CreatureData

Common degu

Octodon degus (Molina, 1782)

LCLeast Concernrodents

The common degu (Octodon degus), also called the degu, is a rodent in the family Octodontidae, part of the suborder Hystricomorpha. It is a small, terrestrial, diurnal herbivore with a representative adult body mass of 210 g.

Common degu (Octodon degus)
Photo: Jacek555 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the common degu

Gestation lasts 90 days, litters average 5.3 young, there are 1.8 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 184.6 days. Its lifespan is given as 7.1 years, with up to 14 years reported, and it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, not a threatened category.

Weight
204.8 g – 210 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
7.1 years – 14 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
90.1 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
5.31src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
5.98 months – 6.15 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.8src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the common degu

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Common degu (Octodon degus)
Ailinne · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Common degu (Octodon degus)
Ailinne · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Common degu (Octodon degus)
Francisco E. Fonturbel · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Common degu (Octodon degus)
Ben Lyle Bedard · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Common degu (Octodon degus)
Bernardino Camousseigt · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Common degu (Octodon degus)
Bernardino Camousseigt · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Common degu (Octodon degus)
Jennie Sörensen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the common degu live?

Not recorded

What is the common degu?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The common degu (Octodon degus; ), or, historically, the degu, is a small hystricomorpha rodent endemic to the Chilean matorral ecoregion of central Chile. The name degu on its own indicates either the entire genus Octodon or, more commonly, just the common degu. Common degus belong to the parvorder Caviomorpha of the infraorder Hystricognathi, along with the chinchilla and guinea pig. The word degu comes from the Mapuche word dewü, meaning 'mouse' or 'rat'.

Although found in a relatively small natural habitat when compared to other species of rodents, degus are prolific and thus classified as a least-concern species by IUCN. The animal may be kept as a domestic pet, though there are prohibitions on their ownership in some territories. As a pet, the degu is larger than a golden hamster but smaller than a fancy rat.

From the Wikipedia article “Common degu” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_degu&oldid=1335666221), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the common degu sound like?

Fuwafuwakonomi · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the common degu endangered?

The common degu is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the common degu classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderRodentia
  5. familyOctodontidae
  6. genusOctodon
  7. SpeciesOctodon degus (Molina, 1782)

Synonyms Sciurus degus

Other names and names in other languages (16)
  • DeguEnglish
  • DeguEnglish
  • داغي شائعArabic
  • osmák deguCzech
  • Gewöhnlicher DeguGerman
  • Κοινό ΝτεγκούGreek
  • Ratón cola de pincelSpanish
  • デグーJapanese
  • degusNorwegian Bokmål
  • DegoeDutch
  • KoszatniczkaPolish
  • Koszatniczka pospolitaPolish
  • ДегуRussian
  • Обыкновенный дегуRussian
  • Degu čílskySlovak
  • Дегу звичайнийUkrainian

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the common degu

Other species in the same genus Octodon.

CompareCommon degu vs Coastal deguCommon degu vs Pacific deguCommon degu vs Ricardo Ojeda's deguCommon degu vs Bridges' degu

Common questions

Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.

What kind of animal is the common degu?

The common degu is a rodent, a mammal in the family Octodontidae and the suborder Hystricomorpha.

How heavy is a common degu?

An adult common degu has a representative body mass of 210 g, which places it in the small size class.

What does the common degu eat?

The common degu is a herbivore.

How long does a common degu live?

Its lifespan is given as 7.1 years, with values up to 14 years reported.

Is the common degu endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

How many young does a common degu have?

A litter averages 5.3 young, with 1.8 litters per year after a gestation of 90 days.

When does a common degu reach sexual maturity?

It reaches sexual maturity at 184.6 days, with reported values from 182 to 187.2 days.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Common degu (Octodon degus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-degu

MLA

“Common degu (Octodon degus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-degu.

BibTeX
@misc{common_degu_2026,
  title = {Common degu (Octodon degus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-degu},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}