Arrive to a Cage That Is Already a Home
Prepare the degu cage completely before the journey home: houses with more than one entrance in place, hay in racks and in the sleeping house, water bottles filled and checked for drips, digging bedding down, and a supply of the exact food your degus were eating before. Degus should arrive and settle as a group wherever possible, because a degu separated from its companions on its first night faces the stress of a new cage and loneliness at the same time, and those combined stresses show up as calling, pacing, and refusing food.
Set the carrier inside or against the cage with the doors aligned and let your degus walk across when they are ready. Degus are quick, curious, and excellent at bolting sideways, so keep the room's doors closed and other pets out until everyone is safely inside.
A Daylight Animal's Evening Routine
Degus are active in bursts through the day and into the evening, then sleep at night, which makes their first evening livelier than a nocturnal pet's. Let them explore the full cage, test the wheel, excavate a corner, and argue mildly over the best house, while you sit nearby talking quietly so your presence becomes normal background. Skip handling beyond what is needed, and keep first treats plain and familiar rather than sweet novelties, because degus handle sugar poorly and a rich first night can upset digestion as well as health over time.
Watch for the reassuring pattern of a settling group: exploring in turns, eating hay together, grooming, and eventually piling into one sleeping house as the light fades. Note which house they chose, because that preference should guide where you put the cosiest bedding tomorrow.
Food, Water, and Gentle Checks
Serve the evening meal of their usual food at the normal time and make sure every degu finds the water bottle, especially any shy animal that was last out of the carrier. A bottle that drips steadily can soak the bedding under it overnight, so check that patch before bed and add fresh bedding if needed. Count your degus calmly at lights-out rather than pulling houses apart to look, because disturbing a finally settled group undoes the evening's progress.
If one degu is not eating, is being kept away from food and houses by the others, or seems hunched and quiet, separate feeding and a prompt call to a vet familiar with degus is the right response, since group stress and illness can look similar on a first night.
Building Routine From Day Two
Repeat the calm pattern for the first several days: food and hay at steady times, quiet sitting by the cage, and hand-feeding of plain treats through the bars so your degus learn that hands predict good things without grabbing. Handling and out-of-cage time come once eating, sleeping, and group behaviour look settled, and any scuffles should be watched with the extra-house option in mind. Keep a brief log of appetite, water, and group behaviour through the first week, because that record distinguishes a slow settler from a degu that needs help.
A new degu group attracts a crowd of helpers, and mixed messages on night one, from handling attempts to sweet treats, are easy to avoid with a shared plan. In KinsLe, Family Sharing puts the familiar food, hands-off first night, and settling notes where everyone can follow them, giving your degus one calm, consistent welcome.