The common degu, Octodon degus, is an active, social rodent native to Chile. Its calls, movements and social interactions can initially be surprising. Learning to observe these behaviours helps owners provide suitable care and recognise changes that may indicate distress or illness.
Captive breeding and taming are not the same as domestication. Degus retain many behaviours associated with life as a social prey species. Their legal classification depends on the country; in France they are classified as a non-domestic species.
Social groups
Degus form complex relationships throughout life. Wild burrow groups may contain several females and one or more males, within larger local populations. Descriptions such as one or two males with four to six females are observations, not a fixed rule or a recommended captive breeding arrangement.
Group living can offer shared vigilance, communal nesting and opportunities for cooperation, including burrow excavation. Food use and competition also form part of social life: living together does not guarantee equal sharing of all resources or improved survival in every circumstance.
Reproduction is seasonal in the wild, often with one or two litters depending on conditions; this is not a universal maximum for captive animals with continuing access to mates. Communal care is well documented, but parents and non-parents are not necessarily interchangeable. A study finding no infanticide under its particular conditions should not be treated as a guarantee that an unfamiliar adult is safe with pups.
Territory, burrows and daily activity
Burrows organise many aspects of degu life, including rest, nesting, refuge and access to foraging areas. Social membership can change over time, but the cited field study does not establish that all degus lack attachment to their birthplace or move simply because a burrow becomes crowded.
Degus scan their surroundings, sometimes standing upright on their hind legs. Group members can respond to an alarm by retreating into burrows or freezing beneath cover, then resume activity after the threat passes. Vegetation and rocks offer useful protection.
Burrows contain tunnels and chambers used for resting, nesting and sometimes food storage. The original account described circular or oval chambers around 15–30 cm across; burrow structure varies. Underground conditions buffer surface extremes, but a constant 24°C in every tunnel in every season is not established.
Degus do not hibernate. During hot conditions, surface activity commonly concentrates in cooler morning and evening periods; in cooler or wetter seasons activity may extend across more of the day. Weather, food, predation and local conditions influence the pattern, and captive schedules can differ.
Calls and other sounds
Degus use a rich acoustic repertoire in the burrow and above ground. Long’s study described fifteen vocal categories; tooth sounds and other mechanical noises are additional sound-producing behaviours. Calls occur in alarm, social contact, conflict and reproductive contexts. A sound’s meaning depends on posture and the situation, rather than a one-to-one dictionary.
Owners may hear loud calls around familiar human routines, including attention or food. Describing these as a request is a useful observation, but does not establish that a particular wild call has been scientifically shown to acquire an identical meaning with people. Listen to examples in our vocalisation guide.
Scent communication
Urine marks and scent-bearing dust-bathing sites are important sources of social information. Experiments show responses to conspecific urine and previous bath marks, including effects of sex and familiarity. Males and females may mark differently under the conditions studied.
This does not mean that every outsider is immediately rejected, or that transferring a group’s scent automatically ensures acceptance. Familiarity, individual experience and the current social situation also matter. See the introduction guide for practical precautions.
Body language and grooming
Read posture, movement, calls and the other animals’ responses together. Observation is especially useful when compared with the individual’s usual behaviour. Avoid interpreting every movement as a single human emotion or a fixed rank.
Self-grooming and mutual grooming
A degu licks and nibbles its coat, wipes the face and whiskers with its forepaws and scratches with its hind feet. Sitting on the hindquarters helps it reach different body areas. Occasional scratching is normal; persistent scratching, hair loss, damaged skin or a marked change deserves investigation.
Mutual grooming can accompany relaxed social contact and reinforce relationships. Squeaks may occur when grooming becomes vigorous. Watch whether both animals can move away: repeated forced grooming, fur removal or an animal that appears distressed should not be dismissed as affection. Relaxed grooming may be followed by resting close together.
Dust-bathing
Rolling in suitable sand helps maintain the coat, and bath sites can carry scent marks. A sheltered, accessible location can encourage normal use. Maintain hygiene by removing soiled material; sifting does not make contaminated sand indefinitely clean.
Research on scent marking does not prove that sharing a bath “fools” unfamiliar animals into forming a group. Nor is one permanently available bath a universal requirement. The RSPCA suggests short sessions two or three times weekly; adapt to skin and coat condition and veterinary advice. Avoid scented products and essential oils. Read our sand-bath guide.
Interpreting common postures
Mounting and resting on another degu
Mounting can occur between same-sex animals as well as in mating. Depending on context, it may be part of social negotiation, play or an agonistic encounter. It does not alone prove a stable hierarchy. A degu resting partly on a companion is another situation and should not automatically be labelled mounting for dominance.
Neck nibbling or movement during an encounter is not a reliable home test for distinguishing sexual from non-sexual behaviour. Confirm the animals’ sex and prevent unintended reproduction rather than assuming an observed mount cannot lead to pregnancy.
Vigilance
Standing upright or remaining still while scanning may help detect a threat. A field time-budget study reported vigilance occupying roughly a third of observed activity, with variation by season and conditions. This is not a fixed daily requirement for every pet; prolonged immobility with poor responsiveness or other changes can also indicate illness.
Nose-to-nose contact
Sniffing around another degu’s muzzle is often described as “kissing”. It involves social investigation and recognition rather than an exact equivalent of human affection. Parent–young and sibling interactions change with development; the behaviour is not restricted to adults.
Conflict and fighting
Brief disagreements can occur, but absence of visible injury does not make every fight acceptable. Persistent pursuit, repeated pinning, exclusion from food or shelter, panic and weight loss require action. Assess health, space, resource access and compatibility, and use safe separation when necessary. Our fighting guide explains the wider assessment.
Boxing
Animals may stand facing each other and strike with their forepaws, sometimes with calls, growls or tooth chattering. Boxing may occur in play or conflict; intensity, reciprocity and the ability to disengage distinguish the situations better than the movement alone.
Tail movements
Forceful sweeping or striking of the tail can accompany arousal and may precede an attack. It can also occur in reproductive contexts, so interpret it with the rest of the encounter.
Pushing and kicking
A degu may use its forefeet or hind feet to push another away, particularly over food or space. A brief displacement may end calmly; repeated pressure or escalation can lead to fighting.
Chasing
Agonistic pursuit can continue into boxing or biting. Provide routes to move apart and avoid dead ends or single-entry retreats where an animal can become trapped. Do not allow persistent chasing merely because it has not yet produced a wound.
Biting
A frightened, cornered or fighting degu can inflict deep wounds, including damage to the ears, mouth and tail. Serious fights can be fatal. Use a rigid barrier or secure container to separate animals, keeping hands away and never pulling the tail. Obtain veterinary assessment of wounds; people with deep or serious bites should seek medical care.
Play in young degus
Young degus show play-like social interactions, including brief boxing, wrestling and side-by-side manoeuvres. Such behaviour offers experience of movement and social responses, but each movement should not be assigned a proven training purpose. Play should be distinguished from a one-sided or distressing encounter.
Running, small leaps and changes of direction are also seen. A youngster’s bouncy gait may look less coordinated than an adult’s normal movement, and adults may occasionally show similar bursts. A persistent abnormal gait or loss of balance needs clinical attention rather than being labelled play.
Foraging and feeding
Foraging occupies a substantial part of natural activity. A field study reported about 46% of observed above-ground time spent foraging. Degus feed while moving between patches, often near protective cover, and shift location as food availability changes. These proportions depend on the observation conditions, not an obligatory daily schedule for pets.
In captivity, scattering a measured dry ration, safe food puzzles and suitable plant material can provide opportunities to search and work for food. A bowl is optional, not inherently harmful, and may help hygiene or monitoring an individual. Do not hide food where it will become wet or soiled. See our bowl and scatter-feeding article and enrichment guide.
Droppings and coprophagy
Degus produce droppings frequently, often while moving about. Owners should expect regular cleaning rather than perfect toilet training. Food areas need particular attention to keep food and water clean.
Coprophagy means reingesting faeces. It is part of normal degu digestive behaviour and has been studied in relation to the processing of fibrous food. Distinguishing it from the specialised caecotroph production of a rabbit does not mean reingestion has no digestive value.
Normal coprophagy is not a reason to prevent access to every fresh dropping. Equally, it does not establish a treatment for intestinal dysbiosis. Do not administer another animal’s faeces as a home remedy; changes in appetite, droppings or digestion require veterinary assessment.
Reproductive behaviour and care of young
Wild reproduction is seasonal and gestation is approximately three months, commonly described as 90–95 days. Captive mixed-sex groups can breed repeatedly, so annual field patterns are not contraception. See our reproduction guide.
Mating
A male mounts a receptive female; urine marking, tail movements and a characteristic gait may occur around courtship. Repeated “bark” calls have been described after mating. A call or mount does not prove fertilisation or guarantee a litter three months later. If reproduction is not intended, manage sexes and neutering with veterinary advice.
Young and parental relationships
Females may prepare a nest and nurse in a communal setting. Other group members can interact with young, but not every female can provide milk and nursing need not be indiscriminate. Mother–offspring recognition and discrimination have been demonstrated.
Father–young and sibling interactions develop over time. Wilson’s observations found declining maternal contact alongside increasing social investigation across the early postnatal period; they do not support a simple claim that all paternal interaction falls as pups grow.
Pups are precocial and begin exploring and sampling solid food while still nursing. Lactation and complete social or developmental independence are different. Published laboratory accounts describe weaning around 4–6 weeks, while some later protocols retain pups with mothers longer. The original 72–75-day figure must not be treated as a universal biological endpoint or tied to the end of tooth growth.
Pregnancy and lactation alter nutritional and physiological demands. A field endocrine study cannot establish that every mother should lose substantial weight or remain chronically stressed. Supply an appropriate ration and monitor weight, condition, appetite and nursing; pronounced weight loss or poor condition needs veterinary attention.
Minimise unnecessary disturbance and avoid repeated stressful separation of young from familiar carers. Let voluntary, gentle contact develop where possible, but health checks and necessary veterinary handling must not be delayed until a pup approaches by itself. Findings from separation research should not be equated directly with a diagnosis of human hospitalism or depression in every handled pup.
Interactions with people
Many degus learn familiar people and routines, and may voluntarily approach, investigate a hand or call during an expected interaction. Gentle, patient handling and predictable care help build trust, but easy taming or an enjoyment of cuddling cannot be guaranteed. Respect withdrawal and avoid unnecessary restraint; see our taming advice.
Degus reward patient observation. They need appropriate social conditions, space, activity and mental stimulation, and may be unsuitable for someone seeking a silent pet that enjoys prolonged holding. Persistent bar chewing, self-injury or other marked changes deserve investigation of both health and husbandry rather than a single assumed cause.
Sources
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