This second activity takes very little effort and gives your degus a different view of their surroundings. Degus have well-developed sight and hearing, but their enclosure usually stays in one place, with much the same sights and everyday sounds. A brief change of position can offer something new to explore.
Time: A few minutes to set up
Difficulty: 1/5
Materials
A safe way to move the enclosure.
Instructions
Move the enclosure to another suitable location, perhaps near a window, where your degus can watch birds or people passing by. The new position may also offer different sounds and smells, particularly near the outdoors or a kitchen.
Choose the location carefully: avoid direct sunlight, draughts, cooking fumes and extremes of temperature. Degus are particularly sensitive to heat. The 20–24°C range mentioned in the original project is a practical indoor reference, rather than a universal measurement of wild burrow temperatures.
For timid degus, even a small move can be stressful. Introduce the change gradually, observe their behaviour and return the enclosure to its familiar position if they appear distressed. A change of scenery should remain a manageable experience; it should not become prolonged exposure to stress.
Sources
Octodons.fr (2021). [Enrichissement – 2] Changement d’emplacement. Original project published on Octodons.fr, 2021-01-08. https://octodons.fr/enrichissement-2-changement-demplacement/