he is 2 years old and loves to be petted. but if i pick him up he bites me! do you think he needs a friend? or will he get mad at me?(he's VERY hot tempered!). i dont want to irratate him and i dont want him to be lone either.. what should i do? by the way someone told me he's too old to get along with any other small pet i put in his cage.
Answers:
A friend to your degu would be the best as degus are very social animals and are bored when alone. And 2 years isn't old age for a degu at all. I would try to introduce to him a young degu male (about 6-8 weeks).
Pets tend to bite something they haven't tasted before. Sometimes you don't have to pick it up to show it love. Give it something to play with. It will love you more.
Degus are very social animals and are best kept in pairs or groups. It must be another degu though, you can't just throw in "any other small pet".
Get a second degu and a temporary second cage. Let them play together outside of their cages at first. Introduce them slowly. Next, try putting your older degu into the newer degu's cage temporarily and under your supervision. If they get along after several days start to put the new degu in the old degu's cage, once again under your supervision at first. Leave them together for longer and longer periods of time until eventually they can stay together all the time.
However, be aware of the possibility that your new degu and old degu won't get along. So, if you don't want to risk two degus in two seperate cages, don't get another degu.
Degus relate well to humans, but due to their highly social nature it is far better for their welfare to keep them in same-sex pairs or more. Two or more males may be kept together, provided they have been housed together from an early age. Keeping degus in pairs is very popular; degus bond strongly with other members of their 'group' and this is often extended to include humans who spend a lot of time around them. Degus should be kept in large roomy cages with lots of frequently changed straw and sawdust, for the animal to dig in. Hay should be provided freely as this helps to keep their digestive system healthy, and enables foraging behaviour. Plastic-bottomed cages will often be destroyed due to gnawing (although this can sometimes be avoided by supplying other materials for chewing) so housing degu in all-metal cages is required. Also, because of their gnawing nature, plastic toys and other objects must be kept out of a degu reach, because some plastics contain components such as plasticizers that are toxic when ingested. Finally, the social nature of the degu can make them lonely, so humans keeping single specimens should take care to talk to their pet a lot, place the animal where it can take part in daily life of the household, and get them frequently out of the cage (degus like cuddling with humans, and can sit still and even sleep on laps if comfortable, but shouldn't be left running freely). The recent upsurge in interest in the degu as a pet has had both positive and negative results. The increase in popularity has created a deluge of degus being put up for adoption because of ignorant or unsuspecting owners unable to care for them properly. Of course, this has also increased awareness of the needs of degus as unique rodent companions.
well...degus are quite social...i've read theat its suggested that you eather pets or hold the daily, or if thats too hard to get another degu, for it to have company...now with the way you describe yours it does sorta sound like it could injure another degu...if it gets annoyed, or because he isnt used to it. play with your degu often. they love attention...with me i had a degu who used to always bite, but after its companion died, and i played with it more, it nvr bit me, and i mean like nvr. and yes, like someone else said, give it more toys, and things to do and explore so its not too bored.
good luck!
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The degus are very social pets.
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