Degus are very interesting little rodents that a lot of people aren’t even aware of! These social creatures have such big personalities and are capable of providing their owners with hours of entertainment every single day. However, people tend to have a lot of questions when it comes to degus. One of the most prominent questions that prospective owners ask is: How much does a degu cost?
We’ve calculated that the first year of degu ownership costs between $641 and $1080, while each additional year costs between $340 and $570. These costs are rough estimates, though, and vary depending on several factors that we’re going to discuss.
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Degu Cost Breakdown
There are quite a few factors of degu ownership beyond purchasing the degu itself that will cost you money. Things such as their cage, accessories, food, toys, and medical care all need to be considered when calculating the total cost of degu ownership. Using the table below, we’ve broken down both the initial costs of degu ownership and the yearly costs that you’ll incur afterwards.
The column labeled “Initial Cost” is how much you can expect to pay for your degu in the first year of ownership. This includes one-time necessary purchases like the cage and accessories. The “Yearly Cost” column calculates how much you can expect to pay each additional year that you own your degu. For detailed cost breakdowns, you can either click on the name of the product or service, or you can scroll past the table and read on.
Product / Service |
Initial Cost |
Yearly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase Price | $20 – $100 | |
| Cage | $100 – $200 | |
| Covered Shelter | $15 – $30 | |
| Dust Bath | $10 | |
| Food & Water Containers | $20 – $30 | |
| Bed / Hammock | $15 – $25 | |
| Carrier | $15 – $30 | |
| Exercise Wheel | $100 | |
| Granite Stone | $6 – $15 | |
| Toys | $15 – $30 | $15 – $30 |
| Food | $120 – $150 | $120 – $150 |
| Treats | $15 – $40 | $15 – $40 |
| Bedding | $75 – $100 | $75 – $100 |
| Dust | $30 – $50 | $30 – $50 |
| Medications & Supplements | $15 – $50 | $15 – $50 |
| Routine Vet Visits | $50 – $100 | $50 – $100 |
| Additional Medical Needs | $20 | $20 – $50 |
| Total | $641 – $1080 | $340 – $570 |
Cost Of Purchasing The Degu Itself
The degu itself is only a small portion of the total cost of degu ownership, but it’s definitely something that should be considered. There isn’t a strict pricing guideline that breeders and pet stores follow, so you can find degus being sold for many different prices. Fortunately, degus are very affordable, with the average degu price being around $35.
When it comes to the purchasing of a degu, or any living creature for that matter, cheaper usually isn’t better. Many times, the cheapest degus available are sold for this low price because they’ve been neglected and given improper care. This often results in very unhealthy degus. If you’re spending a bit more for your degu, there’s a good chance that you’re getting an animal that’s been given the proper care.
If you’re looking to purchase a degu today, the general consensus is that you should look to a reputable and experienced breeder or rescue. Pet stores that sell degus almost never care for them properly, so they’re best to be avoided in most cases. Fortunately, there are a good amount of degu breeders and rescues around the world that have plenty of healthy degus.
Degus should never be kept alone. These are very social animals that will quickly become bored without a friend. Therefore, you need to own at least 2 degus. Note that the prices in this post are only for 1 degu.
Degu Cage & Accessories Costs
You can’t simply throw your degu into any old cage and expect it to live a long and happy life! These animals have specific environmental needs that you need to make sure are being met. Fortunately, many of the items that degus need only have to be purchased once and will last throughout their lifetime.
Cage
Your degu’s cage is one of the most important things that you can purchase for them. You definitely don’t want to cheap out! Even if your degu gets plenty of play time during the day, they’ll still spend a good amount of time in their cage. So, their cage needs to provide them with a very safe and comfortable environment, and it also needs to be large enough with multiple levels. Degus have similar environmental requirements to a few other creatures, so buying a cage that’s fit for chinchillas or ferrets would be acceptable.
Expect to pay no less than $100 for a high-quality cage, as top-of-the-line cages can even exceed $200. The cage must be metal and strong enough to put up with the chewing and abuse that a degu will put it through. Fortunately, if you purchase a high-quality cage, you should never need to replace it.
Covered Shelter
While degus are very social creatures, they do enjoy a bit of time alone. Covered shelters, or nesting boxes, provide degus with a place to hide and feel safe whenever they want to. Having this in your degus cage provides them with a great way to de-stress and does wonders for their health. These shelters need to made of a safe material such as wood or fabric, as a degu may chew on it.
These nesting boxes are available for very low prices, with most of them costing between $10 and $30. This is one of the most popular shelters available, and it provides enough room for two degus to comfortably curl up together. Nesting boxes should be lifetime purchase unless your degu is particularly fond of chewing on it.
Dust Bath
Dust baths are an essential part of any degu setup. Unlike many other animals, degus don’t actually bathe themselves in water. Instead, they roll around in dust in order to remove dirt and oils from their coat to keep it clean and healthy. Having a sturdy and well-sized dust bath is the most important step in keeping your degu clean.
Fortunately, dust baths are not complex products, meaning that they sell for quite cheap — around $10. This bath is made of a sturdy plastic and excellently contains all of the degu’s dust as it’s bathing. Some owners opt to keep a large dust bath available at all times for their degus, and this is acceptable, but note that degus will frequently use it as a litter box.
Food & Water Containers
Degus will destroy anything made of plastic in their cage, so their food and water containers need to avoid this material. They also have unique feeding requirements, so a their food container will differ from a standard bowl. Since degus eat a mixture of pellet food and hay, they’ll need a feeder that can accommodate both of those foods. Food and water containers that aren’t made well can be a hazard to your degus, so it’s best to spend a little extra on high quality products.
Many degu owners opt for a wooden pellet and hay feeder rack like this one. Since it is wooden, it may have to be replaced once or twice throughout a degu’s life, but it’s a very safe feeder to put in your degu’s cage. The water bottle that you choose should be glass to prevent chewing, so something like this bottle should work well.
Bed / Hammock
Degus are very active creatures, but they also love to sleep! There are two different kinds of beds that you can get for your degu, and those are hammocks or standard beds. It’s entirely up to you in regards to what bed you give your degu. However, a covered hammock seems to be the preference due to it feeling safer and more secure. For standard beds, a bed with high sides and a soft material would work nicely.
A degu’s bed shouldn’t need to be replaced ever, but it should be regularly washed. This is to help the bed stay clean and to make it safer for your degu. So, for around $20, you’ll supply your degus with a comfortable place to recharge.
Carrier
If you ever take your degu outside of the house, it’s recommended that you do so with them locked away safely inside of a carrier. Since regular vet visits are required, it’s basically essential to have a carrier on hand. A carrier does wonders for keeping your curious degu contained and much less stressed. Although you won’t be using the carrier much, it’s a fantastic accessory to have handy for only around $25.
In terms of what carrier to get, you simply need one that’s comfortable and large enough for a degu to not feel cramped. Since a carrier won’t be used frequently, it’s a purchase that will last a lifetime.
Exercise Wheel
An exercise wheel is a must in the cage of any degu. Since degus have so much energy, they need a way to get rid of some of it while you’re not playing with them. There are quite a few wheels on the market, but there are only a few that are safe for degus. You need a wheel that’s chew-proof, doesn’t have bars to run on, and is large enough for a degu to not have to arch their back while running. To get a wheel that meets these requirements, you will have to spend a little bit of money.
While it is pricey, this wheel is easily one of the best on the market. It’s durable and plenty large enough for an adult degu. Fortunately, this wheel should last a very long time and will get hours upon hours of use.
Granite Stone
Degus love to be kept cool. Their environment should never exceed 68°F as they are susceptible to heat strokes. Therefore, you need to do everything in your power to keep your degus cool. One of the best ways to fight the heat is with a simple granite slab. This stone will always stay a few degrees below room temperature, so it’s a great way for a degu to cool off. You could also put it in the freezer before placing it in your degu’s cage to create an even colder surface for particularly warm days.
At least one granite stone should be present in every degu cage, and they last a lifetime. For $10 or under, you’re taking extra steps to make sure that your degu is kept cool and safe.
Toys
Since degus have a natural drive to chew, they require quite a few toys that are safe to chew on. Fortunately, there is a plethora of different toys that you can place in your degu’s cage that don’t cost a lot of money. Simple things like wooden chewing sticks would work, and so would lava blocks. Since degus aren’t the most picky creatures, you have quite a bit of freedom with selecting toys for them.
You should also give them accessories for their cage! Wooden bridges or even bird ropes make for great accessories. Really, degus just need a plethora of objects to climb and chew on.
Your degus will make pretty short work of most of the toys that you place in their cage. This will require you to purchase regular replacements. However, with how cheap toys are, you shouldn’t expect to pay much more than $30 per year.
Degu Consumables Costs
These consumables are the most prominent expenses that you’ll run into with your degu. With these items, you’ll generally want to purchase high-quality variants since your degus will experience them daily. Cheaper variants tend to have flaws that make them not the most suitable options.
Food
Your degu’s food is extremely important, so you definitely want to make sure that you have this area locked down. Degus have specific dietary needs, and it’s your job as a degu owner to ensure that your degu is getting the nutrients that it needs to be happy and healthy. There are two main kinds of food in a degu diet, and those are pellets and hay. A mixture of these two foods will work to keep your degu full of energy.
For pellet food, Supreme Petfoods always makes extremely high-quality products. As for the hay, your degus should have 24/7 access to fresh timothy hay. Over the course of a year, these two foods will make up a good portion of your degu ownership costs — around $150 annually.
Treats
A high-quality treat is a great way to diversify your degu’s diet and reward them for good behavior. There are several different degu treats that you can choose from, so it’s up to you to find one that you think that your degu would enjoy. You should get a treat that has a focus on natural, healthy ingredients without many fillers. Some of the most popular options are these treats and these treats.
Although treats won’t be a big portion of your degu costs at around $20 annually, quality ones will generally cost a bit more than unhealthy ones.
Bedding
This is a category that allows for quite a bit of freedom of choice as far as what bedding you’d like to use. Some owners use shredded newspaper while others opt for a store-bought bedding. Either way, this bedding is frequently used in nesting boxes and on platforms to provide a comfortable nesting material that absorbs waste and controls odors. Our guide on the best rabbit bedding is also entirely applicable to degus.
You will need to frequently change out your degu’s old bedding, as dirty bedding can be a health hazard. Therefore, you can expect bedding costs to be a good portion of yearly ownership costs, typically costing around $100. Buying in bulk will save you a lot of money, though.
Degu Dust
Dust is how degus go about keeping their coat clean and shiny! While it would be great to be able to throw any dust into your degu’s dust bath, you can’t do that. Instead, they require a specialty dust that’s made just for rodents. This Blue Cloud dust is safe for degus and excellently removes oils and dirt from their coat.
While this dust can be a bit pricey, a single container of the stuff lasts for a very long time with regular bathing. This takes spending down to only about $30 annually. Since dust bathing is the main part of degu grooming, it’s a good idea to opt for the highest-quality dust possible.
Degu Medical Care Costs
Since degus are living creatures, you’ll eventually need to spend some money on medical care. The costs highlighted in this post are very rough estimates and ultimately depend on quite a few different factors. Most of the medical costs that you’ll incur will be due to random illness or health problems. If you have a very healthy degu, you’ll spend barely any money at all on medical care!
Medication & Supplements
In terms of medical care, this is the cheapest aspect. Common medications and supplements include nutritional supplements, ear mite medication, and eye infection medication. If your degu is given a complete diet and their environment is kept very clean, then you shouldn’t have to worry about any of these issues.
A lot of medications and supplements are quite affordable, almost always costing below $100.
Routine Vet Visits
Even if you don’t see anything wrong with your degu, it’s definitely a good idea to take them to the vet at least once a year for a general wellness checkup. These routine checkups actually work to save money in the future by catching problems before they have the time to become much worse. The prices of vet visits vary greatly, but you can expect to pay around $50 to $100 per visit to a specialist.
Additional Medical Needs
With any living creature, life comes with quite a few surprises. Some of these surprises may have to do with the health of your degu. If you aren’t financially prepared for these random occurances, they could bring on some very difficult times. Because of this, it’s recommended that you have at least $100 set aside into an emergency fund for your degu.
Random medical issues will tend to arise later in your degu’s life, so you’ll need to be especially vigilant during this time.
Are Degus Cheap Pets To Own?
Overall, Degus aren’t very cheap pets to own, but they certainly aren’t the most expensive either. The initial cost of creating a quality degu setup is quite high, and the yearly costs that you’ll incur are still several hundred dollars. It’s also important to note that you need to have at least 2 degus so that they don’t get lonely. This will increase your initial and yearly costs past what we have highlighted in this post. So, if you want to own degus, you need to make sure that you’re financially prepared for them.
Rest assured, if you go through with getting a couple of degus, you definitely won’t regret your decision. These are such fascinating little creatures with huge personalities and such interesting characteristics. Those cost of degu ownership is well worth the massive benefits that you’ll get from owning these energetic little guys.
