Separate daily removal of dirty material from the wider clean, while keeping an unsoiled familiar scent.
Prepare somewhere to wait
Keep food, water, hiding places and suitable companions accessible while the enclosure is unavailable.
Arrange a secure temporary space before moving the degus. Use the separate degu handling guide if a transfer is necessary.
Remove daily waste
Remove soiled bedding and uneaten food daily, including dirty toilet and feeding areas.
Inspect food stores and remove mouldy food.
Clean the wider enclosure
The RSPCA housing guide recommends cleaning the rest of the housing at least weekly. Do not use that timetable to postpone dirty daily jobs.
For a full strip-out, the PDSA degu guide describes removing bedding, toys and levels and cleaning with a pet-safe disinfectant.
Check suitability for degu housing and each surface. Follow the product's directions for dilution, contact time, rinsing, drying and animal re-entry; a generic pet-safe claim does not supply those instructions.
Retain some used, unsoiled bedding to put back afterwards. Familiar scent does not mean keeping wet or dirty material.
Restore and check
Inspect the enclosure and furnishings for damage that could injure a degu or allow escape.
Restore bedding, accessible resources and secure fittings before return. Recheck the whole enclosure layout after replacing levels and toys.
For changed behaviour or repeated fear or stress, ask your vet or a clinical animal behaviourist, as the RSPCA behaviour guide advises.
