The degu that can use a tool: a surprising behavioral study
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
Pulling a desired object closer with a tool is a skill we instinctively associate with primates or a handful of birds like the crow. A study showed that a small South American rodent, the degu, can do it too. Find our full selection of games and enrichment ideas in the rodent toys and enrichment section.
A motor skill sharpened through training
Okanoya, Tokimoto, Kumazawa, Hihara, and Iriki published a study on tool-use learning in the degu in the journal PLoS ONE in 2008 (see the study). Placed in front of food out of reach and given a small rake, the animals gradually learned to use it to pull the bait toward them, refining their movement over successive trials until they reached a near-optimal motor strategy. This performance, previously thought to be limited to a handful of large-brained species, suggests that understanding an object's function isn't unique to primates.
What this means for daily enrichment
An animal capable of learning such a complex movement to reach a reward quickly gets bored in a cage with no cognitive challenge. The degu, highly active and curious in the wild, needs situations where it has to search, manipulate, or solve a small problem to get its food.
- Offer foraging games: food hidden in hay or crumpled paper, to be found through exploration.
- Vary the objects to manipulate: small tubes, balls with holes, obstacles to move aside to reach a treat.
- Rotate toys regularly, so the animal doesn't get used to its surroundings and lose interest in them.
This natural curiosity ties into the species' daytime lifestyle, active in natural light it perceives with real precision: our article on the degu's diurnal circadian rhythm explains why this daytime activity directly shapes its need for stimulation. Its social life, marked by communal nesting among related females, is covered in our guide on degu communal nesting.
Frequently asked questions
Should I teach my degu to use a tool?
It isn't necessary: the study aimed to understand its cognitive abilities, not to turn it into a household exercise. Classic foraging games are plenty to keep it stimulated.
Does a degu really get bored in a standard cage?
Yes, a cage with no chance to search or manipulate anything encourages inactivity and, over time, stress-related behavior. The degu profile covers the setup that suits the species.
What kind of toy is best for stimulating a degu?
Toys that call for active manipulation — pushing, opening, moving — are more stimulating than a plain object to chew. Find all our guides on the rodent hub.
An accessory from our shop for this use: Natural loofah chew carrot for rabbits and rodents, 20 cm (€17.90) · the whole shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Rodents universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.