Rescued degus
Rare pets at Gut Aiderbichl
The three female degus Lena, Lea and Puppi and the male Felix were looking for a new forever home. The owners had to move from their house to a flat and there was no longer enough space for the rodents. The four degus had had their own room in the house, but in the new flat it was unfortunately too cramped for both humans and animals.
The former owners had not wanted to sell Lena, Lea, Puppi and Felix because they feared that their pets would be fed to reptiles. Just the thought of it was terrible, because the four small, funny rodents had grown 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 very special family.
“We know that our little ones can lead a good life with you”
Origin of the rodents
The original home of the degu is Chile. The little fur noses have been kept as pets since the end of the 20th century. The four special rodents were accepted and travelled to Gut Aiderbichl Henndorf in their own little house.
Felix, Puppi and their children Lena and Lea became Aiderbichlers and are now under the care of animal keeper Anna, who is responsible for the chinchillas, the foxes and now also for the degus. We spend a lot of time with these interesting rodents to ensure that they are kept in as species-appropriate a way 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 active during the day. They want to be kept busy and also need human attention. Degus need conspecifics to play with, to cuddle, to groom each other and to communicate.
In their spacious cage, they enjoy having several floors to live on. There are various ramps to help them move around. It can be really funny for humans to watch these agile animals. They clean and gnaw on nutshells and get fit on the hamster wheel. Many different beeps tell the others what is happening.
Relocation in spring
Animal keeper Anna beams with joy with her degus as she sits in front of the enclosure plan for the degus. The degus will move in next to the chinchillas in the small forest behind the donkey house as soon as the new enclosure is finished. They want to dig burrows and tunnels, so the bedding needs to be at least 20 cm thick. Roots, branches, stones and clay tubes offer the degus variety. 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 lots of flavoursome herbs, fresh carrots and nuts, dried vegetables and seeds will be fed – all the 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 securely planned.
Let’s see how Lena, Lea, Puppi and Felix will take to their new home.
