In pet shops across Montenegro, just a few years ago, small Chilean squirrels—degus—became popular. Sellers offered them as “ideal pets”: fits in your hand, jumps around cheerfully, eats little. People bought them for their children to play with, but after just a few months, the “toy” became boring.
The first call came from a boy: “Dad doesn’t want them anymore, I don’t know what to do with them.” We found two emaciated degus, their tails bare from stress. Soon, others followed—second, then third—every cage told the same story: boredom, hair loss, eyes without shine.
We moved the degus into a large, glass-enclosed aviary, where we provided all the necessary conditions for a normal life and play.
We strive to teach visitors that a degu is not a toy, but a social genius of the Andes, and that taking responsibility for raising a degu means learning about its needs and proper care.