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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 17, 2012 18:59:11 GMT
So, I'll be bringing home my degus today (so excited!) and one thing that I am really looking forward to doing is growing natural foods for them in my garden. I have a large garden in which I grow lots of veggies for my guinea pigs and rabbits already (the rats and even the hermit crabs get a little bit, as well). The critters then contribute to the garden with their, uh, waste products, which I compost and then use to fertilize. It's one big ol' circle of life! Haha! Anyway, now that I'll have degus, I'd like to add some things to the garden just for them. I already grow several herbs like parsley and cilantro for the pigs and buns that they could have, of course. Other veg, too, could be given to them. But what of other, more degu-specific plants? Any suggestions? I would really appreciate suggestions of more "decorative" plants that degus could eat, because I'd love to have some flowers in the front of the yard that are pretty and presentable but also usable. Of course, climate is a consideration - I am in Minnesota (for those not familiar with US geography - think midwest, it borders Canada, notoriously cold), so nothing tropical is going to grow here. In the past the things that have grown best have been swiss chard, lettuce, tomatoes, herbs, that sort of thing. I just dumped a TON of compost on my plot at the end of this grow season, and I can't wait to till it in come spring. I know, I know - early to be thinking of these things, but I am excited *and* I'll need January and February to find seeds for some of these plants (especially things uncommon to the typical garden for which I may have to order seeds online for) because March is when I start seeds indoors. Plus, I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to do a little gardening for their critters, right?
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Post by Karma on Dec 17, 2012 19:09:13 GMT
rose petals are a favourite with my degus (I steal them from my neighbours rose bush hehehe). They can also have lavendar, violets (really ones not african), some sunflower petals, dandelions, daisies, and marigolds (make sure they are not tagetes species - allow mine ate 3 flowers each for a week and no bad affects seen before I knew there was differences).
Carrots, kohlrabi, all types of lettuce, many types of trees - leaves and branches and many weeds are also allowed.
I live in Calgary, Alberta and all the above except the lavendar grew well for me. I also have GREAT success with a potted hibiscus plant which is safe to eat, allow my degus have refused to eat it so far - i bring it inside whenever the temperature is below 10 C (so it spent maybe a month fully outside lol).
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Post by ntg on Dec 17, 2012 19:18:11 GMT
Mallow flowers (Malva species) and Marshmallow flowers tend to go down well?
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 17, 2012 19:54:22 GMT
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 17, 2012 20:22:29 GMT
I've always wanted to try growing roses, so I can give them a try. Hibiscus is a great idea, though! Oddly enough, even though they're tropical, they grow well here. My mom always has hibiscus in the summer, although last summer hers kept getting eaten by deer. We don't get deer here in Minneapolis, fortunately, and I keep the smaller critters away by spreading the contents of the ferrets' litter box around the perimeter of the garden. Ferrets are natural predators to bunnies, so the scent keeps them away (which is why my weasels live in a room separate from the smaler critters - the rabbits throw a thumping fit if the ferrets come near). Marigolds are also a great suggestion, and they last well into the fall. I'll be sure to plant some I have an oak tree in my yard - oak leaves and branches are okay, correct? There's a mullberry tree in back as well, but I don't recall seeing that on any lists as being good or bad. Any clue on mullberry? Thanks so much for all of these suggestions! I really appreciate it!
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Post by dusty on Dec 17, 2012 20:27:17 GMT
I gather fennel seeds are ok for them. Here in sunny southcoast of England my fennel plants are amazing. They are pretty, have a great texture to run your fingers through the foliage etc. then in Autumn they seed themselves - yay goo food. Several varieties, I have the Bronze fennel, it has a golden glow to the fluffy stems (which are great for cooking - go with fish ) Then collect the seeds later in the year
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 17, 2012 23:23:45 GMT
If you are interested in starting a fruit producing item, degus can have the leaves off of raspberry and blackberry plants, as well as the leaves from strawberries. All apple tree branches and leaves they can also have.
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 18, 2012 17:05:23 GMT
Oak is fine, they might not like the leaves too well because they are high in tannins, but you never know. There seems to be experience out there that mulberry (morus alba) leaves are good dried, I'll put a post in the safe plant thread and see if Davx knows any more.
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 18, 2012 18:17:14 GMT
Thanks again for all the help! One idea I had was to Google for "edible flowers", since the thought of using my front yard to grow decorative yet usable plants was really appealing to me. One that popped out was daylily. Apparently some daylilies are edible, both the flowers and the leaves (at least, according to Wikipedia). We have tigerlilies all over the place here. Anyone have experience with feeding them to their degus? Other than that, pansies looked like a great option as well. They're related to violets and are also edible. If anyone can think of a good shade-loving plant that I could grow under my oak tree, let me know. So, the plan right now is to get a rose bush, some hibiscus (potted, so I can winter them inside), try leaves from the strawberries if they pop back up this year or plant more if they don't, and I've been wanting raspberries for a few years anyway so I'll buy a raspberry bush. Also, I'll give the mulberry leaves a shot, as well. If we find out anything about the branches, that'd be very helpful because I really need to trim that tree back - it's shading my garden too much. The herb garden will expand to feature more than just parsleys and cilantro. I'll add chamomile, lavender, basil, and others. Ah, I am so excited, everyone! Also, I am SO glad I read the thread about appropriate plants and saw that spinach and chard are not so good! Those are very popular with my other critters, so I would have just assumed they'd be a big hit with the degus. I'll stick to the other greens. In fact, this afternoon when I stop by the co-op, I'll pick up some dandelion greens and I'll hang some up to dry over the heat vent just for the degus.
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 20, 2012 12:01:05 GMT
Spinach and chard (& parsley) are OK in small to medium quantities in a mix. The problem is that they contain oxalic acid which can strip calcium out of the body. Actually, this applies to your other small furries the same as it does to the degus, so your degus can share some, but you might want to just check how much the GPs and buns are getting. Plants tend to increase their oxalic acid content as they get older, so spring plants (that contain oxalic acid) are better.
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Post by Maravilla on Dec 20, 2012 13:42:22 GMT
marigolds (make sure they are not tagetes species Why do you make the difference between marigold (calendula) and tagetes? Tagetes is perfectly fine as food for degus. I just tried it out this year and my degus do like them. I have included them in my food mixes. You can also plant yarrow and marguerites.
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 20, 2012 18:52:44 GMT
Interesting, I'll keep that in mind when it comes to spinach and chard We've cut back on spinach because it's been pretty expensive lately. We usually grab a head of romaine and something else, either a couple bunches of parsley or cilantro or a bunch of chard or kale, just something other than lettuce so they get some variety. My boyfriend is a total dork and loves giving the lettuce to the pigs, though, because he puts the leaves on their backs and calls them capes It's pretty adorable, and the pigs find their fashionable meals right away, of course But, back to gardening! I've been digging through the natural diet threads and I've made myself a list of things I can possibly plant come spring, along with a few plants I can grow indoors to harvest from, too. So far, here's what I've got: marigold roses echinacea (aka coneflower) cornflower chamomile Jerusalem artichoke Amaranthus caudatus (love-lies-bleeding; hanging basket) sunflower hibiscus (pot, bring indoors for winter) primrose (not sure if it grows here) Lady's mantle cowslip (also not sure if it grows here) fennel chrysanthemum lavender honeysuckle (trellis) peony calendula red clover (forage for this, it grows everywhere) yarrow violets daisies nasturtium jasmine (indoor) chia (indoor) passion flower (indoor) I'm obviously not planning on planting *all* of these - they're just ideas, at the moment. I'll have to see what I have space for. Things like love-lies-bleeding that can go in a hanging basket or honeysuckle and roses that can be trellised will get priority, though, because that just makes room for even more stuff. I also know for a fact that my local co-op sells chia seeds, but they were out last time I was there. Finding indoor jasmine and passion flower plants that don't cost an arm and a leg might be harder, but I'm willing to try. I already have a lot of houseplants so what's a few more? Lastly - I assume that if a flower is edible for humans, it's edible for degus, correct? Or is that a bad assumption to make? For example, I'm reading that petunias are edible for humans, but I'm not seeing anyone here ever feeding them to their goos. They'd be a ridiculously easy thing to acquire and grow, though. Let me know your thoughts.
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 20, 2012 19:12:26 GMT
I did a little more looking into edible flowers, and I guess two of my very favorites - impatiens and fuchsia - are also both edible! You have no idea how happy this makes me! Again, if "edible for people" does not translate to "edible for degus", please let me know. I also have no idea if these provide any sort of nutritional value, nor do I have any clue as to their taste.
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 20, 2012 19:49:04 GMT
I think Karma had the tagetes misunderstanding in the early days when it wasn't clear that it was safe.
If a plant or flower is safe for humans it is a good indicator it will be safe for degus, but is not always. It's best to ask in the safe plant thread. I'll need to check up on impatiens & fuchsia.
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 20, 2012 19:59:15 GMT
Yes, I'm discovering that. I did some more digging into peonies, and apparently they are toxic. Now I wish I remember where I'd seen that they were okay, for humans or for pets. Too bad, too - they are pretty!
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 21, 2012 17:40:13 GMT
So, looking out my window and seeing snow on the ground is getting so depressing. These degus have gotten me SO psyched for gardening, you have no idea!! lol!! I'm even thinking that, if I can grow enough stuff that I have a surplus, I can offer to sell herb and flower mixes here for US degu owners Like I said, I have a pretty large garden, with other parts of the yard to grow edible ornamentals, and nearly everything I grow is for the pets (a sad commentary on my own dietary habits, but there you have it). Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, but Maravilla your degu with the marigold is so adorable hehe I can't wait to give pretty flowers to my goos.
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Post by davx on Dec 23, 2012 17:19:13 GMT
Impatiens is edible also for degus. However there are some species that aren't good in taste and degus won't eat it... you have to try it out. E.g. this species here seems to be bad in taste, at least the older plants: www.degupedia.de/wiki/index.php/Impatiens_glanduliferaFuchsia isn't toxic. However I do not know owner feeding fuchsia nor do I know if they are good in taste. Petunia however I have at least some doubts feeding them. They belong to the nightshades like tomato, potato, sweet pepper and so on. At least it seems that the leaves might be toxic.
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Post by lessthansign3 on Dec 23, 2012 18:25:45 GMT
The impatiens I plant usually look like these guys - I'm pretty sure they are Impatiens walleriana. I suppose we'll find out what the goos think of them come summer. Same goes with the fuchsia. I'd have them whether or not the degus could eat them just because they're pretty and easy to grow, so it doesn't matter much either way. As for petunias, well, I certainly have plenty of other things on my list I can plant instead, so I can forgo the petunias for something I know for certain is safe and that degus like.
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Post by davx on Dec 23, 2012 21:36:58 GMT
For the impatiens I only know that some degu owners fed wild growing species and the degus liked them, probably Impatiens parviflora or Impatiens noli-tangere. But as I said you can try it out. I know Impatiens walleriana only as houseplant, but I never had the idea to try out if the degus like this plant. I would do so. However it might be possible that in few years people finding out that this flowers are good for degus... for the moment we do not know enough and there are certainly enough other plants to try out. But sometimes things can change quickly and I think it is good to keep the doors open and set a question mark for the petunias so that we can come back to this question later again if it is needed .
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Post by dyzired on Dec 24, 2012 20:37:49 GMT
Just thought I'd say... I will definitely buy a dried flower/leaf (is that what you said?) mix from you for my boys! There is nowhere I have found around here to buy already made stuff and aside from a couple of things im going to try...I don't really have the knowledge to grow things myself!
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