Am I feeding enough?

[lisylou]

Hi there,

I am a new degu owner and have a million questions! I hope you don't mind?! I have introduced myself on the intro page!

Ok, I think I have two males (I really hope I do anyway!), named Dash and Woody. I have tried to sex them, and was told when I purchased them they were males. Apparently they are 12 weeks old. (I will take some pics later!) I have been feeding them degu nuggets from P@H, once a day and leaving their feeding bowls in the cage for about 2 hours then removing (read that not meant to leave it there all the time). They eat their food no problem, I also have a bowl of fresh timothy hay in their cage which they love. I am using treats to tame them onto my hand (my hubby is also doing so). We are using corn flakes or shreddies. But, I have noticed in the last few days that woody is just sitting and eating, and eating and eating the hay! He also looks like he is getting podgy! He is definitely getting bigger than dash and I am concerned he may in fact be a she and be expecting? Also, as soon as I approach the cage they literally go bonkers and when I put my hand in, palm open, to give them a treat, they start fighting with one another to get the first treat! Do you think I am not giving them enough food so they are starving hungry so go mad when I offer them something to eat? I really really hope not
Sorry for the essay! lol!

Thanks in advance
Lisa

[smux]

I would personally leave the bowl in there 24/7 and refill it whenever they empty it, but that's me. For them to eat so much hay is normal, and nothing to worry about...their diet should consist mainly of timothy hay and if that's all there is (as you remove the food bowl) then they'll go for it. I am guessing you might have got dust bath and food bowl mixed up, as you should only put the dust bath in for a short time every day :-)

They go mad for food even if they have it, so you're not starving them...the offer of food is sometimes a treat for them as they might get something they haven't got (although if all you're giving is degu nuggets, maybe not :-P)...I know mine tend to pick out what they like from their Gertie Guinea Pig/nugget mix and when I add more I'm adding some of what they've already got rid of :-)

[lisylou]

Thanks. I will keep their food bowls in all the time then. I thought I read it in degutopia about taking it out so they don't become obese, but don't quote me on that because I have read so much now I am not at all sure!

Do you alternate what you offer them day to day? So, if they have nuggets one day, what would you give them the next? I know there are some veggies they can have, but in moderation, so I am still unsure as to what they should be having other than the nuggets as a stable part of their diet. Oh, and the hay of course.

Thanks again for the advice!

[smux]

Lots of hay (it's most of their diet, or supposed to be), I put a handful of veg in their cage every so often (usually lettuce/cabbage, but sometimes add herbs and carrots (peeled and sliced up) and also a cherry tomato each) and the food they get depends on what I have. Right now it's degu nuggets with a small amount of herbal delight/herbal surprise and some other bits in, but when I have the money I'll be giving them a mix of gertie guinea pig and degu nuggets (again with the other bits I mentioned above). I probably could be feeding them better than I am but it's not always that easy when on a tight budget so I get veg every so often.

What we should be doing is weighing our degus and limiting their food if they start getting fat (I think anything over 300g is considered overweight) but if your degus are still growing (under 58 weeks old) which both ours are, I believe, then there's no way to tell if they are overweight. While they're growing, it's probably best to promote growth by giving them all the food they want, but cut back if they seem overweight just by looking at them or when you hold them.

Degu nuggets alone (with hay and any veg) is enough for them, dietary-wise, they get all the nutrients they need from the nuggets and the other stuff adds roughage and a bit of diversity...anything over that is a bonus really :-)

[stever]

I tend to mix in some Beaphar XtraVital Degu Food into the nuggets, about 50/50. The Beaphar food looks great and is much preferred by my two 12 week old males over the nuggets, even though it is the nuggets that P@H were feeding them .

As they are young, I use bits of herbal surprise to get them used to being handled, which they love !

[kaininaste]

I also feed my two male degus the P@H degu mix - how much do you give them? I was advised a teaspoon per degu twice a day but that seems a tiny amount! My degus are the same age(ish) as yours too.

Also, roughly how many cornflakes etc do you give your degus a day? Currently for training I use bran flakes and they have about one/two each a day (I break them into little pieces).

I recommend the P@H herbal mix, it's good for them and brilliant to hide in their toys!

P.s. I give mine a dust bath every other day or so and only leave it in for about half an hour!

[rachee]

I read that you're meant to take the food bowl out as well. But I leave it in. I don't know how much to feed them either as they're still growing but when I notice them looking a bit chubby I just cut back and they quickly go back to looking normal. I feed them two bowls of Degu nuggets from p@h a day with a continuous supply of timothy hay and use porridge oats for training.

[Bexi87]

I found this in Asda the other week.



I have found that 1 scoop of degu nuggets and 1 scoop of Gerty Guinea Pig divided into two bowls is enough for my older girls so i don't have to measure out their food, I can just scoop it up!

[deguconvert]

NICE!!! Don't you love when an easy solution just happens?

[Bexi87]

Yep, I'm on the hunt for more so I can keep all their food and stack them, rather than having bags everywhere.

[smux]

Is there a name on it or anything, perhaps I can find a source online. I looked on asda website but didn't have anything to go on so had no luck.

[Bexi87]

They are called 'dry food storer with scoop, 3.5l' - £2 each

If you are struggling I could maybe get some here and post them down to you?

[smux]

Definitely a good deal compared to cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-5-litre-Dry-Food-Storer-scoop-/140477148301 at well over £5 (only place I found specifically with that name)

It's okay though, it's a nice deal but nothing to go to any trouble over...I'll ask in my local asda though to see if they have any idea and I'll post here to let people know how to go about getting one if it is possible.

[Bexi87]

No worries, the offer is there if anyone else is struggling.

My local Asda (Accrington if anyone is nearby) is the only one that I have seen them in (I've looked in Blackburn, Burnley and Preston to no avail).

I can't imagine it would cost too much to post as they are easily stackable

[pappy1264]

O/T, but where can I order the degu nuggets (I am in the US)? My guys don't eat much, they look kind of thin to me. I leave their pellets in, give them hay every day, some oats every few days, a green bean once a day. What else can I give them? They just seem really skinny to me (my scale needs a new battery, so not sure of their weights.)

[smux]

Should be posted directly in the main section that this post is in...although other people have asked the same thing and got their answer...degu nuggets are available from Pets @ Home in the UK and a number of companies in the US provide their own version of it.