Bedding
There are a few choices for bedding material. You might wanna consider what type of cage you have - if you have an open mesh/bar cage with nothing on the sides, small bedding will easily be kicked out. If you have a terrarium, or just high, solid sides on your cage, a bedding in smaller pieces will not be such a problem. You might even wanna provide some proper dirt for them to dig in.
You can provide two substrates to give them a little diversity and make the cage a bit more interesting for them. |
I can recommend some good quality wood shavings and some oat straw.
You want to be aware of the dust in your bedding. A lot of dust might cause respiratory problems - if you degus shows signs of breathing problems or start sneezing you might wanna consider switching to a new bedding material. |
Wood Shavings
- You should pick wood shavings from kiln dried pine - Avoid wood shaving from cedar as it is toxic if ingested - They contain some but not much dust - Wood shavings are good absorbents - They are cheap - The degus gets the chance to express digging behaviours - Wood shavings are easily kicked out of a mesh cage - Cheaper/poor quality wood shavings might contain more dust Shredded Paper - Contains very little dust - Potentially cheap (Especially if you use a shredder yourself) - It isn't the most absorbent choice - You should avoid paper with too much ink in case they eat it An example of Shredded Paper bedding can be seen at Carefresh |
Straw
- Contains little dust - Oat straw is the most absorbent - Especially if chopped in smaller pieces it makes excellent bedding - It also serves as good chewing and nesting material - It's a cheap and natural choice Cardboard - Contains very little dust - More difficult for the degus to kick out of a mesh/bar cage - One of the more absorbent options - Can be the more expensive choice - Easy to clean An example of Cardboard bedding can be seen at FinaCARD |
Avoid
Sawdust
- Contains way too much dust which will most likely lead to respiratory problems
- It can easily be kicked out and will make a mess
Wood Pellets
- If ingested they will swell which is potentially very dangerous
- Walking on the big, hard lumps may cause injuries to the feet
Paper Pellets/Cat Litter
- Will also swell and be potentially very dangerous
Sawdust
- Contains way too much dust which will most likely lead to respiratory problems
- It can easily be kicked out and will make a mess
Wood Pellets
- If ingested they will swell which is potentially very dangerous
- Walking on the big, hard lumps may cause injuries to the feet
Paper Pellets/Cat Litter
- Will also swell and be potentially very dangerous