Degu Diarrhea: What Soft or Liquid Droppings Mean and What to Do

Soft Droppings in the Cage This Morning

Loose or liquid droppings in a degu are usually a fermentation problem — the gut bacteria reacting to something new in the food — or a sign the degu is unwell elsewhere. The stool itself is not the dangerous part; dehydration and a gut that slows or stops are, and in a 200-gram animal that can happen within a day. Degus are herbivores adapted to a fibrous diet with moderate-to-low levels of nonstructural carbohydrate [1], and most cases trace back to a departure from that.

Why a Degu's Gut Goes Wrong

A degu ferments its food in the hindgut and then eats part of the result: on a high-fibre alfalfa diet in the laboratory, degus digested only 53% of the dry matter they consumed, and 38% of their 24-hour faeces production was reingested, 87% of it at night [2]. Those bacteria are load-bearing; upset them and the droppings change first.

• A sudden diet change, or too much fresh vegetable or fruit. Data on natural diets for degus and related pet herbivores suggest a crude fibre level around 250 g/kg dry matter, with whole forage such as hay recommended as the main diet component [3]. Watery greens displace it.
• Sugar. Dietary diarrhoea was among the common disorders recorded in a series of 300 degus presented to one exotics clinic [6]. Separately, degus fed a diet of simple fruit sugars can readily develop diabetes mellitus along with kidney damage and cataracts, and in the laboratory a slight change in carbohydrate intake leads to persistent hyperglycaemia and glycosuria [4]. Fruit and sweet treats have no place in the bowl — see degu diabetes.
• Oral antibiotics. Merck's professional pharmacology reference lists lincosamides as contraindicated in horses, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, chinchillas and ruminants, because lincosamide-induced disruption of gut flora can be lethal [5]. Degus are not on that list but ferment the same way, so any oral antibiotic in a degu is an exotics vet's decision — never a leftover from another pet.
• Teeth. Acquired dental disease was the commonest finding in a review of 300 degus presented to one exotics clinic, at 60.0% [6]. A degu that cannot chew hay stops eating fibre — see overgrown teeth.
• Infection. In chinchillas, a closely related hindgut fermenter, Merck's professional manual lists parasites and bacteria alongside inappropriate fresh greens, high-carbohydrate diets and sudden diet changes as causes of diarrhea and soft feces [10].

Husbandry decides much of this: one university degu colony reported no diarrhoeal disease in its adults under its described practices [7].

Is It Actually Diarrhoea?

Reingested droppings are normal. Degus reingest a large share of their droppings, mostly at night [2]; a few uneaten in the morning are not diarrhoea. True diarrhoea is unformed or liquid, smells wrong, and there is a lot of it.

A sticky, smeared bottom is often the clue rather than the disease — it can follow loose stool, but also a degu too sore or stiff to groom. Judge by the cage floor, not the fur.

Bloat is a different emergency. A tight, drum-like belly, hunched posture and no droppings at all is not a diarrhoea problem — call now, and read bloat in degus. Gastrointestinal disease in rodents including degus gives nonspecific signs, and malabsorption quickly drives negative energy balance and metabolic acidosis — which is why it should be treated at once [8].

What to Do at Home Today

Strip the diet back: unlimited grass hay, the plain measured pellet, nothing else — no greens, fruit, seeds, nuts or yoghurt drops — for several days.

Do not withhold food. A hindgut fermenter needs fibre moving continuously; fasting a degu with diarrhoea stops the gut, the outcome you are trying to prevent.

Make water easy and check it is being drunk — insufficient water intake in pet degus, chinchillas and guinea pigs has been linked to urolithiasis and obstipation [9]. Keep the degu warm and quiet, and weigh it every morning: weight is the honest number.

When to See a Vet

• Watery diarrhoea, or diarrhoea not clearly improving within 24 hours of going hay-only
• The degu is hunched, cold, quiet, or refusing hay
• Very few droppings or none, a bloated or tight abdomen, or straining
• Diarrhoea in a degu on any medication, especially an oral antibiotic

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I give my degu Imodium or a human anti-diarrhoeal?

No. Human anti-diarrhoeals are wrong for a hindgut-fermenting rodent — slowing an already-compromised gut is backwards. Nothing goes into a degu by mouth unless a vet prescribes it.

My degu's bottom is dirty but the droppings look normal. Is that diarrhoea?

Probably not. A smeared perineum can follow soft stool, but also a degu too sore or stiff to groom. If the cage-floor droppings are formed, look for a pain or mobility problem.

Should I stop feeding hay while my degu has diarrhoea?

No — hay is the treatment, not the problem. A 1999 study in Physiological and Biochemical Zoology found degus digested only 53% of the dry matter they ate and reingested 38% of their daily faeces. Remove the fresh and sugary items; keep hay unlimited. The one exception is bloat: a tight, drum-like belly with no droppings is not diarrhoea — call a vet the same day.

Can fruit really cause this?

Yes, and worse. Cold Spring Harbor Protocols notes that degus fed a diet of simple fruit sugars can readily develop diabetes mellitus with kidney damage and cataracts, and that in the laboratory a slight change in carbohydrate intake produces persistent high blood sugar and sugar in the urine.

Could my degu's teeth be behind this?

Often. Acquired dental disease was found in 60.0% of degus in a 2011 Journal of Small Animal Practice review of 300 degus presented to one exotics clinic, and a degu whose cheek teeth hurt stops eating hay. If diarrhoea recurs or weight drops, have the mouth examined.

References

1. Edwards MS. Nutrition and behavior of degus. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract, 2009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19341951/
2. Kenagy GJ, et al. Feces reingestion in the degu. Physiol Biochem Zool, 1999. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9882606/
3. Rothacher M, et al. Feeds for rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus. Schweiz Arch Tierheilkd, 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37905574/
4. Ardiles AO, et al. Octodon degus: a comparative biology model. Cold Spring Harb Protoc, 2013. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4386868/
5. Merck Veterinary Manual (professional). Lincosamides Use in Animals. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/pharmacology/antibacterial-agents/lincosamides-use-in-animals
6. Jekl V, et al. Diseases in pet degus: 300 animals. J Small Anim Pract, 2011. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21265850/
7. Palacios AG, Lee TM. Husbandry and breeding in the Octodon degu. Cold Spring Harb Protoc, 2013. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23547155/
8. Jekl V, Modry D. Gastroenterology in Rodents. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract, 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40000281/
9. Hagen K, et al. Drinking preferences in chinchillas, degus and guinea pigs. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr, 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24405017/
10. Merck Veterinary Manual (professional). Chinchillas. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals/rodents/chinchillas