Recipe for food to entice a sick degu to eat

[Jus]

Of course! I don't think she would appreciate a steamin' cuppa tea lol. Jokes aside, good just wanted to check because they are funny buggers with all their funny and odd requirements etc. So, assuming no1 knows otherwise, tip: degus love slightly warm porridge! (with water not milk!)

[cheesecakeyum]

Hi, made these last night for my sick degu and added some Recovery Plus food from the vets to it that I've been finding it hard to syringe him..he seemed to really like them and ate a couple, however is turning his nose up at them so far today!

They do appear to be a bit softer today..has anyone else found this? (They have been stored in sealed tupperware.)

Also - for anyone thinking of making them, this recipe made two whole baking trays for me, which filled up a chinese take-away sized tupperware box almost to the top.

[deguconvert]

If they are a little soft today, I would just put them back in a medium oven to warm up again for a few minutes and see if that works for him? Of course you will have to let them cool before giving them to him.

[moletteuk]

You could bake them for longer in a low oven to try to dry them out more to the middle. You could also freeze some if you have too many.

[cheesecakeyum]

Thanks guys, I popped them back in the oven for a short while and it worked a treat!

[selphibloomers]

Hi

Does anyone know if wholemeal bread flour is on to use in this? It's the only wholemeal one I have in at the moment.

Attempting to get Tufts to feel a bit better and put on some weight

Thanks

[moletteuk]

It should be fine, it's the same as plain flour, just with more gluten, it's not crucial to stick to the exact recipe.

I find oil seeds are well liked and good for putting on weight, also dandelion root. Is Tufts having a particular problem at the moment?

[selphibloomers]

Thanks for your reply.

Tufts is just a bit of a poorly degu generally, she always has been since we got her (a rescue case we then rehomed with 5 sisters). Multiple vet visits to check teeth and she has had to be separated out with Lorina as she got badly beaten up last year by the others. Still has a gammy leg from that which doesn't quite work properly.

She is eating drinking etc. But often sits in a corner by herself fluffed up sleeping and just looks and seems not right. Am at my wits end a bit trying to get her healthy. Her cage mate Lorina is the sleekest, healthiest degu going but tufts I can't get her right she will scoff critical care but don't want to keep feeding her that in the long run

[moletteuk]

Oh dear, that sounds a bit tricky

Have a look through the feeding guide and the nutrition charts for lots of ideas of things you can try, as I say, oil seeds are great for getting calories into them. Will she eat any forage? Have you tried a good range of plants and seeds, fresh grass etc? If she has dental issues, do bear in mind the total calcium content, if you are feeding grains it's difficult to keep the calcium high enough and the phosphorus low enough. Has she had dental xrays?

Does she respond to metacam? I'm just wondering if she is in pain. Do you have a heatpad or cage heater, this can help to keep them more comfortable when they aren't feeling great?

[deguconvert]

What an excellent thought, Moletteuk! That didn't even occur to me. Very worth looking into.

[selphibloomers]

Hi, no xrays as yet as she was under weight and vets were not happy to sedate her. Hoping I can get her up to weight then go back and get x rays. Last weigh in she was 172g but my other half has lost the scales behind the fridge... She also gets a wet mouth or runny nose - teeth related??

I've been trying them on more fresh veg and herbs which is generally ignored typically and they always have hay available. They get degu nuggets and JR Farm degu mix with the herb mix one as well as a main food. Linseed, Dari kolben, canary grass and millet also given occasionally with a nut once a month as a treat.

They get oatcake and she always scales the cage in excitement at oatcake o'clock.

She has underfloor heating as she's on top of my hedgehog's vivarium and they have moved their bed to above the heat lamp

She's been through so much I just want her to be healthy and happy

[selphibloomers]

Also just checked and I have Meloxicam from when she was beaten up by her sisters. Wouldn't be sure on dosage though she was on 0.3ml once a day then

[moletteuk]

Wet around the mouth indicates dental issues very strongly, runny nose can also indicate dental issues. It's very common for the them to grow spurs on their molars which then makes it painful or just physically impossible for them to chew properly. Less common, but even more of a problem because it is not treatable is the roots overgrowing, runny nose can be a sign of this.

It's a really tough one if the vet isn't happy to sedate to check the teeth properly, but she isn't likely to gain weight if she can't eat properly, it's catch 22. How handleable is she? It might be possible to get the scope in her mouth and get at least a glimpse of her cheek teeth without sedation, X-rays are occasionally possible without sedation. I think I would ring the vet to have a chat about it.

Have a look through the feeding guide, nutrition charts, commercial food chart etc, check out the calcium content of all the elements of the diet, I would switch the additional grains (dari, canary grass, millet) for some more oil seeds including high calcium ones (nigella, fennel, coriander, celery, sesame, poppy, hemp, niger, milk thistle etc). Fresh grass and hand collected wild plants are sometimes the most popular of the healthy forage stuff.

Perhaps you could discuss trying the meloxicam (something like one drop of cat strength once a day) with your vet to try to help feed her up for a week to see if she can put weight on for sedation. (And then offer almost unlimited oil seeds and nuts for the week).

[selphibloomers]

Thanks moletteuk. The vet has looked a couple of times at her teeth including her molars but I may need to push harder or try a new vets. She is handleable once you catch her but not tame.

The last 2 days she has not had a runny nose/wet mouth. There's no consistency to her symptoms which is frustrating.

I have been looking through the diet and nutrition section and have some seeds in so I'll try her on those.

Thanks for your replies hopefully I can update with good news at a later date

[moletteuk]

Have you seen any pattern in what she eats that can give you any clues, eg, is she OK grinding hay and forage, can she nibble and manipulate small seeds, can she manage big hard things? Can you feel any bumbs along her lower jaw where roots might be growing down, does she indicate pain if you press down firmly on her nose between the eyes (indicating sinus pain)? I know it's hard when it's difficult to make sense of what you are seeing, that's when having a vet you trust and can talk to becomes so important. Check out vet guide to see if there are any recommended vets in your area.

[selphibloomers]

I shall check for bumps and any pressure pain indication when the other half gets home. He's better at catching her with his enormous hands.

She can manipulate seeds, eats big hard pieces (such as science selective). She appears to be OK with forage though not her favourite so I need to expand what is available to her. She is a slow eater though, takes her a long time.

No vets listed in my exact area, Exeter would be the closest which is about 40 minutes. Have an inquiry in with one locally and if that's fruitless I'll see if I can get her in at Exeter to be checked. One of her sisters has started looking poor and today has a runny nose so she'll be going along as well now...

[moletteuk]

Oh dear Let us know how you get on. You know where we are if you want to talk anything through.