Degu, Chilean Squirrel, Giant
Gerbils
![](Animals/images/Degu.JPG)
Degu are also known as Chilean Squirrels
and Giant Gerbils. They are similar to our
chipmunk. Chances are you have not seen wild degus
before. This is because they are from Chile. They are
for the most part confined to one area in Chile where
they are abundant. They inhabit the west coast area from
the plains up into the Andes mountains to about 1.5 km
of elevation. This elevation is similar to that of
Denver, except a little lower. They live in large
colonies and are said to be very social. In their
"society" their position seems to be affected by the
size of the mound of sticks and other stuff on the top
of their burrows. The bigger the mound the higher their
position in society. If a degu's mound were to be lost,
it would lose it's position in society. The way they
live is similar to prairie dogs in north America. Like
prairie dogs they are considered to be agricultural
pests. This information is from
www.degus.com
At Cub Creek Science Camp we have a small
colony of Degus. They are curious animals and love to
play on the toys in their cage. Every year at Science
Camp campers adopt these small creatures for a week and
learn how to care for them. We usually have baby Degus
several times during the year. They have a 90 day
gestation period which is a long time for a small rodent.
These babies would be available for permanent adoption by
our campers.
![](Animals/images/Degu_Babies.JPG)
More information on the Degu
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