t heard of a degu who hasn’t. They are a great form of exercise and a boredom breaker. There are lots of different wheels on the market but the most suitable ones for a degu are large solid wheels or if they aren’t available the small squared meshed ones, as these are the safest ones for your degu. There are also the flying saucer wheels designed for chinchillas, which can also be used with degus.

Hammock – You have probably already heard of the famous rat and ferret hammocks but did you know degus also love them too? There are lots of different styles and designs out there from traditional hammocks to fleecy hanging tubes. Or if you are creative you can even make your own.

Tubes – Tubes provide degus with places to hide and play in just like they would in their burrows in the wild. They can be hung, buried in the substrate or just secured onto a shelf. There are two varieties available either cardboard or plastic tubes.

Rope – Degus are very agile and they love to clamber along a piece of rope and have a nibble here and there. The safest ones to buy are sisal or untreated cotton and there are a variety of different styles available to buy.

Tiles – Degus cannot sweat so in summer on a warm day you will normally find them laid flat out trying to keep cool. An ideal way to help them is to provide them with something they can lay on and cool down on. There are two choices you can either buy a marble slab (normally known as a chin chiller) from your local pet shop or you can use ceramic household tiles both do the same job and both can be cooled down in the refrigerator before being given to your degus. The same effect can be gotten from rocks as they also tend to stay cooler in summer.

Branches & logs – Degus love to gnaw and climb so branches provide them with great amusement. Suitable woods to use are eating apple, hazelnut and hawthorne. They all must be organic and have had no pesticides or sprays used on them. If you are worried about the bark you can soak the wood in boiling water for a couple of hours and then leave it to dry out before giving it to your degus.

Shelves and ledges – Degus are rock hoppers by nature and are very agile. So why not give them some interest by taking old shelves out and making new levels they have to work to get too. Ledges are an ideal step up and they provide new levels and interest for your degu.