Prepare a bath that can be offered and removed, rather than leaving bathing material in the enclosure permanently.
Prepare the bowl and sand
The RSPCA housing guide recommends a shallow, heavy bowl, large enough for rolling, with suitable bathing sand about 4cm deep. It names chinchilla sand as an option.
The PDSA degu guide also describes a shallow tray with chinchilla or hamster sand.
Check the actual material's intended use. A depth in a bathing bowl is not a recommendation for the enclosure's digging layer.
Offer limited access
For this routine, follow RSPCA's access two or three times weekly for about 20 minutes. Keep the bath removable when arranging its position.
Keep hiding places accessible and let the animal withdraw. Quiet, gentle treatment matters; do not hold a degu in the bowl to make it roll.
The session is an opportunity, not a performance to complete. An animal that leaves has not failed a bathing test.
Remove and review
The RSPCA behaviour guide says to remove the bath after each use to reduce contamination with urine and faeces.
PDSA warns against leaving sand available all the time because skin may become overly dry.
Use the bathing product and container's actual care instructions for replacement, reuse and washing; these guides do not give a universal cleaning recipe.
Changed behaviour or recurring fear or stress warrants advice from a vet or clinical animal behaviourist. More bath time is not a substitute.
For the wider home routine, see degu enclosure cleaning.
