Degus (Chilean Squirrels), so darned cute!!

[frictionlessO]

these are my lil guys... extremely friendly and very intelligent, they recognize voice, have long memories and love to cuddle...










they might just be fancy rats too you, but they are my babies too me!

[roguevalley]

1. awww. they look like little chinchillas. very, very cute. :-D

[Gloria]

2. I love rodent-y things! These little guys remind me of my

gerbils....particularly one I called "Gimpy Gerbil." I bought the little critter and when I got home, he had a "stroke." I spend time with him doing physical therapy on the kitchen table, moving his little lame leg. Eventually, he got much better.
Gimpy had a very special trick which I managed to get in a picture. He would rattle an old tomato paste can around his cage, drag it over to his food dish and then stand it upright and give me a look of total triumph!

I had many gerbils over the years, but Gimpy was the only one who played to an audience like that!!!

After the gerbils I had guinea pigs for over 12 years, with Creampuff passing 2 years ago, and Muffin, her cagemate, joining her just a year ago. Their pictures are on the refigerator and although I've filled their spot with plants, I can still see them there, begging for their carrots....SIGH.

[BUSHOUT]

3. Vermin. Keell them!!

:bounce:

[RebelOne]

18. Go away.

[ogradda]

4. they look like gerbils.

how did you get them? do they have tiny cute babies? :)

[Cush]

5. how did you get them? sold in pet stores?

I love watching the squirrels run around our backyard

[frictionlessO]

6. Okay lets see if i can answer everything in one post

they are closely related to chinchillas.

you can find them in relatively few pet stores still... call around or check online.

Mine havent made babies but Ive heard they are impossibly adorable.

and no dont "keel" them, love them!

They remind me a lot of some gerbils and guinea pigs Ive had but these guys come off as much more intelligent than any other critters Ive owned. and they are sooo loving...

[frictionlessO]

7. Kicked my own thread because the degus asked me too!

see you can even blame stuff on them, and they still love you!

[u4ic]

8. I bought one

in the early 80's...it died of distemper only a few weeks after I got it. :(

They are adorable. I think all rodents are cute.

[CatBoreal]

9. Is that King Ralph in your sig line???

[u4ic]

15. You betcha

I'd love to have a BIG poster of that pic...lol

[CatBoreal]

16. LOVE IT!!!

[frictionlessO]

11. ahh so sorry to hear that...

back in the 80s?? Wow I had no idea theyd been available as pets that long!

[u4ic]

19. When I got him

I'd never heard of them before (I couldn't even find any literature about them until around 2000). I was in high school, so it was pre-1984. They only had one, nobody at the pet store had ever heard of them; it was an 'exotic', and nobody I knew had ever heard of them either. Stupidly, I didn't go to the store and ask for my money back. I think it was pretty obvious that cutie came to me sick.

I had gerbils up until that point, so I let him loose (as I did the gerbils, who actually knew their names and would come when called!) and it took me hours to catch this guy.

If I had found another one, I would have bought one in a heartbeat.

[frictionlessO]

20. They actually need to be kept in pairs or more many websites

say 3 or more is better. They die by themselves... They love to dogpile on eachother when they sleep, its really cute. They also talk to eachother a lot, they have an incredible range of sounds they make.

Not saying thats why your lil guy died but maybe a possibilty?

One things for sure they are the most interesting pets Ive had, well except for a dog and one particular cat that owned me.

These ones come to me when I make a clicking noise with my tongue... so neato!

[u4ic]

28. I didn't know

that they needed to be kept together. I couldn't find any information at all about them at the time.

I can't remember all the symptoms, but he started to get uncoordinated, and his hind end started to stagger...it was pretty quick, I think within a matter of a couple of days he died. I'm pretty sure it was distemper or a similar illness.

[frictionlessO]

29. yeah that sounds like it...the fact that I had to get them in multis

was one of the main reasons why I wanted them... they need community.
So have i talked you into getting some again?

[u4ic]

30. I wish I could

but there's no room...we moved into a smaller apartment (had too many other pets at the other place...silverfish) and with the new parrot, every square inch of this place is full!

When we are able to move into a bigger place, I'll definitely consider it. I'm sure the degu and the parrot will have lots of fun 'talking' to each other. ;-)

[frictionlessO]

31. oooh that would be so funny, the degu would just freak!

at least mine would, they think anything with wings would like to eat them. I cant even take my jacket off in front of them unless I go real real slow like... that way nobody gets hurt.

[HalfManHalfBiscuit]

10. They resemble turds.

Friendly turds, though.

[frictionlessO]

14. aren't we all turds...I mean really, when you get down to it?

:hurts:

[fluffernutter]

12. i've never seen those before.

they are cute :) everyone needs something to love :loveya:

[frictionlessO]

21. sure do fluffers, sure do.

these cuties saved me from serious depression today...

I luuuurve them..

[fluffernutter]

24. you're so cute.

i'm glad they made you feel better. i'm sorry you are bummed out, hun. {hug}

[frictionlessO]

27. thank ya... my fault I went to the 2004 forum, and just got

flipped out by whats going on within there... total roller coaster ride that forum.

[Padraig18]

13. Awwwwwwwwww!

I want one!

:D

[frictionlessO]

23. Look for a couple locally, I dont think they ship well.

Otherwise Id hook you up!B-)

edited for couple instead of one

[RebelOne]

17. Oh, they are so adorable.

I want one. But I don't think they would last long around my Rottweiler.

[frictionlessO]

25. mmm probably not! sure the rott would be most thankful though...

but yeah might be best to keep em seperated

[Cuban_Liberal]

22. How cute!

We have a mouse, and although I was never a 'rodent person', I'm kind of getting into them now.

:)

[frictionlessO]

26. rodent type pets feel more like familiars, ya know?

so I dig on them that way.

[scarlet_owl]

32. I almost bought a pair. But I ended up with a ferret instead.

Degus are adorable!

[frictionlessO]

33. got ferret pics??

I keep wondering if they'd get along with ferrets, or with chinchillas...

dont know why but I really really dig your name, imagery makes me want to paint it!