degus!

Question
hi, i am extreemly interested in buying a pair of young degus. I have been doing research on them so i know as much as possible about how to treat them when i do eventualy buy them. I am certan that i want to buy my degus from a breeder rather than a pet store as i want to make sure they have been bred properly so they grow up happy and healthy but i'd like to know if you have any suggestions on what questions i can ask the breeder to make sure they are reputable? thanks, kim.

Answer
Greetings!
First, ask where they got each of the breeding pair.  You need to make sure they are not brother and sister, or closely related.  I run two separate bloodlines with animals from different states to prevent that.  Inbreeding will produce animals that will have health issues.  

Secondly, ask how often and how the babies are handled.  As we regularly handle our adults, they don't mind when we handle the babies--and we do from birth.  They are fully used to human interaction.  

Other things to bring into the conversation are what they are being fed, how often they are given fresh vegetables, if they are used to being around children and other pets (dogs or cats) and things like that.  If someone is willing to make sure you are fully educated (even though you may already be) you are more likely dealing with someone concerned with the well being of the animal than with a quick sale.

I hope this helps,
Carol