Degu (Goo) Facts – Definitions and Glossary
Degus are now quite established as pets, but there is still plenty to know about them – especially the new colors available (and how to make your own) – so we have started a glossary to get things started for us all – and we will add more as we learn more ourselves – or something new develops in the world of goos.
They are in alphabetical order as best we can, but will be repeated throughout if they have lots of definitions or ways of being described – just to make sure you find what you are looking for.
Right, here goes…
a
this would indicate a standard recessive version of the agouti gene and creates a ‘black’ degu – still quite rare…
A
the way of writing the dominant version of the Agouti gene – so far one of 5 being expressed in degus
AA
the way of writing the double-dominant version of the Agouti gene (meaning that your degu can only produce Agouti pups) regardless of the colour of your other breeding degu – they could be pink for all it mattered. Don’t breed an AA degu if you want to work on colors in the fancy – only use it for restricting something like cancelling out any self colors
A* (or A^ or A-)
the way of writing that you only know for sure that your degu has at least one agouti gene (making it agouti in colour as it is dominant on its own). The symbol after the A indicates that there may be an unidentified gene present that we do not yet know about – great for color breeding purposes
Agouti (Light Agouti)
the color of a wild degus – they have a golden brown ticked coat, with dark eyes and a slightly paler underbelly
Agouti Gene
this gene is the gene which determines whether degus and other wild rodents have a ticked coat as adults
Argente
this color does not yet exist in degu stock, but was one of the ‘first’ colour mutations seen in most rodents in the pet trade. It would give red eyes and a more ginger coat – but as yet – no degus have got red eyes
b
this would indicate a standard recessive version of the brown gene. It represents ‘chocolate’ in many other rodent fancies, but in degus creates champagne (A* bb) too
Beep
this noise is very telling in degus – a soft beep is clearly ‘I Love You’ but a louder beep is more along the lines of ‘I am very cranky – what are you playing at?’
Blue (Blue Agouti)
the color of a degu with homozygous dd – alongside the recessive a gene (aa bb) they have a more thicker-colored brown coat (no ticking) with dark eyes and a matching underbelly and are called just plain blue. They are a ‘twin’ color with the blue agouti for agouti colors (A* dd)
Brown Gene
this gene is the gene which determines whether degus have more pheomelanin that the agouti, and results in what is called either a champagne or a chocolate coat color
c
this would indicate a standard recessive version of the colorpoint gene. It represents ‘albino’ in many other rodent fancies, but this gene has yet to be identified/reported in degu stock, and could of course be around already but acting as a lethal gene
carries (i.e. carries a gene)
to carry a gene means that that specific gene is one of the two genes at a particular locus that each degu is ‘allowed’ to have – you may or may not know what this gene is. Often, when this is used to refer to the second or unused gene – it is often called a ‘hidden gene’
Champagne
the color of a degu with homozygous bb – alongside the A gene (A* bb) they have a more brown ticked coat, with dark eyes and a slightly paler underbelly. They are a ‘twin’ color with the Chocolate for self colors (aa bb)
Chocolate
the color of a self degu with homozygous bb – alongside the recessive a gene (aa bb) they have a more thicker-colored brown coat (no ticking) with dark eyes and a matching underbelly. They are a ‘twin’ color with the Champagne for agouti colors (A* bb)
Coat Color
coat color genes affect the color of the coat itself and in degus are currently represented with the letters A B C D E and W. We don’t yet know if there are other coat color genes available for degus, but there is certainly the P – eye colour gene to be had surely?
Coat Type
coat type describes the effects that can be laid over the top of the coat color to give it a different appearance – including Long-Haired or Satin coats. Degus do not yet have any reported coat types other than that of the current stock
Colony
The name given to a group of degus in the wild or in the home. Degus can live in colonies of up to 100 individuals in the right environment (which might be the ground floor of your own home (?). There are reports that genetically they are closer relatives of the rabbits than the guinea pigs – which might explain this massive group living plan!
Color Gene
this gene is the gene which determines whether degus and other wild rodents have a lack of colour or full colour in their coats – all or nothing. (This is unrelated to the White Patching gene which only affect the expression of the underlying color not the color itself)
Cream
the color of a degu with homozygous dd and ee (double-dilute). Alongside the a gene (aa dd ee) they have a self smooth coat, with dark eyes and matching underbelly. They are a ‘twin’ color with the Beige or Dove-Agouti for agouti colors (A* dd ee) which have a slight ticking and paler tummy
d
this would indicate a standard recessive version of the dilution gene. It represents ‘blue’ in many fancies, as it does with degus
Diabetes mellitis
this is an illness that is caused by problems digesting sugars in mammals – and degus – like chinchilla – are very likely to develop this condition if fed too many sugars (which are not at ALL part of their natural diet – which is grass and bark). They need a specific diet otherwise they will go on to develop cataracts and the other complications of this terrible condition
Dilution Gene
this gene is the gene which determines whether degus and other wild rodents have a diluted colouring showing in their coats – and often creates what is called a ‘blue’ (as it strips the full black out of a black hair and makes it look blue)
Domestic Animal
this describes animals that have been bred over time from a wild animal into one that is more suited to living with humans. Many exotic pets like degus (still only found in limited colors) are not to be confused with ‘exotic pets’ which are from equatorial countries and have specific temperature/humidity/UV or other specialised requirements
Dominant
the word used to describe a version of a gene that always shows itself in the color or appearance of a degu if it is present – like Agouti (A). You cannot carry a dominant gene – it can’t be ‘hidden’
e
this would indicate a standard recessive version of the extension gene. It represents ‘red/sand/nutmeg/yellow’’ in many fancies, as it does with degus (both sand and red)
Exotic Animals
this word is used to describe one of three things: 1) species of animals that have been pets for a long time but are still quite unusual in the world of mainstream pets (for example geckos and prairie dogs); then 2) species of animals that haven’t been pets for very long and so are closer to their wild counterparts – like Persian Jirds and scorpions. As a result there is less know about their diets, behaviour and breeding as well as their medical care and other needs (for example Great Gerbils and Kinkajous); and 3) species of animals that have to have specialist care based on their original habitat and who usually can’t survive without it (for example tree frogs and salt-water fish). Some vets even call degus exotic pets…
Extension Gene
this gene is the gene which determines whether degus and other wild rodents have a gingery colouring showing in their coats – and often creates what is called a ‘sand’ or ‘red’ (as it strips the full black out of the hair strand and makes it look ginger)
Fancy
a word used to describe the love of a certain domestic animal to the point where people are breeding them for pets and for show. Degus can be shown at standard rodent shows in some areas and it is in the very early stages of becoming a fancy.
First Generation
this is used to describe all the pups from two single parents – regardless of how many pups they have together. All their pups only have the genes given to them from these same parents. It is usually shown as F1, where the F stands for ‘filial’
Gene
the word used when describing the thing that will (or won’t) affect your degus color, hair type (or anything else that makes your degu a degu) – like the ‘Agouti gene’ or the ‘colourpoint gene’ (not yet reported)
Gene Pool
this describes the genes available within a collection of degu. It can mean just within your clan – the genes you can use over and over to create the best degus possible (like bigger ears, bigger eyes, fluffier tail); or it can mean all the genes in all the degus of the world
Genetic Nomenclature
this phrase is used to describe how a degus genes can be written down. It uses a system of uppercase and lowercase letters (one for each gene) as well as symbols to represent unknown or unproven genes
Genotype
this word describes the genes that are present in your degus whether you can see them or not (basically it is your genetic notation) like AA B* C* dd ee ww
Gestation
this is the word used to describe the length of time mummy degu carries her pups – from fertilisation of the eggs (usually just after mating) to the time she gives birth. In degus this is around 90 days and a litter from 1-10 pups is the result although average litters are 4-5
Goo
this word describes our love for our degoos in an ‘I know degus’ kind-of-way
Inbreeding
this term usually describes the action of indiscriminate breeding of close family members together – like mothers to sons and uncles to nieces, etc. It is usually looked on in a negative way in the fancy – as breeding with closely related individuals over and over again in a small population can ‘bring out’ or inflate the likelihood of negative traits. It can also be used carefully to bring out a favourable trait in a small population where it is known as Line Breeding which can be an essential tool when starting out with a relatively ‘unusual’ pet like a degu
Lethal Gene
This term is used to describe a gene that is prenatally lethal – meaning that the embryo is reabsorbed in the womb due to some non-viable genetic combination making the pup unable to develop to term. You can’t tell if a gene is prenatal lethal without serious testing or the gene is something that really should be there – but never shows up (like a spotted Mongolian gerbil who throws 100% spotted offspring – this doesn’t happen as homozygous spotting in gerbils is prenatal lethal)
Line Breeding
this term usually describes a concerted effect to breed in and increase the likelihood of a specific trait appearing in a population – for example; a shorter tail, a pointier nose or new coat type, or to eliminate an undesirable gene from a small population. It is also used in founder populations, to make sure the species stays pure (ie there is no cross breeding of other similar subspecies). Line Breeding involves breeding close relatives together (known as a ‘line’) and is carefully planned and executed over a period of time for the safest results
Lilac
the color of a degu with homozygous aa dd and ee (treble-dilute). Also called Cream, alongside the a gene (aa dd ee) they have a self smooth coat, with dark eyes and matching underbelly. They are a ‘twin’ color with the Beige or Dove-Agouti for agouti colors (A* dd ee) which have a slight ticking and paler tummy
Litter Size
this is the phrase used to describe the number of pups born at any one time – and in degus this is around a 4-5 average but can be as many as 10 pups
Meiosis
this describes the biological action of gene sorting and cell division. An egg or sperm cell has only half the information of a whole cell. This happens because you need two halves to make a whole new cell (a baby) Anyway, to get these half cells, a normal whole cell has to divide into two – but before it divides in half – it mixes up all the information inside and lays it out slightly differently. This re-shuffling process produces individuals and is the reason why you don’t look exactly that same as your brothers, sisters or your Uncle Stan
Morphological Features
this word describes the shape, size and structure of an organism. It can be different within the same species depending on what those different animals do (for example dog breeds are all morphologically different) but on a smaller scale if can mean something more simple like pet Persian Jirds may have slightly longer-fluffier tails than in the wild as they would most likely have been selectively bred over time to look more and more cute
Octodon degus
the binomial name for the species ‘degu’. It is in the same genus as other wild-type degus (including forest and coastal) and coypus (cool), and is also within the same wider grouping as chinchillas of course – all rodents from ‘the new world’ (mainly south and central America)
Patched (Pinto)
the appearance of a degu with dominant W depending on show requirements – and there are 4 ‘types’. Starting with Dot Patched: less than 5% white on the degu; Patched: with 5% to 50% white patching (in no particular pattern is fine (unlike other fancies where the white needs to be in specific places); Strong Patched; 50% to 80% white cover; and finally; Super Patched: 80%+ without color. Some degus can be almost 100% perfect white in appearance with none of their original colour (their genes) showing through but which would breed true.
Phenotype
this word describes the appearance of your degus from the outside. A phenotypic change in your degus would be if for example it was born with a really long tail, or it had massive feet
Piebalding
this describes the increasing amount of white fur on an animal, from one spot to a virtually white creature. Piebalding is technically the action of the dominant W (White Patching gene)
Pinto (Patched)
the appearance of a degu with dominant W depending on show requirements – also called simply ‘patched’
Population
this describes the degus that are able to breed with each other as required. It could mean just your own colony, your colony plus neighbouring breeders, or your colony and your whole country. Basically, the population of a species, biologically speaking, is those individuals which can meet and produce more young
Red
the color of a degu with homozygous ee. Alongside the a gene (aa ee) they have a self smooth coat, with dark eyes and matching underbelly. They are a ‘twin’ color with the Sand for agouti colors (A* ee) which have a slight ticking and paler tummy (and are gorgeous)
Sand
the color of a degu with homozygous ee. Alongside the A gene (A* ee) they have have a slight ticking and paler tummy (and are gorgeous). They are a ‘twin’ color with red for self colors (aa ee) which have a self smooth coat, with dark eyes and matching underbelly
Selective Breeding
this word describes the process by humans or changing or controlling the appearance or health of an animal over time to improve, enhance or remove a feature or series of features that are either desirable or undesirable. For example; wild degus may have larger feet to help them grip on rocks – however pet degus don’t need to worry about that so much. So, over time, by selecting the healthiest degus we may not really watch out for foot size directly, so over time breeders can gradually reduce the ‘natural’ size of the feet by the accumulation of that effect. A more simple use of the term will be where breeders who want to show the degus with the fluffiest tail – so when selecting their breeding stock will only select those degus with the most fluffy tails to breed from in the first place. They will select against (not choose) degus with bald or short tails with the effect of increasing the chances of getting more and more fluffy tails in their litters
Ticked Coat
this phrase is used to describe the appearance of an agouti-based degu coat – and is created by the individual hairs being three different colors throughout its length. If you part a degus fur, it will appear a different color underneath. You should see black tips, gingery middle and a greyish base
Very Cuddly (but a bit mardi)
the phrase used to describe most degus
w
this would indicate a standard recessive version of the white patch gene. It represents ‘a solid-coloured’ degu (the opposite to the effect of the other degu genes)
W
this would indicate a standard dominant version of the white patch gene. It represents ‘patched’ or ‘pinto’ in degus, and sits on top of an existing colour (agouti patched (AA W*) or Chocolate patched (aa bb W*))
Weaning
this is the word used to describe the time it takes for a young goo pup to be almost ready to survive entirely on solid food – rather than still being dependent on the nutrition in their mom’s milk. It doesn’t mean that they are ready to LEAVE mom yet – no – they still have social skills to learn yet…
White
the appearance of a degu can make it look totally white if it has ‘super patching’ covering up all of its original underlying color. This degu isn’t white genetically per se – it has been bred from a normal-colored degu – say agouti – to have more and more white covering its body until it has no agouti left and so appears totally white (however the agouti can reappear with successive moults and may have plenty of colored hairs sprout through over time. There isn’t a gene yet to make a totally white degu (without an underlying color) – but when it comes we can only hope it has blue eyes too!
White Patch (unexpected)
the appearance of a degu can change over time with white patches appearing on the coat or seemingly no reason. They are usually small and often occur on the site of a wound – like with horses – but not always. In fact we aren’t sure where they come from exactly – but they aren’t related to the W (White Patch) gene that we know
White Patch (Pinto)
the appearance of a degu with dominant W. This is rather vague as it is more of a pattern – a pattern of white hairs on any other color degu – so patched agouti, patched red, pinto cream or pinto. The degu isn’t patched in color – it is actually MISSING color in the patches – quite the opposite effect in fact
White Patch Gene
this gene is the gene which determines whether degus and other wild rodents have any white colouring showing in their coats by preventing the degus color showing in the hair itself. This can cover small or virtually all of the degus exterior and has different names for each ‘patching’ or ‘pinto’