Gender: Deciding which gender a degu has could prove very interesting and very difficult. This is because degus do not have external genetalia. The easiest way, in my opinion, to decide whether your degus are of the same gender (which is usually the most common reason for wanting to know your degu's gender), is to hold then both at the same time, bottom up and evaluate the distance between their anus and cone. Animals with a larger space are male, while female degus have a smaller distance between them.

Mating: The mating of degus is somewhat obvious, and I noticed they are aren't exactly shy about an audience. It's done in the usual way... doggy-style as it is informerly called, with the male mounting the female and lining up the important parts. The rest is obvious.

Pregnancy: It isn't easy to tell if the female is pregnant until it is into very late, about 20 days before the birth. In all, your female will be pregnant for 90 days give or take 3.

Birth: Before your female gives birth, she will start pacing with her back legs spaced well apart. When the time comes, you won't have to help - she'll do the work herself and her mate usually will help if needed.

Nursing Aid: You should move the food dish down to the nest after the pups are born. It should be right there within reach of the female, as she will not be able to get up and get the food herself for quite a while. Same goes with a dish of water. Bottles tend to leak, so you don't really want to put the water bottle near the nest. It's going to be hard enough to keep clean as it is without making another mess.

The Pups: Your female degu will give birth to an average of 6 pups, who are born fully formed with their eyes open. The degus pictured to the left are around a week old, and busy examining their new surroundings. This is a good time to get them used to being handled. The mother shouldn't be annoyed at you handling her babies, she'll just be glad that they're leaving her alone for a change. The pups will nurse for around a month, or until mommy dearest decides that she's had enough.

Mature Degus: The pups will be mature within two months, but as soon as the father starts to mount his baby girls it's time for him to be removed. The male pups can follow him out, but be warned that within another couple months they won't be welcome anymore with their father. He will begin to fight them - this is because they are fully mature, and would pose a threat to his family. He was the man of the house before, and would rather remain as thus, thankyouverymuch.

Neutering Degus: This section is something that I just recently decided to add, after I received an email asking about it. The first thing I have to say, is that I am not a vet, and do not claim to be. All of this information was gathered when I looked into neutering Rocky last year (2000). Secondly, I didn't look into spaying Bullwinkle because it is a more expensive and complicated procedure.
Now, after I called around to the 6-7 animal hospitals in my area, this is what I found:
- One clinic told me flat out that they wouldn't do it.
- Another clinic refered me to a vet who specialized in exotics and who lived 3 hours away.
- The rest of them said that they would do it - but that there would be risks with the anesthetic. Since degus are so small, it is possible that they could recieve a lethal dose of it. Euthanol is a variant of a type of anesthetic which is used to euthanise animals. ('Euthanise' is the proper term for mercy killing or putting them to sleep - which is basically what happens.)
- Finally, you have to realize that even though degus are small, you will still have to pay a lot for it. I checked in both American and Canadian clinics, and both of them said that it would be classified as a feline neuter or cat de-nutting. *grin* This would cost around $120 Canadian funds, depending on where you go and where you live. Simularily, I assume that spaying a female degu would have the same risks and would be classified as a feline spay. Also, a spay is more expensive than a neuter.

Now, if you have had your degu neutered/spayed I would abolutely love it if you could let me know how it went, and if possible put me in touch with your veterinarian. Thanks!