Rescued degus
Rare pets at Gut Aiderbichl
The three female degus Lena, Lea and Puppi, and male Felix were looking for a new forever home. The owners had to move from the house to a flat, and there was no more space for the rodents. In the house, the four degus had had their own room, but the new flat was unfortunately too cramped for both humans and animals.
The former owners would not have wanted to sell Lena, Lea, Puppi and Felix, because they feared that their pets could be fed to reptiles. Just the thought of that was horrible, because the four small, funny rodents grew up with these people and had a big place in their hearts. Felix and Puppi are the parents of Lena and Lea, so they are a special family.
"We know that our little ones can have a good life with you".
Origin of the rodents
Degus' original home is Chile. Since the end of the 20th century, the little furry noses have been kept as pets. Acceptance was granted, and so the four special rodents arrived at Gut Aiderbichl Henndorf in their own little house.
So Felix, Puppi and their children Lena and Lea became part of our family and are now under the care of animal keeper Anna, who is responsible for the chinchillas, the foxes and now also the degus. We spend a lot of time with these interesting rodents in order to keep them as species-appropriate as possible.
Degus are social group animals and must never be kept alone. Unlike guinea pigs or hamsters, degus are relatively unknown pets and are diurnal. They want to be kept busy and also need the attention of humans. Degus need conspecifics to play with, to cuddle, to groom each other and to communicate.
In their spacious cage, they are happy to have several floors to inhabit. There are various ramps so that they can move around easily. For humans, it can be really funny to watch the nimble animals. There is cleaning and gnawing on nutshells and fitness in the hamster wheel. Many different beeps tell the others what is happening.
Spring move
Animal keeper Anna beams with her degus as she sits in front of the enclosure plan. Next to the chinchillas, in the small forest behind the donkey house, the degus will move in as soon as the new enclosure is finished. They want to dig burrows and tunnels, so the bedding must be at least 20 cm thick. Roots, branches, stones and clay tubes will provide variety for them. There will be plenty of hiding places and fitness opportunities for the degus in the enclosure. Plenty of fresh grass and hay as well as many spicy herbs, fresh carrots and nuts, dried vegetables and seeds will be fed - all tasty treats that the little degu family loves and keeps healthy. However, the new enclosure must also be "cat-proof" in any case, so the enclosure fences must also be well thought out and safely planned.
Let's see how Lena, Lea, Puppi and Felix will accept their new home.
