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Post by feffie on Oct 12, 2015 16:05:27 GMT
Went out foraging today, got somethings I know they can eat like plantain, dandelion however wanted to double check with some others. Is oak ok just the leaves or everything? Beech? And then these, no idea what they are, think the first one is cow parsley Second? Third? Fourth? Fifth I believe is thistle, is this right and can Degus have some?
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 12, 2015 16:46:32 GMT
Oak and beech are fine, leaves, wood, bark and all.
There are a million things that look like cow parsley, and they are mostly safe, but you just have to be very careful to avoid hemlock which is obviously very poisonous, I understand it has a nasty mousey smell to it, but I've never knowingly come across it. If it looks like cow parsley, has a groove in the stem and doesn't smell bad then I tend to deem it safe, but you have to make up your own mind up about this.
The second one doesn't look familiar to me.
The third one looks like it could be hogweed, is it a big leaf, on a big hairy stem, it has umbelliferous flowers, there might be some dead ones still attached? Hogweed is safe, but do beware of giant hogweed which is massive and tall and is not safe.
Fourth one could be nipplewort (lapsana communis) but you haven't shown the leaves and there are quite a few similar yellow flowered things. If you can be sure of ID then this is safe to feed.
Fifth one looks like thistle to me and if so is safe. Make sure you give them one smallish piece separate to anything else so it will have their full attention so they notice the spikes, they should be able to deal with the spikes once they are aware of them.
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Post by Bexi87 on May 26, 2016 19:25:17 GMT
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Post by bouncy on May 26, 2016 20:18:44 GMT
The first looks like bind weed, if it's quite sticky. Not sure of the second, and think the third is dock leaf. Not sure about how edible it is, though
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Post by moletteuk on May 27, 2016 9:50:26 GMT
First is cleavers (sticky willy) which is fine. 2nd one is horsetail, which is good as it is very highly abrasive for teeth (it's safe for degus but not safe for other animals like cows and horses). 3rd one is a dock which is fine, you should stick to newly sprouted leaves as they develop high levels of oxalic acid as they age.
I'm a member of a facebook group which some of you guys might find useful, it's called Traditional Herbs for Pet Rabbit, they get quite a lot of ID requests so it's quite a good way to learn new things that are safe, they seem to be quite a bit more conservative about what is safe, so anything they say is safe for rabbits is safe for degus and some things they consider unsafe for rabbits may be safe for degus (like cherry wood).
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Post by Bexi87 on May 27, 2016 16:40:19 GMT
Fantastic, thank you I'll have a look at that group because I'm useless at identifying plants
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Post by Maravilla on May 27, 2016 19:48:16 GMT
so anything they say is safe for rabbits is safe for degus and some things they consider unsafe for rabbits may be safe for degus (like cherry wood). This is very interesting, as I would see it the other way round. Some very progressive rabbit owners here think that there are only a few plants really dangerous for rabbits. But nevertheless I would not consider everything safe for rabbits as really safe for degus. But I am also still learning and trying out new things every year. I wouldn't see any reason for not feeding cherry wood.
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Post by moletteuk on May 28, 2016 16:40:54 GMT
That's probably a rash statement from me, but relating to specifically that group, I haven't seen anything that concerns me as unsafe for degus, they seem a little cautious as a group (eg the cherry). Anyway, it's useful for seeing photos of plants that are likely to be safe and getting ideas for what plants you could consider trying.
You've mentioned discovering new safe plants a couple of times lately, have you found anything particularly useful/ well liked/ abundant?
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Post by kellyhandford on Jul 4, 2016 21:59:24 GMT
Hey guys. Hoping I'm ok to post in here? I've been out picking all the weeds in the garden so I can get confirmation as to whether the goos can or can't eat them. I've no idea on anything garden related so couldn't even begin to identify any weeds! So any help is very much appreciated! The weeds I have picked are multiples in the garden (I live in a very weedy area lol) I think this one is cow parsley- it smells quite nice 1 The rest I've no idea at all on... Infact they're probably plants not weeds haha! 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
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Post by moletteuk on Jul 5, 2016 10:24:33 GMT
There are literally about 50 things or more that look like number 1 and they need very careful examination of the leaves, so I can't tell from that photo, I think you need to look that up with your own eyes with the plant in front of you.
2 is willowherb and is safe
3 I don't recognise, I think it's probably a garden plant rather than a native weed
4 I think this is willowherb again, same as 2
5 looks like ground elder, but do check for yourself with photos on internet. Ground elder is safe
6 might be a young hogweed leaf that is yet to fully open out, check the rest of the plant. Hogweed would be safe.
7 Looks like a euphorbia to me which is NOT safe.
8 not sure
9 horsetail and safe
10 aquilegia. I don't know specifically to degus, but contains toxic compounds so probably not safe
11 Some type of poppy. Not safe.
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Post by kellyhandford on Jul 5, 2016 10:49:39 GMT
There are literally about 50 things or more that look like number 1 and they need very careful examination of the leaves, so I can't tell from that photo, I think you need to look that up with your own eyes with the plant in front of you. 2 is willowherb and is safe 3 I don't recognise, I think it's probably a garden plant rather than a native weed 4 I think this is willowherb again, same as 2 5 looks like ground elder, but do check for yourself with photos on internet. Ground elder is safe 6 might be a young hogweed leaf that is yet to fully open out, check the rest of the plant. Hogweed would be safe. 7 Looks like a euphorbia to me which is NOT safe. 8 not sure 9 horsetail and safe 10 aquilegia. I don't know specifically to degus, but contains toxic compounds so probably not safe 11 Some type of poppy. Not safe. Thank you very much that's a massive help! I'll double check the others. At least I know now there's a good amount of safe weeds in the garden for the goos. I'll pick some more today to dry out thank you again!
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Post by moletteuk on Jul 5, 2016 19:27:45 GMT
You're welcome. You can feed fresh or dried but most prefer at least some things dried. Collecting weeds and meadow plants gets much easier once you have half a dozen or so plants that you can easily identify.
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Post by kellyhandford on Jul 5, 2016 22:34:37 GMT
You're welcome. You can feed fresh or dried but most prefer at least some things dried. Collecting weeds and meadow plants gets much easier once you have half a dozen or so plants that you can easily identify. It definitely makes for a more interesting dog walk- rather than looking where I'm going I'm now looking at the weeds to see if any are recognisable. Obviously I would pick further from the path so the chance of dogs weeing on them are less likely. But if I pick from the wild will a wash with water and dry with towel be enough?
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Post by Bexi87 on Jul 6, 2016 7:00:09 GMT
That's what I do with mine - although my girls prefer them natural and leave them for ages when they have been washed!
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Post by moletteuk on Jul 6, 2016 11:09:47 GMT
Yeah, I would avoid any high traffic dog areas, and wash stuff picked from possible dog areas, choose new growth, pick from higher up and further back.
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Post by kellyhandford on Jul 6, 2016 20:29:35 GMT
Okie dokie thank you I've had a look on google and a quick search on here. I've found some plantain which I've picked but just wondering is it just the leaves the goos can eat or the whole thing? I can't find any reference to the flowers? Thanks
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Post by moletteuk on Jul 7, 2016 9:53:41 GMT
Don't know about roots but everything above ground including flower spike is good.
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Post by kellyhandford on Jul 7, 2016 13:30:42 GMT
Don't know about roots but everything above ground including flower spike is good. Thank you. They didn't touch the leaves so I'm going to dry them out and see if they prefer them dry but I'll try the flower bit
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Post by ntg on May 12, 2017 19:03:43 GMT
I was out walking the dogs when I started looking at plants. Recognised a fair few but came across these and wondered if anyone knew what they were:
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Post by moletteuk on May 12, 2017 19:23:35 GMT
You do know that plant ID with no flowers is pretty advanced stuff?? Not sure about first one at all, if it's densely hairy it could be foxglove or a verbascum. Second one looks like rosebay willowherb (Chamaenerion angustifolium), usually occurs in big patches, safe for degus, mine don't like it but worth a try.
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