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| Welcome to my Degu page! I am blessed to be loved by 2 of these precious rodents. They are native to the Andes mountain range in South America, and are related to Chinchillas. They are not "domesticated" currently, but are not hard pets to care for. They do have some dietary restrictions, but they make completely delightful companions! I usually describe them as my Little Wild Monkey Girls! I hope you enjoy getting to know them! |
| I am proud to introduce to you Chuqupa! (pronunciation: choo-KOO-pah) Chuqupa is a word from the Aymaran language, which is a native dialect to a tribe of Andean Indians. It means "Peanut"! She is the younger (and the wilder) of my 2 girls. She likes to hang upside-down from the roof of her cage, and perform other wild, acrobatic stunts! Her favorite pass-time is to allow me to scratch her belly and arm pits! She is also blind in both eyes. Unfortunately, cataracts are quite common in Degus and can be the result of irresponsible breeding, or a complication from diabetes! If you would like to keep Degus, PLEASE do not breed them, and PLEASE feed them a starch-free, sugar-free diet. |
| I am now pleased to present to you Imaña! (pronunciation: eee-MAHN-yah) Imaña is also a word from the Aymaran language. It means "to hide". She was so shy when I first adopted her. Now she is VERY tame, and quite socialable! She enjoys being handled, and is not afraid of strangers. She enjoys sniffing noses with my dog through her cage wall, and is an AVID nest builder. She is in quite good health, as the older of my degus, and her distinctive feature is a tuft of white hair at the tip of her tail! |
| Both girls have their own exercise wheels in their cages. Chuqupa, my Monkey Child, is quite creative, and truly prefers to run ON TOP of her wheel, rather than inside her wheel (like a normal Degu). |
| Unfortunately at this time, my girls cannot be in the same cage together. After many months of happily living together, they began fighting viciously. However, their cages touch each other, so they can reach through and touch each other, sniff each other, and cuddle each other through the bars. They also enjoy regular periods of well supervised "together time". Here you can see them engaging in a Degu's FAVORITE activity: grooming! Oh how they love it! As they groom, you can hear them softly chirping to each other. They sound like happy little birds! |
| Don't forget to wash your partner's chin! |
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| During a recent cage remodel, I made both my girls hammocks. Now there is nothing they enjoy more than a good nap in their hammocks! |
| All she needs is a warm breeze and a drink with an umbrella in it! |
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| Imaña likes to find a cozy spot to burrow in, and then peek her head out! She's QUITE nosey! |
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| ©2006 TheOnlyMM |
| (pronounced: day-goo) |
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| I hope you enjoyed meeting my girls! |
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| The best thing about a hammock for a Degu is that cozy feeling you get that allows you to curl up, sprawl out, and just be yourself at nap time! |
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| Here is Chuqupa doing her homework! (Yes, she always runs a spellcheck) |
| Bonus Section! |
| This is a new section, I've just added!! Find here 3 sound recordings of my precious, becloved girls. |
| Click this to hear Chuqupa squeaking Click this to hear the girls pleasant "grooming" sounds (this is a very faint sound, and a little hard to hear) Click this to hear Imana eating the microphone |
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| lol A bit of sad news to report. On October 16, 2006, our little Wild Child Chuqupa passed away. She may be gone from our sight, but she is definitely not gone from our hearts. View her Memorial Page |
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