Degus are among the lesser known pocket pets, but this little manual will soon change that. One of the marks of a good manual is its comprehensiveness, and this one is concise, easy to use, and packed with information. The complete range of essential knowledge has been brought together by the author, including virtually everything that one needs to know to select, house, feed, breed and identify common problems with this fascinating group of South American rodents. A Health Check Sheet gives degu lovers an easy table of signs to look for that suggest medical problems, but this manual is really about how to prevent them.
The emphasis of this book is on understanding and nurturing your degu. Since much of caring for unfamiliar pets revolves around knowing what is normal, Dr. Vanderlip has taken particular care to describe, in simple detail, the expected norms, such as how degus look and act from birth to adulthood, and what do they do when they feel good. Veterinarians will find this to be a handy reference for examining and treating degus, which are growing in popularity as small pets.
This manual is loaded with illustrations on housing, feeding, handling and medical care. A particularly useful section describes all of the typical places in the household that represent hazards to these agile little creatures. The photos and drawings are excellent and show degus doing what degus do, which seems to revolve around being cute and fun loving most of the time.
Phillip T. Robinson, DVM, Diplomate, American College of Zoological Medicine