Here is a great tip for people who have either a metal cage or mesh fronted enclosure!
Many of us like to be able to have fresh plants available for our degus. The problem is, if you put the plant into the degus enclosure is often destroyed within two days or so. There are a large variety of plant pots that come with hooks or clips (often for garden use) that can be used to attach your plants to the outside of the cage...
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Attaching your plants to the outside of the cage provides protection to the base of the plant allowing it to continue growing. You can then water the plant and any overgrowth into the cage can be taken advantage of by the degus. It is also possible to use rope or string to attach planters to the enclosure.
There are many great and cheap plants available that are suitable for your degus. In this particular example, herbs are easily grown, and very cheap. They are ideal for hanging in small pots for your degus to graze on.
If your enclosure is sturdy enough you may consider attaching a larger longer plant pot to the outside that could contain larger plants. Spiderplants would be great for this; they are relatively fast growing and require very little maintenance. Another possibility is to grow fresh dandelions, these garden weeds grow very quickly and are loved by degus.
Some suitable degu safe plants that could be grown from a hanging pot:
Spider plant
Rosemary
Thyme
Sage
Basil
Lemon balm
Mint
Parsley
Cress
Dandelion
Sunflower
Clover
Raspberry
Blackberry
Daisies
Bluebells
Grasses
Bamboo
So adding plants to the outside of your enclosure keeps the plant safe and provides excellent enrichment for your degus!
Thanks for reading!
Safe note: Please ensure if using hooks that they are made safe / inaccessible or face away from the degus.
Providing detailed guides on how to construct and build degu enclosure, vivariums and cages. This blog has a focus on stimulating and creating more natural habitats for degus...