Degu Weight

Question
Hello Carol

I hope you can help us with our two female degus Mabel and Alice.  They are about 6 to 8 months old and seem in good health but I am worried about their weight.  I have had a lot of experience with animals but these are my first Degus so I may be being a bit over protective!
Alice is incredibly active and is completely besotted by her large rat wheel which she uses for hours every day.  She eats well but isn't greedy, often dropping treats when she has had enough but I am worried that she is too thin as she feels very light when I pick her up.  The second problem is that Mabel really loves her food, she also has her own wheel but is not as keen to use it as Alice!  She is possibly a bit younger then Alice but not much and she must weigh at least twice as much.  They have proper degu food or chinchilla pellets and this is supplemented with veg, grass etc and the occasional sunflower seed as a treat.  Do you have any advice or am I worrying too much?  I am afraid to limit food as Alice is already thin (although she may just look like this compared to Mabel) but am worried that a heavy Degu is an unhealthy one.  I should also say that they have a cage with three floors, about 2 feet by 1 foot by 4 feet hight - is this large enough?

Many thanks

Juliana


Answer
I have not run across any issues of weight due to them not eating enough unless they are ill or are not getting enough water.  If they have ample water and are healthy, I wouldn't worry about it.  Just as there are differences in humans, I have some degus who always feel lighter and fluffier than others, and some who feel heavy and dense.  You can always visit your vet, but unless they have experience with degus, it will probably be a waste of your time.  Make sure they always have plenty of food available, and if it gets to where her bones are really noticeable, you need to investigate further if there is an underlying cause.  

Good luck!
Carol