Hayfold a warm home for small-pet folk

💷 The honest cost

How much does a Degu cost to keep? — the degu itself is usually the cheapest part.

Here's the honest breakdown — the upfront setup, the ongoing costs, and where it's safe to save vs never cut corners. Big one for a degu: this species can't live alone, so you're pricing up two-plus animals and a bigger home, not one. We don't quote prices (they vary by country, currency and month) — we show you what you're paying for and where the money actually goes, so you can check current local prices yourself.

💷 Upfront — the one-time setup

What you need before the degu comes home. The setup, not the animal, is the real cost of entry.

The enclosure / cage
Sized for an adult — A large, tall, multi-level cage — the bigger the better — with plenty of room to run, jump, climb, chew, dig and dust-bathe. It must be metal: degus chew straight through plastic and wood.… This is almost always the single biggest one-time cost, and the one people most often get wrong: undersized shop cages sold "for" this species are the #1 mistake, so you buy it, outgrow it, and pay twice. Buying the right size once is cheaper.
A second animal — and a bigger home for it
This is the cost people miss most. Degus are social colony animals and should never be kept alone — keep them with at least one other degu. They live in small groups in the wild and rely on that company for their wellbeing. That means you are buying two (or more) animals, not one — AND a larger enclosure to house them, AND double the food and vet capacity. Budget for a pair from the start, not a single.
Bedding & substrate (initial fill)
Your first proper fill of bedding — A solid cage base with a deep layer of bedding — hay, shredded paper, paper tissue, or non-toxic wood shavings — so they can dig and burrow, plus hay-stuffed nest boxes. Avoid dusty bedding, which… The initial deep fill is a one-off; keeping it topped up is an ongoing cost (below).
Enrichment gear
The kit that keeps this animal well — Degus are energetic and need outlets: a large, solid exercise wheel and tunnels, plenty of safe things to climb and chew, room to dig — and a dust bath. Offer a shallow, heavy bowl of chinchilla sand… Buy the correct-size, correct-type items once; cheap or wrong-size versions (a too-small wheel, a novelty toy) get replaced, so they cost more.
The animals themselves
Usually the SMALLEST line on this whole list. The purchase price of the degu tells you almost nothing about the cost of keeping it well — the setup does.

🔁 Ongoing — the part people forget

The costs that keep coming for the animal's whole life.

Food
Its diet: The critical rule is no sugar. Degus are highly prone to type 2 diabetes and can’t handle sugar or rich carbohydrates. Give unlimited good-quality hay as the majority of the diet — it matters more… For a hay-based grazer, unlimited good hay is a real, constant monthly cost — not an optional extra — and it does the heavy lifting for teeth and gut, so it is the last thing to cut. Modest per month, but constant for the animal's whole life — and a degu can live on average 6–8 years, and some reach nine — long-lived for a small rodent, so a real multi-year commitment.
Bedding (the surprise consumable)
The running cost people underestimate most: you refresh bedding regularly for the animal's whole life. A pair or group gets through more of it, faster. It's small each time, constant forever — and it's exactly the line that "the cage was cheap" budgets forget.
Enrichment consumables
The things that get used up — safe chews for the continuously-growing teeth, forage and gnaw items, and the odd replaced toy. Small and regular, easy to leave out of a budget.
Vet care
An annual exotic-mammal check-up, plus an emergency fund. Exotic-mammal vets cost more than a routine cat/dog vet and are rarer, small mammals are prey animals that hide illness until it is advanced, and one emergency can dwarf a year of every other cost. Find a small-mammal vet BEFORE you need one — see the free Degu vet-prep sheet.
Seasonal heating / cooling
This species is sensitive to both heat and cold (Keep them cool: the enclosure should be no warmer than about 20°C. Put it in a cool part of the house, away from radiators and other heat sources. A degu lying …). Most of the time that costs nothing — but you may need to spend on keeping a room in range in a heatwave or a cold snap. Budget for the possibility, not a permanent bill.

✅ Worth the money

  • Can you commit to a strict no-sugar diet (no fruit, no sugary treats) for the animal’s whole life?
  • Can you keep their room cool (no warmer than ~20°C), including in summer?
  • Will you keep at least two — never a single degu?
  • Can you provide a large, tall, metal cage plus a dust bath a few times a week?
  • Do you have an exotic vet experienced with degus, and is it legal to keep one where you live (they’re restricted in some places)?
  • Are you ready for a 6–8 year commitment?

⛔ Never buy

  • Never feed a degu sugar — no fruit, no sugary treats, nothing containing molasses.
  • Never let their room get warmer than about 20°C.
  • Never keep a degu alone.
  • Never house them in a plastic or wooden cage (they chew out), or one with wide bar gaps.
  • Never pick up or restrain a degu by the tail.
  • Never feed rabbit, hamster or gerbil food, or chinchilla mixes containing dried fruit.

These are on this species' "never" list in our care sheet — cheap, common, and harmful.

The one rule on cost: budget where it's safe — a second-hand cage, cardboard and safe-wood enrichment, no gimmicks — but never cheap out on cage SIZE, a proper hay-and-pellet diet, the vet fund, a companion of its own kind. Those are where cutting corners costs the degu its health, and usually costs you more later. We don't quote prices — check current prices where you live; this is what to budget for.

Next: the full degu care guide · is my cage big enough? · Degu vet-prep sheet

Cost questions

How much does a degu cost to keep?

More than it costs to buy — the degu itself is usually the cheapest part. The real cost is the setup (a correctly-sized enclosure, a companion and a bigger home for the pair, bedding and enrichment), then the ongoing food and hay, bedding top-ups and vet care. We don't quote a figure because prices vary a lot by country, currency and month — instead this page shows exactly what you're paying for and where the money goes, so you can check current local prices yourself.

What are the ongoing costs of a degu?

Food (with hay as a real, constant cost), regular bedding top-ups (the consumable people underestimate most), enrichment chews, and — the big variable — vet care: an annual check plus an emergency fund with an exotic-mammal vet. You may also spend on keeping the room in a safe temperature range in a heatwave or cold snap. They add up over a degu's life, so budget for them from day one.

Why does the setup cost more than the degu itself?

Because you're not buying an animal — you're building its whole home. And this species can't live alone, so you're buying two-plus animals and a bigger enclosure, not one. A correctly-sized enclosure, the right bedding and proper enrichment are where the money goes, and getting the size right once is far cheaper than replacing an undersized shop cage. The purchase price tells you almost nothing about the real cost.

Where can I save money on a degu — and where shouldn't I?

Safe to save: a second-hand enclosure, plain cardboard and safe-wood enrichment instead of branded resin, and skipping "starter kit" bundles, treat sticks and exercise balls. Never cut corners on cage SIZE, a proper diet (unlimited good hay and the right pellets), or the vet fund, and never keep a social species alone to save money — loneliness is a welfare cost, not a saving. Those are where saving money costs the animal its health, and usually costs you more later.