Start with the pair itself: bond, sexes and ages
The first questions are about the two degus as a unit. Ask whether they are a genuinely bonded pair who groom, sleep and feed together peacefully, and whether the centre insists they are rehomed together, because splitting a bonded pair is a welfare problem, not a paperwork detail. Confirm the sex of each degu and how certain the centre is, since degus are notoriously easy to mis-sex and a supposedly same-sex pair that turns out to be mixed can produce a litter within weeks of coming home. Ask their ages, or honest estimates, and how long they have been with the centre, because a pair that has waited months in rescue may need a quieter settling-in period than one newly surrendered.
Pin down diet and health history in detail
Ask exactly what the pair is eating now: the pellet food they use, how much hay they get through, and what fresh foods or treats they are used to, so you can continue the same menu at home and change it only gradually. Diet precision matters more for degus than for most small pets because they are prone to diabetes, and a pair that has been fed sugary mixes or fruit-heavy treats needs a careful transition, not an abrupt swap. On health, ask about any vet visits during their stay, any known dental problems, since degu teeth grow continuously and misalignment is a recurring issue, and whether either degu has shown signs of the cataracts that run in the species. A centre that has noticed and recorded these things is a centre that knows its animals.
Ask about handling, temperament and their story
Ask why the pair was surrendered, because the answer often explains their behaviour: degus given up for chewing furniture need an owner ready with chew-proof housing, while degus surrendered after an owner's circumstances changed may be perfectly easy pets. Ask how they respond to being picked up and whether they are hand-tame, partly tame or happier observed than held, so children in the family know what to expect. Ask what their days look like at the centre: when they are most active, where they like to sleep, and which of the two is bolder, because those details tell you how to arrange hideouts and how to approach the first handling sessions at home.
Finish with the centre's own terms and support
Ask what the adoption involves on the centre's side: whether they home-check, what enclosure size they require for a pair, and what proof of setup they want to see. Ask about the returns policy in plain terms, what happens if the pair falls out or proves a poor fit, and whether the centre offers follow-up advice once the degus are home. Good rescues welcome every one of these questions and treat your asking as evidence you are the right adopter, so be wary of any centre that rushes you past them. Before you leave, write down the answers about diet, health and temperament while they are fresh, because they are the foundation of the pair's care from day one.
None of that information should stay in a notebook that gets lost, and KinsLe's Transferrable Profiles are built for exactly this handover, moving the rescue's knowledge of the pair into profiles that hold their diet, health notes and characters permanently.