So, the decision to purchase a Chilean squirrel has already been made. But before you bring a new pet into your home, you need to prepare a home for it. After all, unlike a kitten or puppy, a rodent cannot be “settled” in a chair or on a doormat.
You can purchase a degu cage at a pet store or make one yourself. And expert advice can help you set up a house for a restless animal.
Degu cage materials and sizes
The cage should be made responsibly, taking into account all the needs and preferences of the degu.
Materials for the enclosure must be strong and safe, because rodents will taste them. The use of aluminum, lining, galvanized mesh or plexiglass is allowed. It is strictly forbidden to make elements of the enclosure from fiberboard, chipboard and other materials containing glue, varnish or sealants. After all, a rodent can get poisoned.
The optimal cage size for degus is 120x100x60 cm. From two to five individuals can comfortably live in such an area. It is not recommended to keep these animals alone, because the animals are painfully tolerant of this condition.
Squirrel training
Experts recommend trying to gain the squirrel’s trust from the earliest months and making attempts to train your pet. As soon as the pet becomes tame, he will be drawn to the person. Despite their tiny size, squirrels are capable of performing complex tricks.
They can not only jump high, but also dance
You can attract the degus's attention with a treat. The animal will definitely follow him
Thus, the rodent can learn to jump from knee to knee for a treat.
The “come to me” task is the most common for all types of animals. Training a degu to command “come to me” does not take much time. Especially if the animal knows in advance that it will receive a treat.
If there are several animals in the house, then you need to deal with them separately. Over time, they remember commands and easily demonstrate their skills to their owner.
In order for the result to be successful, the training process must be taken as responsibly as possible. Don't expect everything to work out right away.
Every team requires patience on the part of the owner. As soon as mutual understanding and trust are established between the owner and the pet, they will be able to perform even the most incredible tricks together.
Making a wire cage
How to make a degu cage with your own hands? First you need to assemble the frame of the enclosure using any beams made of dry, non-resinous wood.
Next, you should trim the back wall with clapboard, fitting the fragments tightly to each other to avoid gaps. It is better to use screws for fastening.
The floor should be arranged in the same way. It should be a flat, hard surface, not a grate.
The side walls and top of the cage should be covered with a galvanized mesh with a mesh size of no more than 2x2 cm. A door should be installed in a convenient place, which should be closed with a lock or carabiner. Otherwise, pets will quickly learn to open it.
Another housing option is a glass cage for degus, a photo of which can be seen below. The following is a description of the manufacture of such a structure.
Diet
The best food for feeding degus is guinea pig or chinchilla food. Sugar is not suitable for degus to eat, so you need to check the list of ingredients on the food packaging. Dried fruits or molasses should be avoided and not added to your pet's food. Fresh hay must be available at all times. You need to supplement your pet's diet with fresh vegetables, but not fruits, which have a high content of natural sugar. You can try offering your furry animal seeds or puffed rice.
For information on what a degu cage should be like, see below.
Before you buy a degu, take care of a house for it. You can buy it at the same store where you buy the animal, but in this case the cage will be quite expensive. Therefore, it is more profitable to design it yourself. In addition, in this situation, you will be able to independently choose the design, dimensions and all components of the house.
Making a display cage
How to make a degu cage in the shape of a display case? This process is similar to making a traditional wire cage. The showcase is different in that the front wall and parts of the side walls are made not of mesh, but of glass. The frame and back side of the display case are made according to the same pattern as similar parts of a traditional enclosure. The side walls are partially covered with galvanized mesh, and the remaining part should be glazed. The front side of the structure resembles a sideboard - two doors with a lock. They are made of glass.
The advantage of such a display cage is that sawdust and wood pellets do not fly around the apartment. It is also much more convenient to keep an eye on your pets through glass than through mesh.
Distinctive features
One of the features of degus is their constantly growing powerful teeth. In order to maintain their integrity and beauty, squirrels need to eat tree branches in order to regularly grind down their teeth
As a rule, rodents try to chew anything that attracts their attention.
The owner needs to keep all the furniture in the house safe in advance while the animal is walking around the rooms. Like all living creatures, degus marks its territory. A person does not detect unpleasant odors emanating from degus, because there are none.
In a family with a small child, it is not advisable to talk about buying a degus. Children reach out to small fluffy animals to pet them, pick them up and cuddle them, which squirrels absolutely cannot stand. A pet can bite hard or injure a child’s delicate skin with sharp claws.
Bite wounds do not go away for a very long time. If a degu is in a rage, it can bite through a bone. The animal should not be picked up by the back, pulled or touched by the tail. The pet will mistake this action for attempts to attack.
Making shelves
Another mandatory element that both the degu wire cage and the display case should be equipped with is shelves. They should be made from safe materials. Plywood or wood works well. However, such shelves absorb moisture, and over time an unpleasant odor appears. Therefore, wooden partitions need to be disinfected during use and replaced with new ones approximately twice a year. It is unacceptable to use metal lattice shelves, because they cause calluses on the degu's paws.
These animals like multi-level homes. Shelves are used to achieve exactly this effect. They must be well secured. Shelves should be positioned in such a way as to completely eliminate the possibility of rodents falling from great heights.
A spacious cage for degus cannot provide them with an absolutely comfortable and joyful existence. Proper enclosure equipment also plays a big role in this. Proper arrangement of a degu cage will give your pets a good mood. Below is a description of the items for the equipment.
Buying a squirrel
Buying a squirrel is quite difficult. This is a rare animal to keep at home, and it is strictly forbidden to take it home from the forest - it is a wild animal, it cannot be tamed, but it can easily be tortured to death. In this case, the squirrel may get sick.
The purchase can be made at a specialized nursery, if there is one nearby, you can try to place an order at a large pet store. At worst, you can try to go to the zoo, but you better not hope for that.
Little squirrels
Do not buy protein at the poultry market if your health is important to you.
The price of an animal varies from 5,000 rubles and above, which can also be considered an advantage of a pet.
Characteristics of a rodent
- Proportionally built body;
- Color – fiery brown, in winter – silver-fawn;
- There are long dark tassels on the ears;
- The tail is fluffy;
- Eyes – black;
- Body length - up to 31 cm. The tail is the same length;
- Weight – up to 1 kg;
- Life expectancy is up to 15 years at home. For comparison, in the wild they live 3-4 years.
The squirrel has a playful, inquisitive character and inexhaustible energy. She can spin the wheel for hours, jump off it at the same second, make a couple of dozen circles around the floors of the cage, and jump into the wheel again.
Cell research
The only thing is that at first they are cowardly, but this is just a precaution, then the squirrel will become gullible. But let us warn you - petting and cuddling her like a kitten is unlikely to work, they do not like physical affection, this is not a guinea pig
But there are also exceptions.
You also need to constantly communicate with them, because... Squirrels have a very short memory, they quickly run wild, and this is fraught with bites.
Diet
You need to feed the squirrel the same thing that it eats in nature:
- Berries;
- Fresh vegetables and fruits;
- Pine and spruce seeds;
- Mushrooms;
- Nuts (except almonds, which are poisonous to squirrels);
- Buds, shoots.
Contrary to the general belief that they are herbivores, squirrels eat insects, their larvae, frogs and shelled eggs. You can drink both water and milk. We fill the feeder 2 times a day - morning and evening, about 50 grams at a time. To prevent supplies from rotting, do not add too much food.
Squirrel eats
Never give a squirrel sweet, fried, salty, or any food from our table.
Beautiful fluffy animal
Of course, the squirrel is a very beautiful animal, but before buying, think again about whether you really need it, because there are more domestic rodents that bite and scratch less. And if you don’t change your mind, then be prepared to devote a little more time to communication than you expected, after all, the beauty, as in the photo above, is a wild animal.
And remember - we are responsible for those we have tamed!
House or shelter
Although degus have a sociable nature, they still need shelter where they can rest or hide from prying eyes for a while. The optimal size of a house for a pair of degus is 12x20x15 cm. It should be made of coniferous wood. The bitter taste of such material, safe for rodents, will serve as protection for the house from the sharp teeth of these animals.
Also, clay pots, vases or other ceramic products that do not have paint or varnish can act as shelters.
Structure care
Regardless of the development of events and the temperament of the animal, almost all elements of the cage will need repair and restoration. This is especially true for the internal parts - stairs, passages, houses and holes.
Squirrel teeth will definitely chew everything they can reach. Of course, this behavior causes anxiety to the owners, but it is beneficial for the pet’s health. After all, degus’ teeth grow constantly, and the animals also have to grind them down every day. So if the squirrel stops chewing the “furniture,” then this is a good reason to take the animal to the veterinarian.
Sand for bathing
Degus need to regularly take sand baths to cleanse their fur of sebum and to get rid of excess moisture. Any container can be used. It is recommended to place a bathing suit in the cage every day, but you can reduce the number of such baths to two or three per week. The container should not be kept in the enclosure all the time, because it will quickly fill with garbage, and the degus will use it as a toilet.
Ordinary sand is not suitable for these animals. It is too rough for them and can damage their delicate skin. Therefore, you should purchase a special mixture for bathing chinchillas at a pet store.
Additional items
In addition to the basic items and accessories that should be in the cage, for a healthy and active life the degu will need additional accessories:
- hay rack;
- beautiful frame made of untreated wood;
- place for digging holes;
- hammock;
- tree branches without pesticides.
Wheel
The degu cage should be equipped with a wheel, which the animals love to spin. It is better to make such a structure from metal or organic glass. You can cover the wheel with fabric to make the paws of rodents more comfortable. This will also prevent the formation of corns.
The main condition in the design of the wheel is the integrity of the treadmill. If there are gaps or crevices, the degu's tail could get caught in there, causing injury.
The size of the wheel for animals must be at least 20 centimeters in diameter.
Appeal
Most degus should be treated with extreme caution. If you want your animal to remain tame, you need to communicate with it and pick it up daily. You need to insert your hands into the cage carefully and slowly so as not to frighten your pets, and so that your sudden movements are not perceived by the degu as aggressive actions of predators. Let the degus come up to you, first they will sniff your hand, then they will be able to eat from your hands, and then they will easily climb up to you.
Never pull a degu out of its cage by its tail!
Hammock
Degus are diurnal. But after fun games they want to relax a little. The animals prefer to spend their half-sleep period in an open place rather than in a house. A hammock is perfect for this.
To make such a crib, you need to use coarse, dense natural fabric that does not contain synthetic fibers, which get stuck in the degu's teeth and injure the gums.
It is better to hang the hammock in the upper corner of the cage. The approach to it can be made using a pipe with a diameter of at least 10 centimeters. The crib needs to be securely fastened, because degus like to rest together.
The hammock, like all other furnishing elements not made of metal, will be tested by animals. Therefore, the crib will need to be replaced with a new one periodically.
What part of a watermelon can you give to a squirrel?
The squirrel should be given a small piece of red pulp only as a sweet treat. Before doing this, you need to cut off the crust. There is no need to feed the degu a lot of it often, because its body is adapted to grain food.
It is better not to pamper your rodent with this delicacy more than twice a week. Moreover, watermelon is a diuretic product, so you will often have to change the squirrel’s bedding.
Watermelon rinds and seeds on the degu menu
Many owners of decorative squirrels believe that their pet can only be limited to eating the rind of a watermelon. But this is not true, because it often collects toxic substances that can harm the pet’s health.
Moreover, there is nothing healthy in the peels, so you should not give them to the squirrel. Watermelon seeds can be given to degus little by little.
It is important to observe moderation in everything
It is forbidden to give the seeds raw; frying them is prohibited. The seeds can be stored for the winter. To do this, they are dried and systematically added to the degu's main diet.
How to choose the right watermelon?
The product you plan to treat the squirrel with must be fresh and juicy.
You should not give degus:
- unripe and rotten watermelon;
- the aroma of the berry pulp should be fresh and pleasant, without foreign odors;
- a good watermelon has a uniform flesh color;
- You cannot feed it to an animal if the flesh inside is glossy in color with yellow-white veins. This indicates the presence of nitrates.
Composition of the product
Watermelon seeds accumulate many nutritional components that are necessary for the development of the embryo and sprout. The core contains fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and mineral salts. Experts identify the following composition of watermelon seeds:
- more than 50 g of fat per 100 g of product;
- 32 g protein;
- 12% carbohydrates, which means 15 g;
- high energy value 557 kcal;
- among the vitamins there are folates; there are more than 54 mg of them in the seeds. They take part in the metabolic process, in the work of the heart and blood vessels;
- 3.6 mg of nicotinic acid - improves the condition of blood vessels, thins the blood, normalizes heart function, acid eliminates the risk of stroke.
Despite the rich chemical composition of the seeds, the squirrel needs to be fed them in limited quantities. The permitted limit is 5 pieces per week. You can't give it every day. Treats are always given after the main food has been taken.
The benefits and harms of watermelon seeds
As a tasty treat, zookeepers give squirrels sunflower, zucchini and pumpkin seeds. On the Internet and on forums you can find discussions among rodent owners: can degus be given watermelon? Experts say that you can’t feed watermelon, but you can feed it seeds.
They are considered healthy treats. When taking the seeds, stress in rodents is reduced, immunity is increased, blood circulation and microcirculation are stabilized. This is an excellent prevention against thrombosis.
If you give the seeds every day, they can cause obesity and protein intoxication in the squirrel. Foods should be given in moderation. Can you use watermelon instead of degu seeds? Veterinarians answer negatively.
The juicy pulp contains a lot of sugar, which can cause hyperglycemia and sharply increase blood sugar. It is useful to give treats to the Chilean squirrel in limited quantities. Otherwise, you will harm your pet's health, cause obesity, intoxication and diabetes.
Other furnishings
When creating a cage for degus, their innate needs should be taken into account. If a rodent does not have the opportunity to grind its teeth, then they will grow quickly and cause discomfort to the animal. Therefore, the enclosure must contain large stones or tree branches that the degu will gnaw. The animals will especially like natural branches of pear, chestnut, ash or willow. There is no need to remove the bark from the branches.
Rodents like dark and narrow spaces. A degu cage can be equipped with various pipes and tunnels. You can make a hole with your own hands from metal corrugation for the air duct. To avoid injury, the edges of the pipe must be treated.
Wood shavings, white paper, and pressed corn cobs can be used as bedding in the cage.
On the side surface of the cage you need to place drip drinkers with clean water and several feeders. These elements must be made of metal or glass. Plastic should not be used.
All cage furnishing elements brought from the street must be taken from places located at least a kilometer from the roadway. These items must be thoroughly washed and doused with boiling water to disinfect.
Health
If you want your pet to remain healthy and active, you need to choose a cage that is wide and fairly tall so that not only a wheel can fit in this house, but also ledges for climbing, a hammock or sleeping mat, treats, food, shavings and other necessary toys and accessories. A plastic tray is considered an excellent solution for the bottom of a cage with metal bars.
Most cages designed for chinchillas and other rodents will work just fine. You should avoid small plastic parts as your pets will chew them.
Before choosing a cage, first make sure you research the dimensions you need in detail and choose the right accessories to ensure you've considered every option. For example, if there is a moving part in the installation that could potentially catch your leg, tail, or neck. Will a degu be able to chew the bottom of the cage? In general, all materials from which the cage or toys are made must be non-toxic. The lock on the door to the house must close securely.
Finally, when comparing ideas and plans for choosing and creating a degu house, resist the temptation to use an aquarium. Even the largest aquariums will not provide the right type of ventilation or layout that will support a multi-level habitat that your pet will truly enjoy.
To make the animal comfortable
A degu cage should allow the animal to feel comfortable. There should be enough space for running and bustling. The cage must be very strong, since the constant running and jumping of the animal can weaken it.
When arranging a world for degus at home, you should make several transitions to different floor levels. These can be simple wooden planks, tree branches. The animal will undoubtedly chew them up over time, but they can be replaced with similar devices.
Degus also love, as those who already keep animals at home have noted, to lie in hammocks. To arrange a hammock, you can use ordinary clean burlap, firmly fixed in the cage. To entertain the animal, a rotating wheel is suitable, the kind that is usually placed in cages for rats, squirrels and other small animals.
A feeder and water bowl are required in the cage. And also a mink - the animal will sleep there.
