Degu | An article for those of you who are wondering if you should bring one home

You found this article because you wanted to know more about degus,
──I have a question for you.

Degus, are they just...just somehow cute creatures…｣
──don't you think of them that way?

I believed that too──
until I lived with one.

◇ Introduction──

｢The 7 years we spent together, and what lay beyond that｣

Degus are cute.
People who actually own them, and those who are currently interested in degus, everyone feels that way, right?

── Short, cute little hands
── Big, round eyes looking at me
── The way they always try their best

When I first thought about bringing a degu home, every time I saw them on social media, I was drawn to their adorable appearance.

And when I actually started living with one, the first thing I felt
was, as expected, the same thing.

｢─They really are cute.｣

But looking back now,
I feel that was just the entrance.

◇ A sense of unease that cannot be explained by just "cute"

Smart and friendly──.
After I started living with a degu like that,
I began to have a strange feeling.

🔸 They turn around when I call their name.
🔸 They chirp back when I talk to them.
🔸 They get angry and squeak if I tease them.
🔸 They run over when I wave my hand.

　
That was just a normal part of life, and at first, I think I only had the expression "cute" to describe it.

A voice of joy──
A spoiled voice──
A voice when surprised──

Depending on their mood at the time, degus express their feelings in the moment with what are said to be over a dozen different types of chirps.

Depending on their mood at the time, degus use over a dozen different vocalizations to
express their feelings in the moment.

When interacting with such a degu,
"I find myself quite naturally talking to them"
—that is the kind of person I am.

Of course, since they are animals, they cannot speak human language.
From an outsider's perspective, it is just

"mere self-satisfying communication" by a doting owner.

But it felt so natural, as if it were a matter of course.

◇ What many degu owners feel

On X (formerly Twitter), with the cooperation of degu owners, I conducted a survey like this.

Theme:
"The thing you think is the 'most amazing' about degus"

──The results of that survey are here.

The most common answer in this survey,

"Communication skills that allow for dialogue—a sense of family"

Having actually lived with a degu,
this is what many people felt was the"greatest charm".

It wasn't their cuteness, their intelligence,
or how easy they are to keep.

The one that took first place was,

──"Dialogue".

It surprisingly accounted for 45% of the total.

I am not alone.
Many people living with degus
share the same sentiment.

I believe this is a feeling that "only those who have owned one can understand."

They are so cute, and so precious.

However,
even when I talk about degus to my parents, siblings, or friends,
their charm just doesn't get across.

I imagine there are actually many owners out there who feel just as frustrated as I do, aren't there?

There is a lonely feeling in not being understood, but conversely, it is also a sense of superiority.



It is a happiness that can only be felt because we live together.

When I was living with Picchan,
I barely used social media.
I lived a quiet life with my beloved degu,
secretly and in solitude.

Looking around, there is almost no one who knows the charm of degus, or even their existence in the first place.

That is why I think there are other owners out there who "carry that same loneliness"
just like me.

However, social media
is overflowing with many degu fans.

" Knowing the charm of degus── "

Because we hold that special sense of superiority in our hearts,
all the owners empathize with each other, help each other, and a gentle
circle is formed there.

That is the degu community.

They are not just beings to look at,
nor are they just beings to pet because they are cute,

but beings with whom we build a relationship──
"the existence of family".

Sometimes I have them listen to me, and sometimes I listen to their words.

Because such conversations happen naturally,
they are like my own children, sometimes like friends,

an existence that cannot be summed up by the word family.

That is what a degu was to me.

◇ The reason why communication with a degu is possible

──Is it really possible to communicate with them?

I'm sure some of you are curious.

Why is it that degus are able to "express themselves with such rich emotion"?

I believe the reason lies in the "miraculous characteristics" of the degu as a small animal
overlapping with one another.

I talk about those reasons in detail in
▼this article.
Please take a look when you have some time.

◇ A deepening relationship, despite being a small animal

I used to think of small animal pets as
"beings that provide healing just by watching them."

But degus were different.

──If you make eye contact, they come closer.

──If you speak to them, they respond.

──As time goes by, their reactions change.

You can feel the distance between you slowly closing.

That accumulation of moments eventually made them
a presence for me that the word "just a pet" could not fully describe.

◇ Before I knew it, they were at the center of my life

When I come home, they are the first to greet me.
When I look over casually, they are looking back at me.

Even though they are just there,
you can truly feel their "presence."

Before you know it,
when making plans, when shopping,
and even at work, you naturally start thinking with the degu as your priority.

It is not an obligation or anything of the sort,
but something that happens quite naturally.

This is the content of a survey conducted on X.

Theme:
"Impressions before bringing one home versus actually living with a degu"

The results are as you can see.
The most common answer was—

—"My life now revolves around my degu."

52% of the total. More than half of the peoplehave already

reached the point where"their life revolves around their degu"

is how they answered.

Furthermore,
"Cuter than I imagined"... 28%
"I can't escape the swamp"... 17%

Surprisingly,
when you combine these answers, in reality, many people
are more than they imagined before bringing one home

by their degu "deeply moved."

I believe there is a deeper reason for this that cannot be explained by just saying they are cute.
more profound reasons.

◇ The answer that lay beyond 'cute'

Cute—.
That is certainly true.

However,
the true charm of a degu lies beyond that.

It is:
・"Responding to you"
・"Building a relationship"

──It is almost like communication through dialogue".

It is something so large that you could never imagine it from their small bodies,
──an existence that is just too big.

I learned this from Picchan, with whom I lived for seven years.
This is what he taught me.

◇ If you are interested in degus right now

If you see them on social media and think, "They're cute,"
that feeling is surely correct.

But what lies beyond that is surely
a future much more wonderful than you are imagining.

──It doesn't end with just being cute.

There is dialogue, a relationship is born,
and before you know it, they become an irreplaceable presence.

As one person who has been captivated by such degus,
I would like to gently give you a push.

──A memorable photo of Picchan──

◇ Finally──

For me, a degu was
more than just a cute existence;
they were "family itself" who was always by my side.

That is what I felt about degus:
『what lay beyond the cuteness』.

And now, if you are reading this article
and are wondering whether to bring a degu home

I believe that once you start living together, you will find the true answer within yourself.

──Such a small animal
can change your life,
and might become such a significant presence.

Just as meeting Picchan
──changed my life.

I would be happy if this article could be the
catalyst for your future encounter with a degu.

To those welcoming a degu for the first time.

I have also lived with a degu for seven years, and I have lived through the same worries and anxieties.

In this note, I intend to share "everything from my experience" so that those struggling with degu care won't stumble.

When you find yourself wondering, "What should I do?" I would be happy if you could remember "Deguruku".

If you could resonate with this article even a little,
──it would encourage me if you could let me know by clicking the ♥️ button
so that it can reach others who are struggling in the same way.

▼ The story of Picchan, who changed my life

▼To those who want to welcome a degu in the future──