Octodon degus - Degu
Family - Octodontidae
Order - Rodentia
Length - Up to 12 inches
Recognition - Brownish Grey fur with a short tail and ears.
Habitat - Plains
Behavior - Herbivore
Residency - South America (mostly Chile)
Life Span - Up to 10 years
Of Special Note - The degu is very similar in appearance to the chinchilla, but has shorter ears and fur that isn't as soft. In the wild, they live in burrows and work in groups to construct large and deep burrows. To accomplish this, they form something of an assembly line and pass dirt from one to the other until it is tossed out of the hole.
When the degu isn't burrowing, it is generally foraging for food on the surface. It is a herbivore and typically feeds on grasses and leaves, occasionally eating seeds. Like rabbits, the degu is known to eat its own feces to extract further nutrients from them.
Lately, the degu has become a popular pet. It can be kept in a chinchilla-sized cage with a wheel and dust to bathe in. Since it is a social animal, it can be kept with one or more other degus, but in such situations, they will bond less to their human owner. It should be noted that the degu loves to chew on anything it gets it paws on and is prone to bite. Despite these drawbacks, the degu is a great rodent pet since it is not nocturnal and it has a bright personality.
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