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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Sept 13, 2011 5:41:55 GMT
@ aya0aya That sounds like a wonderful and very varried diet ! The mixes sound quite diverse and a great supplement to the Beaphar and Versele-Laga feeds. @ Kins This is great news ! So glad you have joined the frenzy ;D Yes, your goos will appreciate the diversity of foods and it will help them keep strong and healthy. Please keep us updated on how they are adapting to the new feeds ! @ David Yes, people do talk a lot ;D You are correct about the rabbits. From what I know rabbits and cavies rely more on hay than degus and other rodents. As you have mentioned in another thread, sand/soft soil is the ideal substrate for digging and burrowing outdoors while the hay and straw is best for indoor cages. It is also a great foraging substrate to sprinkle seeds, flowers and oats on. I also like that you mention to introduce the new feeds gradually. Your experiences are a bit similar to mine and many others. It is hard to start something new when you have doubts and are not used to a certain way. It is even harder when there is little or no information available on the matter. Many people will benefit from the posts, tips and advice here and the fact that we are progressing together as a community also helps as far as being courageous goes Thanks for sharing your experiences with us !
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Post by Kat on Sept 13, 2011 10:10:06 GMT
Is this ok for degus? Im 50/50 on this mix. I can't really find anything about mushrooms.... The Rosewood Wood Picnic is a wonderful, natural mix of all things woodland in this new blend which includes fragrant mushrooms, crisp hazel leaves, crunchy chesnuts and other woodland goodies!
Ideal for all small animals and especially popular with chinchillas (feed sparingly as with all treats for chinchillas), hamsters, gerbils and chipmonks.
Ingredients: Edible boletus mushrooms, hazel leaf and wood, chestnuts, pine shoots, edible roots ..... mmm, tasty!!
Kat x
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Post by Kat on Sept 13, 2011 10:14:03 GMT
Im going to leave it actually.
Kat x
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Post by davx on Sept 13, 2011 19:01:15 GMT
No it seems that the high amount of hay (and vegs) - as consequence of "grain-free feeding" by rabbits supports the occurence of dental malocclusions and problems in calcium metabolism. In past the rabbits got fresh pasture (grass, herbs), hay and grains in smaller quantities and sometimes also stuff like dried bread. In spite of this diet the animals were robust and sickness rare. But the diet was diverse and the main food was exactly that kind of food wild rabbits also feed.
Apropos experiences with new food, I think it is mostly the same. The first steps in an uncertain future are difficult and need some confidence to allow own experiences and they are the key to new knowledge and even more confidence.
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Post by Kat on Sept 13, 2011 19:06:53 GMT
Has anyone fed dried squash seeds? Also where do the uk people buy seeds from? Kat X
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Post by davx on Sept 13, 2011 19:12:13 GMT
katMushrooms are probably suitable. It depends on the mushrooms, some are toxic, but food producers have to avoid such risk. On the other hand there is the possibility of individual differences between species, but I'm not aware of any case with problems by degus or even other rodents. Of course there is little experience with mushrooms. But in Germany there exist some mixes with mushrooms too and they are also offered to degus occasionally.
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Post by fred on Sept 13, 2011 19:16:03 GMT
I have fed pepper and melon seeds, but not yet squash seeds. They should be fine like other Cucurbita seeds, but are probably energy-rich.
Pet shops and garden centres have seed mixes and individual seeds in their bird section.
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Post by davx on Sept 13, 2011 19:50:47 GMT
Squash seeds are ok. I feed them occasionally and my degus like them.
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Post by Maravilla on Sept 13, 2011 19:51:27 GMT
Squash seeds are perfect for degus. Mine love them as treats. I don't buy them "alone" but dry them when I cook squash soup or ask my parents to dry them for me.
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Post by davx on Sept 13, 2011 19:53:33 GMT
I also gain the squash seeds like Maravilla explained. That works fine.
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Post by Kat on Sept 14, 2011 15:01:47 GMT
RE: SQUASH SEEDS Brilliant, thanks everyone.
RE: THE HEY EXPERT ORDER So after some careful honing and checking the ingrediants this is my shopping list. I am hoping to make a few mixes including these items and food I have collected myself. I will be making the order on friday (degu pocket money day, ha)
Herbs Plus Mountain Meadow Herbs Ginko Plus Dandelion & Nettle Roots Plantain Alfalfa Slims (not for a mix but look quite interesting) Natures Salad Country Garden Herbs Coneflower Coltsfoot Burns Meadow Mix
I am also looking at some packs of dried flowers from ebay. I have bought dried stuff from this seller before and it was really nice quallity.
Kat x
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Post by Kins on Sept 14, 2011 15:12:52 GMT
I am also looking at some packs of dried flowers from ebay. I have bought dried stuff from this seller before and it was really nice quallity. Kat x Looks fab! I got some nice dried flower mixes from Chinchillas 2 shop...might be worth a look...
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Post by malteser60 on Sept 14, 2011 15:51:50 GMT
I'm planning on getting the rosebuds from Chinchillas2shop - I love their stuff on their website. Plus the lady is lovely.
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Post by fred on Sept 14, 2011 17:13:42 GMT
kat – Coltsfoot is the only plant in the whole collection were the advice is to give it only in small amounts. Definitely no problem with the little bit that is in the mixes, but I probably wouldn't go for a bag on its own. I am looking forward to hear your boys' verdict on the roots. My girls go crazy over one but can't be bothered with the other.
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Post by davx on Sept 14, 2011 22:29:32 GMT
Well coltsfoot, I think it is not such a problem, first if you collect it in wild, the season is limited to the early spring and it grows not in that big quantities like dandelion, thus you have to limit the quantity that a bit of the flours and plants remain that the plants and the population can recover. Second, warnings about toxic effects are probably overestimated. In past it was a good fodder plant, today some people think it is toxic and avoid the plant. I regularly feed the plant in early spring, only in small quantities, but I made good experiences. Therefore I think like Fred, in the mixes it is of course no problem.
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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Sept 23, 2011 8:41:06 GMT
Wouhou ! Just got some new seeds and different herbs earlier and will be drying and assembling my second mix ! Kat also posted the link to an ebay user that sells a variety of dried flowers and plants on another thread. I have been looking at these products with interest and have set aside some Paypal currency for this.
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Post by Kat on Sept 23, 2011 12:00:15 GMT
I have my orders from the hay expert and shelled warriors. I have posted about them hereKat x
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heidi
Warbling Degu
Posts: 30
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Post by heidi on Sept 26, 2011 9:26:28 GMT
Ive been reading this with interest, I would like to feed my goos a more varied diet. However Im having a little trouble sourcing some of the things. I have most of dried foods sorted, and now Im turning my attention to seeds. Today I brought them some Canary Seed mix, from Wilkos, and the ingredients listed are Canary Seed, Linseed, Black rape, egg biscuit and hemp seed. I know they can have some of these not too sure about some of the others though. Can anyone shed any light for me??
My goos were treated, thanks to this site, to a bit of some fresh sunflowers, they went crazy for them. My children planted some earlier this year after getting some free seeds. My children loved planting them and the goos love eating them, thats value for money! x
On a slightly different note, I thank the person who pointed me towards the Shelled Warrior site and Chinchillas2shop, they are great sites and I will be placing an order soon.
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Post by fred on Sept 26, 2011 10:51:27 GMT
Great you are joining in here If you have the opportunity to plant some flowers and herbs for them, your goos with have a great time next year! With seeds, only a smaller part should be energy-rich oil seeds. In your mix, linseed, rape, hemp belong into this category. I would therefore try to find a low energy mix and mix the two together. Seeds to look out for are oat, canary, quinoa, millet, dari. So something with lots of millet and dari in it may be best. In the mix you have, I would be a little concerned about the egg biscuit. Is it possible to pick this out of the mix?
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heidi
Warbling Degu
Posts: 30
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Post by heidi on Sept 26, 2011 12:11:03 GMT
I am planning on growing food for them next year As for the seeds, Im not an expert or even a novice, I think I need to do some seed homework and find out which is which. Ive been looking at bird seeds and mixes for a while but I can never remember what to go for. I just brought this bag on the off chance. Im really going to have to write a list, Thanks for the help x
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