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Post by epicninjakitten on Jun 6, 2011 14:46:13 GMT
Hello. I have 2 male Degu's 15 weeks of age. ;D They are really tame and like sitting on my shoulders even being petted. I feed them Degu Nuggets from Pets at Home.. and a small selection of fresh veggies every 3(ish) days. I use oats for training, and sometimes a sunflower seed/pumpkin seed. I was just wondering though, what else can they eat? is there anything they definitely CANNOT eat? & what else can I feed them as treats? Also, I'm getting a lot of mixed views on the internet of what to and not what to give Degu's as wood branches in their cage? I just want to know a wood that's definitely safe! Please help me. Thanks ;D
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Post by kovu07 on Jun 6, 2011 14:58:28 GMT
www.degutopia.co.uk/degutoxic.htmAny wood not found on here is probably ok but I would still dry it out before using it. Also you can feed degus any of the following Once every few days Sunflower seeds pumpkin seeds flaked corn maize flaked peas Once a week Unsalted peanuts dried rosehips Once a month whole brazil whole hazelnuts As a treat (in small amounts) Ryvita Melba toast crackers Often (a few a day) Puffed rice Oats dandelion parsley marigold hazel leaves rose petals Hope that gives you some ideas
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Post by epicninjakitten on Jun 6, 2011 15:10:40 GMT
www.degutopia.co.uk/degutoxic.htmAny wood not found on here is probably ok but I would still dry it out before using it. Also you can feed degus any of the following Once every few days Sunflower seeds pumpkin seeds flaked corn maize flaked peas Once a week Unsalted peanuts dried rosehips Once a month whole brazil whole hazelnuts As a treat (in small amounts) Ryvita Melba toast crackers Often (a few a day) Puffed rice Oats dandelion parsley marigold hazel leaves rose petals Hope that gives you some ideas How do I go about drying wood? What kind of rose petals can I give them?.. just like from the garden..? What are rosehips? & thank you! you're answer was very helpful!
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Post by kovu07 on Jun 6, 2011 15:13:36 GMT
Nods in the oven, and you can get rose petals from the garden just be sure that they haven't been exposed to any pestisides. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_hipThe above shows you what rosehips are Also i'm glad I could help
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Post by epicninjakitten on Jun 6, 2011 15:33:38 GMT
Thanks! Hey since you seem so good with Degu's, what can I give them as toys?.. please don't just send me a link
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Post by kovu07 on Jun 6, 2011 15:37:46 GMT
Toys I would go with the following Bridges tubes some wooden parrot toys hammocks (not really toys but useful) rope ledges and hiding food around the cage for foraging
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 6, 2011 15:44:47 GMT
I have to say that my degus favourate toys are cardboard tubes that used to have posters in that I got from work and toilet tubes, with a treat in the middle and hay stuffed in either end, they go mad for these and tear them to shreds, they also like jumping and chewing on some screw- on wooden ledges I found at pets at home. The simple things are always the things they most enjoy! I spent a fortune on fancy toys that looked nice and they just chewed them up and broke them lol.
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Post by kovu07 on Jun 6, 2011 15:45:44 GMT
Sounds about right Phil
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 6, 2011 15:49:40 GMT
It certainly is, Ernies particularly destructive when he's frustrated by something and chews and chews! I'm surprised he doesn't have stumps where his teeth should be! lol, he got especially bad when I had to split him and Edna up.
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Post by kovu07 on Jun 6, 2011 15:49:57 GMT
Aww poor Ernie
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Post by fred on Jun 6, 2011 16:13:26 GMT
I am also feeding mine the P@H nuggets and then use XtraVital as treats which means I don't have to worry whether they get too much of something. Of course they all get a lot of other treats
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Post by epicninjakitten on Jun 6, 2011 16:24:52 GMT
Thanks very much. Is there anything Degu's aren't allowed?
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Post by philbailey1806 on Jun 6, 2011 16:32:21 GMT
Good idea Fred! I never thought of giving the XtraVital as a treat!
As for things not allowed, anything with added sugar or honey is bad, and watch out for hidden sugar in dried fruit and dried sugary veg e.g. carrots and corn.
Also don't give too many nuts and seeds as these are very fatty and an obese degu is a degu that will more than likely become diabetic, also nuts are high in protien, which could damage the liver if given in excessive quantities. Most sites, and like Kovu said above, advise no more than one unsalted peanut a week and one shelled nut a month maximum.
As for wood, if I were you I'd stick to the safe wood list on the degutopia website rather than risk it personally.
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 6, 2011 16:36:28 GMT
ANYTHING that contains added sugar is not allowed. You should go very light on any fruit, I would not give them bananas or raisins, nor anything citrus. No meat, or anything higher than 15% protein. Woods that are good for them . . . Apple, pear, birch, most willow, hawthorn.
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Post by epicninjakitten on Jun 6, 2011 17:20:33 GMT
...so no raisins? still mixed opinions lol
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Post by Ady on Jun 6, 2011 17:58:58 GMT
U can try pasta occasionally as it also good to wear teeth down. Parsnip and beetroot is quite cheap if u wanna try dice it up and dry.
Is it safe to give them black eye beans? Or lentils?
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Post by kovu07 on Jun 6, 2011 18:02:34 GMT
Raw lentils are ok but i've no idea about black eye beans, sorry.
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Post by epicninjakitten on Jun 6, 2011 18:29:08 GMT
Cool thanks everyone! Keep posting with any other ideas! ;D
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swan
Newborn Degu
Posts: 14
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Post by swan on Jun 6, 2011 21:56:59 GMT
no dog buiscuits
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Post by malteser60 on Jun 7, 2011 12:47:46 GMT
epicninjakitten, we have a sticky on the Food and Feeding thread that gives you ideas about what to feed degus. Also visit the degutopia website for more ideas on what to feed degus. However here's a short list of do's and don'ts : - Most important no sugars. As you know degus are prone to diabetes so it is very important to regulate their sugar. This is not just restricted to foods that have added sugar, but also natural sugar found in fruits and some vegetables. So no dried fruit (i.e. bananas, apple, etc, including raisins). Examples of vegetables containing sugar are carrots, parsnip, and corn. Although levels of sugar in vegetables is a lot less than fruit. So you can give your degus the occasional piece of carrot, etc. Now, I have a diabetic degu so I am very strict with their sugar levels. However I do know that some degue owners will give their degus the occasional piece of fruit, limited to one piece every three weeks to a month. Whenever you feed your degus a new food just check those sugar levels.
- Restrict the amount of fat - this is mainly from seeds. Degu's livers are built so they cannot digest high amounts of fat. This will lead to a strain on the degu's body causing complications and potentially diabetes. If your degu is already diabetic then you have to be even stricter with fat as the liver is already strained through it's inability to process sugar.
- Same argument with the fat is protein. So limit levels of protein to about 15% upper limit. Don't forget that seeds have high levels of protein in them.
- And finally when feeding them fresh veg be careful with bloat. This occurs when the degu has been fed a diet high in water-laden fresh food. This will eventually lead to diarrohea. Following this, with fresh veg limit those vegetables with a high water content such as cucumber and lettuce.
- Finally degus love flowers, pettals, leaves and twigs/sticks! You can buy online bags of dried meadow or mountain flowers. Zooplus sell them. You can also go out and dry your own if you live in the countryside. Just be sure you can identify the flowers - a favourite is dandelion, including the roots (mine go bonkers over dried dandelion roots, bought from zooplus). They also love them fresh too. Rose petals are a favourite as well. You can use rose petals from your garden, just make sure they haven't been treated with pesticide and that they're not take from a busy road (i.e. if you have a rose bush in the front garden that is also a popular road). Again the sticky in this thread has what kind of flowers degus can eat.
- P@H sell rosehip
Finally, as kovu has said you can also feed them dried crackers, ryvita, oatcakes, etc. Just always make sure to buy them the no fat, no salt version, and read the ingrediants to make sure there is no added sugar. Believe me, food manufacturers add sugar to everything! Makes the item sell better to our human sugar-loving mouth! Another treat that degus like is dried pasta, and it helps with keeping their teeth worn down. Hope this has helped ;D
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