A degu belongs to the rodent family and makes an intelligent and friendly pet, especially when compared to other animals in the rodent family. Degus are low maintenance and are commonly compared to chinchillas or gerbils. They are a tweed brownish color and have a long thin tail with a brush like hair at the tip. A Degu's tail is about two thirds of it's body length, the tail is used to help maintain balance as it climbs and is held upright while walking. Degus originate in the country of Chile but can be found in pet stores in many countries, in the USA there are strict regulations against them. They are most commonly used for lab testing for diabetes because they are unable to digest sugar.

A Degu's ears and whiskers are quite large. Degus bite their claws so they do not grow long and do not require cutting. They are born with yellowish teeth that change to an orange color, along with their saliva, from being exposed to the chlorophyll in the plants they eat.

Degus should be kept in a large cage with a running wheel for exercise along with several toys because degus love to play. Baby degus always play with each other and will be noisy with them being most active in the early morning and late evening hours. They are diurnal and sleep for small amounts during the day and are usually awake at night. They should be kept in a minimum of 2 per cage as they will get depressed, aggressive and die early if kept by themselves. Do not hold them by their tail or else it will fall off because degus have the ability to shed their tail like a lizard if attacked by an animal except the tail will not grow back.

When picking them up it is better not to grab them from above as they are eaten by birds in the wild and this will instinctively scare them, you can even train them to walk onto your lowered hand in their cage. In the wild degus usually live less than one year but in captivity can live five years or more. Females kept with males die sooner due to constantly being pregnant, they have a gestation period of 87-93 days. For the longest lifespan, females should not get pregnant more than once a year and are best kept together in same sex groups for this reason, unless you are breeding them.