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Post by bouncy on Jan 19, 2017 22:53:11 GMT
Certainly sounds like she appreciates the food variety! For baby food, go for organic, no additives, or fruit. Also look out for large proportions of veggies high in sugar.
Ditto moletteuk - if Trinity's so close, I would get her in and assessed. You may be surprised - Scaredy now seems to love his trips to the vet, particularly the car journey and treats afterwards.
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Post by bouncy on Jan 19, 2017 22:54:56 GMT
Oh yeah, and there's nothing better than knowing we've helped another hooman slave!
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 19, 2017 23:19:23 GMT
You've helped a lot, seriously... I'd have been clumsily feeding her critical care all day, but she's genuinely had a huge amount of food today with everybody's advice and that's not just me hoping for the best, truly dozens of seeds and oats and pellets in one form or another (and I don't even have that nice mix from Ratration yet) and she's really perked up this evening as a result. Yesterday I didn't dream she'd have such a good eating day today and I was still thinking positively! Not exactly a nutritionally rich day, but it's weight I'm after. She still takes critical care, but not since the pastes, hopefully that has minerals and micronutrients in it that she needs. I'll leave it half paste/half liquid overnight and she'll be forced to consider eating it with a limited alternative. Oat paste is her favourite because it's the same puffed oats (Rude Health if anyone interested) she's had since she was a few weeks old as a treat for going back into her cage after a 30 min run around. My poor degu.
About the slave thing... I've noticed that despite her painful tongue she uses her water bottle when I'm not in the room... but when I am she sits by it and waits for me to syringe water into her mouth instead. What's that about!!
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Post by bouncy on Jan 19, 2017 23:25:13 GMT
Under the thumb!
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 20, 2017 0:31:04 GMT
LOL!! She just prefers to have you close and helping her. To me it speaks of a special trust and bond . . . and maybe a little slave labor thrown in.
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Post by ntg on Jan 20, 2017 2:02:14 GMT
If you're a little worried about her not taking the critical care/not getting a balanced diet you can always mix the CC or crushed pellets in with the pastes when you make them! There's nothing like a good old game of trick the degu!
And yep, you've well and truly become a human slave. Bow down to your degu overlords (or ladies in this case).
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 20, 2017 9:33:17 GMT
So her eyes are much brighter this morning and she's talking quite a bit more. Also grooming a lot, but she's still obviously tired and also groggy now she's had a long sleep. She's definitely still a bit weak too as her rolls in the sand are nowhere near as vigorous as normal. Her jumps are pretty good but sometimes fails to jump onto the chair in the room. It was always 50/50 to jump up there, but seeing her bounce off when she's so skinny is worse.
I think the pain gets her down because post metacam she's a lot more normal. It's tricky.
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Post by bouncy on Jan 20, 2017 11:07:40 GMT
Get the consultation sorted, you'll feel better
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Jan 20, 2017 11:24:04 GMT
Thanks molette I'm just near enough convinced she can survive if I get everything exactly right - the former vet implied the weight loss alone was her death sentence I think, but my degu wants to eat, man! Already told my employer that between them and nursing the degu, it's the degu, sorry. Maybe I'm just mad. Made her some oat paste this time round and super successful. Will have to be careful not to overfeed her if she's not been eating much previously at this rate. The only thing missing from my degu support arsenal is baby food - would you know which brand and flavour has a good success rate? As someone who has spent a small fortune on baby food these last few weeks trying to find the right one - Ella Organics pouches, 4m+, peas or carrots flavour. Zoe will go nuts to get his face into a pot of ground nuts held together with carrot flavoured goop. The better trick is finding anything with less than 10g/sugar per 100g, which doesn't have pasta or meat in. The Ella Organics have parsnips and something else as well, but Zoe turns his nose up at those. Peas and carrots work for my critter River used to like mashed banana. I hate the smell of mashed banana though, and haven't been desperate enough to try it for Zoe yet (River wouldn't touch crit care or baby food).
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 20, 2017 11:49:15 GMT
Get the consultation sorted, you'll feel better I've got an appointment at 11am tomorrow. She's moody today and running around if I bother her when she doesn't want to be bothered. TBH this is pretty normal behaviour, but not at all the best for feeding her at will because she's only interested in hard food this morn and still sucks at eating it.
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 20, 2017 13:14:16 GMT
She's being such a pain around eating so I'll have to grab some baby food to see if something new entices her. She just keeps failing to eat hard food today and not that bothered by pastes, so maddening, and is burning energy like a maniac too - digging up all the wood chips, the nuggets and throwing them about. Argh please. Took a quick snap... her eye has cleared up from the weapiness, but as you can see she walks around looking tired a lot. 3/4 open eyes. Making a mess. She's in such an awful mood with syringes and stuff now that I don't think she'll take metacam unless I'm lucky. The only good thing teeth wise is that despite her rear teeth being a big problem it obviously isn't those that cause her the most active discomfort because she hasn't pawed at her mouth since the surgery. Attachments:
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 20, 2017 14:07:21 GMT
Why would a chronically underweight degu still selectively eat arghghgh. Life isn't all about flavour!
I opened a brand new bag of selective science that she knew as a pup, she crawled inside and she's now eating some slowly but surely!!!! The last things I thought she'd take as they are plain... I'm VERY happy about this.
Guess that's the whole bag ruined mind.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 20, 2017 15:08:07 GMT
I wouldn't think the whole bag is ruined. Unless you think she has peed in it? You could spread it out on a flat surface and see what you can see? If you use the forage feeding method, they would be tramping over the food that you've spread out for them anyway. Don't throw it away.
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 20, 2017 15:55:58 GMT
I wouldn't think the whole bag is ruined. Unless you think she has peed in it? You could spread it out on a flat surface and see what you can see? If you use the forage feeding method, they would be tramping over the food that you've spread out for them anyway. Don't throw it away. Thanks you're right - it was just a clumsy joke really. I'll just extract a layer from the top where she dug down to. She sat in the bag eating for 45 minutes! Now sleeping. Bit full now I think, though I can't get my head around why an acutely thin degu would only eat what she fancied Wonder if the vet tomorrow will believe me when I say she's eating reasonably well (or dare I say a lot) now I know she needs it and know how to get food in her? I'm a sentimental person, but I am a realist and wouldn't make something like that up. I just have this feeling they'll see skin and bone, fair enough, and think she's done for.
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Post by bouncy on Jan 20, 2017 17:28:37 GMT
Don't worry. You saw an issue, took the fluff ball to the vet, got some very dodgy advice, made a really big effort to get her to eat again, and are now getting proper advice! The vet will totally get that. Chances are you're also compounding her skinniness in your mind/paranoia. You don't have an accurate gauge of how much she has or hasn't lost either, so chill
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 20, 2017 18:44:58 GMT
As someone who has spent a small fortune on baby food these last few weeks trying to find the right one - Ella Organics pouches, 4m+, peas or carrots flavour. Zoe will go nuts to get his face into a pot of ground nuts held together with carrot flavoured goop. The better trick is finding anything with less than 10g/sugar per 100g, which doesn't have pasta or meat in. The Ella Organics have parsnips and something else as well, but Zoe turns his nose up at those. Peas and carrots work for my critter River used to like mashed banana. I hate the smell of mashed banana though, and haven't been desperate enough to try it for Zoe yet (River wouldn't touch crit care or baby food). Thanks very much for this, went out and cleared the shelves today - she loves the carrot version but ignores it when I mix in ground almonds unfortunately. I don't think she likes almonds. It's not very high calorie on its own, but it's more than nothing!! Also super easy versus cranking out my own pastes all day long, many of which are poorly reviewed. I'll try it with ground up sunflower seeds next time. Actually now she's eating the version with almonds, nice! Unfortunately my ratration stuff didn't arrive. Classic Royal Mail....
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2017 18:46:26 GMT
Ugh Royal Mail suck. Even more so when you live in an apartment lol. They see it's all private and locked and they're like NAAAH. 😐
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 20, 2017 19:08:47 GMT
Don't worry. You saw an issue, took the fluff ball to the vet, got some very dodgy advice, made a really big effort to get her to eat again, and are now getting proper advice! The vet will totally get that. Chances are you're also compounding her skinniness in your mind/paranoia. You don't have an accurate gauge of how much she has or hasn't lost either, so chill I don't know it was so sad when I picked her up to give her critical care the first day back. Her shoulder bones were sharp to the touch and naturally she's quite a plump looking one. She already looks fuller and rounder... it won't all be fat of course, but presumably retaining water weight which is never a bad thing. I know carrots are relatively on the sugary side for them... not sure whether to limit her carrot baby food or just provide as much as she wants given her situation. Even the whole sachet is 20 calories total. . . . . ...
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Post by bouncy on Jan 20, 2017 19:15:01 GMT
Tbh, short term probably won't harm
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 20, 2017 19:32:00 GMT
She's always been a super clean degu and really likes her wood chip area because she can kick down a new layer every few hours as required
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