I well remember the first morning we saw the degu. She was sitting in her cage with her bottle brush tail in the air looking endearingly up at us. Being the male I had to appear unaffected while my wife coo-ed and pointed out how pretty she was and since she was near enough a rat would fit in well at home. “Well, it’s your decision” I told her with a sigh and secret delight.
Saffy has been with us two months now and though she and the rats don’t get on so that she cost me a fortune for a new cage, I don’t think even my wife believed my tutting at the cost. Saffy is a delight. A bundle of energy and fun but very loving too. We placed her in a ball the rats had rejected and she adores careering around the room catching ankles and chairs, cupboards, tables and anything else in the way. Her cornering skills aren’t actually bad though.
Last week we didn’t notice the sudden hush when Saffy stopped hitting things. All of a sudden I noticed from the corner of my eye a little yellowy brown shape strolling past my feet. Moments later it returned at the same nonchalant speed. She’d run the ball so fast into a cupboard it had fallen open and she continued her journey on foot. She didn’t mind at all when my wife got down to ground level and encompassed her with her arms. She quite happily marched onwards and right into my wife’s open dressing gown where she stayed nestled for the next fifteen minutes seemingly content. Put back into her cage that earned her a yoghurt drop. Of course I turned away from my wife while I did it so she couldn’t see my smile.
Degus are very affectionate and make great pets for older children and adults. They are prone to diabetes hence the yoghurt drop rather than a chocolate treat. If you see one (or more) living at a rescue centre please consider offering it/them a home. Though considered a pest in Chile where they hail from the Degu is a highly intelligent animal who likes to live in family groups in the wild. They are easy to become tame and love to be handled. They chew so mustn’t be kept in plastic cages and must be given a solid floor to walk on in the cage with plenty of hay to protect feet.
Just don’t tell my wife how much I love Saffy or I’ll never live it down.
Oh by the way, if the rescue centre has rats they also make great pets so don’t let the tail put you off.