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The Degu has quite a range of sounds that they can make. They communicate with a mixture of sounds and body language, and it is useful as an owner to be able to identify some of the sounds that they make.
If your Degu is unhappy, they will often chatter their teeth, in a grinding motion. This is basically an “I don’t much like what is happening right now, so please do something about it”
If they get scared, they will let out a series of rapid squeals accompanied with a mad dash for safety. From this point they will then continue to let out a series of squeaks with about 10 – 30 second intervals until they calm down again. This is quite funny to watch when they are in their cage and only one has been scared. The other Degu will either join in the warning squeaks, become annoyed with the other Degu, and in this case chatter his teeth, or just be plain confused. (this was often the case with Gromit!)
They also make a warbling noise that sounds a bit like a baby bird chirping. this is roughly translated to be “I like what is happening now, I want to carry on like this” If you are stroking your Degu, it is very rewarding to hear this sound.
It is quite easy to communicate with your Degu by making little squeaking noises at them. My Degu Marmalade was particularly responsive to this, and would stop whatever he was doing to find out where the sound was coming from! (Very useful when he was trying to destroy something!!)
Please click on the sound files below to hear the different noises a Degu can make: