A volunteer at Block Fen Animal Centre in Wimblington fed up with watching a pair of Chilean rodents get overlooked for adoption has taken them home herself.

Aga Clark says she’d had enough of visitors coming in and shunning the two degus, called Rocco and Cory, so decided to take them home to join her two rabbits, two canaries and two dogs.

She said: “They are two lovely little degus and I saw them and thought it was a shame that they had spent such a long time in the RSCPA without finding a forever home.

“They are settling in really well and are lots of fun. I never expected they would be so much fun to be around – they are real characters!”

Rocco and Cory came to Fenland from a multi-animal home in Oxford where there were also three gerbils, 24 hamsters and 20 degus.

The animals were signed over to the RSCPA and all but two were re-homed.

But now, after more than a year at Block Fen, Rocco and Cory have a place to call home.

“I know the staff at Block Fen will miss them,” Aga added.

“They were really happy I’d re-homed them but also quite sad as they’d been there for so long they had become a part of the family.”

What is a degu?

“Degus originate from Chile and live for about six to seven years,” says Dr Jane Tyson, scientific officer in the companion animals department at the RSPCA.

“They must be provided with the correct accommodation, environment, companionship and food. They also need to be kept at the right temperature as they can easily overheat, and given lots of opportunities to dig, climb and chew, as well as access to a dust bath twice a week.

“Degus are sociable creatures and need the companionship of another degu. They can live in same-sex pairs or as a mixed group but if keeping males and females together then care must be taken to ensure there are no unwanted pregnancies by neutering the males. Contact your vet for more information.”