Five or six is late middle age for a degu, in a species whose whole lifespan is often six to eight years, so the senior stretch is short and deserves to be well watched. A degu rarely slows down all at once; instead the changes arrive as small subtractions — a ramp taken more carefully, a dust bath skipped, a group meal finished from the edge rather than the middle. Weekly checks, done calmly and written down, are how you catch those subtractions while they are still easy to act on.
What changes around a senior degu
Degus are social climbers, and ageing shows first in the two things that define them: movement and group standing. Widen ramps or add a middle level so an older degu is not choosing between a long climb and staying on the floor. Keep food, water and a sleeping box reachable without climbing at all. Watch feeding time closely, because a senior that is being shouldered aside by younger group mates may be eating less than you think; a separate short feed on the side protects its intake without breaking up the group. The tail deserves a glance too — degu tail skin is delicate, so any injury there is a prompt vet conversation rather than a wait-and-see.
The weekly checks, in order
Work through the same short list each week and note what you find:
- Weigh at the same time of day and write the figure down, because gradual loss hides easily under a thick coat
- Watch your degu eat something crunchy, noting dropped food, one-sided chewing or a wet chin
- Check droppings for size and consistency, and look at how much hay is actually disappearing
- Feel gently along the body for lumps, and look the coat over for thinning patches or sore skin
- Watch one climb and one group feed, noting any wobble on the ramp or retreat from the food bowl
Short and regular beats long and rare for a degu, whose senior years are measured in months as much as in years.
A note on what home checks cannot do
These checks help you observe and decide what to do next; they cannot name a cause, and no home routine replaces an examination. A degu that stops eating, loses weight quickly, breathes with effort or goes suddenly weak needs a veterinarian the same day. Bring the dated notes with you: a fortnight of weights tells the vet more in a minute than a worried summary can.
Keeping the routine going
The routine holds when everyone in the household runs it the same way: same day, same order, same scales. If a reading moves the wrong way twice running, tighten the interval rather than waiting for the next weekly slot, and look again at access — many senior degu problems shrink once food, water and rest all sit on one easy level. Before each senior appointment, gather those weekly weights and dated notes into the Pet Passport in KinsLe, and the packet travels with your degu to the clinic, into boarding, or across to whoever is caring for it next.