Angry Degus??Cant hold them?

Question

I have owned 2 degus for a year now an whenever we put our hand into the cage they back up and squeek.We have never been able to hold them.Please help!!

Answer 1

your degus are not angry just scared just take time with them but your hand in the cage and let them come to you there nose animals by nature so they will sniff you as time goes by give then treats there fave is sun flower seeds then trust will came slowly then they will start to climb over you mine sit on my shoulder and happily sing and groom me  

Answer 2

Try and hold them and play with them for about 5 minutes (try creating a water-bottle habitrail to put them in and play around in you can make this simply by taking 2 water bottles and cutting both ends off then cute a circle in the middle of one then stick the water bottles end in it but dont jam it it to far or the paths will be blocked off (3-way tube) if you wanted to make it bigger do the same but just keep adding on and when you need corners tyake one of the water bottles cut off ends and tape it to the corner that you need a wall on (my ham loves it when i put treats inside for her to go and get)once you have all that you can get a card board box put some shavings in it then cut a whole in the box to stick the water bottle out of so it can go in and out of the box without escaping! hamsters love this and it will help you play with your degus and to get her to be more comfortable around you) i hope i helped :)

-syddles

Answer 3

I have kept degus and mine were very hard to handle. They arnt really the type of pet to hold though. Some are quite docile but most the time its best to open the doors of the cage, let them out for a run about and then if they dont go back in on their own then use your hands to sort of waft / gently push them back in if you know what I mean. Without touching them if you are worried of them getting angry with you!

Chinchillas are the same. Alot of them dont like to be handled. But some do!

If you really really want to handle your pets them feed them treats from the palm of your hand to gain their trust. Treats with low sugar though. You could try hay too - eventually it could turn into a tug of war game with them if you pull it slightly :-)

Ooow you have made me miss my degus now. They are lovely arnt they? Have you heard them do their funny singing sounds yet? So cute

Good luck

x*x

Answer 4

its hard to tame any pet they should have been handled at young age so they get used to being handled just takes time thats all just keep trying but dot doit every min of the day just try for about 1 mins or so aday or try bribing them wit food they may work worked with my gerilshope tis helps

Answer 5

degus need patience taking with them to tame them. It is possible to tame them even at a year old, i have done this.It may take a little longer than with a younger Degu.

Thier speaking is through fear.

It has to be 1 person only taming them. You can do this with their favorurite food.

As with all pets Degus should be handled daily to check for health. If they do bite then use some thick garden gloves to start with and pick them up once in the morning and once in the evening without fail.

By not giving in to them you should be able to eventually get them use to being handled.