I got Elmo on January 21, 1997. At the time, I had no idea what a degu was. The people at the pet store told me that he was like a gerbil. I later found out that degus are more related to Guinea Pigs than gerbils, and that they're born diabetic.

Anyways, it wasn't long before Elmo demonstrated his greatest natural talent: running away from me. He first did it the second day I had him. It took a while to get him back. His other hobbies included chewing on his tale, trying to get some sugar, throwing his wood chips all over the place and tipping his food dish over. His favourite food was sunflower seeds.

While degus can live up to ten years in captivity, Elmo didn't. He died November 1, 1998.

I drew the below picture in a car. It isn't half bad, eh?

All About Elmo

The Elmo Gallery

Elmo's Pals