If you keep degus as pets then sometimes what you’ll notice about them is that they can have a lot of energy and some strange behaviors as well.
One of those behaviors that they’ll often show is cage biting. So why do degus bite their cage?
Well, the main reasons why a degu will bite their cage are:
- When your degu wants food.
- When your degu wants your attention.
- Some degus just like the noise that the cage makes.
- When they’re trying to wear down their teeth.
- Your degu has become bored with their chew toys.
- When they’re trying to escape.
- If your degu’s cage doesn’t provide enough space.
- When they’re younger and full of energy.
- If your degu is lonely and stressed out.
So as you can see a degu will bite their cage for a number of different reasons.
Each degu can have their own reasons why they’ll want to do this, and figuring out what’s making them do this can help make it easier when it comes to trying to get them to stop.
Why Do Degus Bite Their Cage?
So one of the first reasons why a degu will bite their cage is if they want some food. This can be when their food bowl is empty or close to being empty, and sometimes when they just want you to give them a treat.
It can also happen when they’ve eaten all of their favorite pieces from their food bowl and now they want some more of it.
Degus will also bite the cage when they want your attention. You can tell that this is happening if they start biting their cage only while you’re in the room and it stops shortly after you leave the room that they’re in.
Another reason why they’ll bite it is that they like the sound that it makes. Some degus just like the noise that the bar makes when they bite it.
It’s the pinging noise that some degus just enjoy hearing, so they’ll bite the cage over and over again so that they can hear that sound.
They will also do it just so that they can try to wear down their teeth. Degus like most rodents need and like to chew on almost anything that they can find, that way they can grind down their teeth that constantly grow.
Sometimes a degu will bite their cage when they have gotten bored with their other chew toys or just bored in general.
Because a degu will still feel the need to chew on something even after they’ve become bored or have gotten bored with their chew toys, that can lead them to start chewing on the bars of their cage to fulfill that need.
In some cases, a degu will bite at their cage when they’re trying to escape for some reason. However, their escape attempts don’t always mean that they’re trying to run away, sometimes it can just be out of curiosity.
Degus are known to be very curious animals, so if they see something in the room that they want to go over to they may start biting at their cage.
That way they can try to get out of their enclosure and go over to what piqued their curiosity.
Sometimes when a degu bites at their cage it can mean that they need more space.
If they don’t have a big enough cage where they’re able to play and explore comfortably, then they may start chewing on their cage so that they can get to a space that’s more open.
Another reason why they’ll bite on their cage bars that’s more common is if they’re younger.
A degu that’s young can have a lot of energy and they’ll need more activities that they can do that will help them release some of that extra energy.
Loneliness and stress can also be another reason why a degu will chew on their cage.
So stress in general or stress from being lonely because they don’t have a cagemate can cause them to start stress biting.
Is Biting The Cage Normal For Degus?
If you have a degu that bites on their cage then it’s natural to wonder if this behavior is actually normal for them.
Well, cage biting is normal for degus mainly because they have a natural urge to want to chew on most things that they can get their hands on.
Along with that, their cage bars are usually a good size for them to be able to easily bite on. It’s also normal for them to bite on their cage when they just feel like doing it.
This usually means that they enjoy chewing on their cage and sometimes that can even become a habit that they’ll do throughout their lives.
Because degus teeth constantly grow, chewing on their cage is just another way for them to try to file down their teeth a little bit and that’s normal as well.
It’s also natural for a degu to bite their cage when they’re still young. They’ll seem to do some odd things with all their extra energy and sometimes the toys in their cage aren’t enough for them, so they may pick up this habit.
So in most cases, if your degu bites on their cage usually it’s normal and nothing to worry that much about.
Stopping Your Degu From Biting Their Cage All The Time
When a degu starts to bite their cage sometimes it can become slightly annoying to see and hear.
So if that’s the situation that you’re in, then there are some things that you can try to help your degu stop doing this behavior all the time.
If your degu seems to only bite the cage when you’re in the room and they stop when you leave the room, then they may just want your attention.
Because degus can sometimes be affectionate, spending more time with them when they start biting it might give them what they want and they may stop this behavior for a while.
If your degu is biting on their cage bars because they are bored with their chew toys then try rotating in some new ones for them.
That way they’ll always have something new to play with and chew on and it helps keep things fresh and interesting for a while.
If they don’t have enough toys then you can try adding in more, but not all at once though, try putting the new toys in their cage slowly over time.
Giving your degu a bigger cage can also help them stop chewing so much. It’ll give them enough space where they can run around and play within their cage and help burn off some of their excess energy.
In some cases, degus will stop biting the cage as they get older too. As they get older you’ll notice that they’ll stop doing this as much and sometimes, as time goes on they will become bored with that activity and stop as well.
Social interaction and attention are also very important for a degu, and sometimes the attention that you give them isn’t enough if they don’t have a cagemate around to be with them while you’re not.
Degus are very social animals, so if you only have one then try getting them a cagemate.
This will help with their need to be social and also give them new activities that they can do with their new friend, and that can possibly stop them from biting their cage as much too.