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Post by moletteuk on Feb 5, 2021 17:36:19 GMT
Adult degus normally eat around 15g of pellets, hay and forage a day, youngsters can eat double that. It's not possible to give a volume of food because it depends how dense the pellets are, you would have to weigh out a tablespoon full and see how much it weighed and take it from there.
Sunseed Vita is OK if you are in America, choices are limited in America. You would also need a few different hays and some forage if you can find it.
Please note you would also need a cage that offers the approximate equivalent of 3 layers of 36 x 20 inches in area.
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pbbdegu
Foraging Degu
Dedenne will be my profile pic until I can get some actual degus. I guess it looks a bit like a goo?
Posts: 52
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Post by pbbdegu on Feb 5, 2021 19:44:17 GMT
Ok, so there is a small problem. The only breeder that ships to my area only has one degu available. So I have no choice but to have that one and introduce another later. Also, sites like Pocket Pets 101 say that if you have to get 1 degu, provide at least 1 hour of attention, give them LOADS of exercise and enrichment, and ideally, introduce a same-sex cagemate ASAP.
Keep in mind that I have visited dozens of websites over a few months. I will be a first-time owner, so please let me know if there are any spots I missed.
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 5, 2021 21:14:50 GMT
My honest opinion is that you should wait and get a pair or trio from the next litter. Or wait for the next litter and get the breeder to pair up the current single with whoever is suitable in the next litter. A responsible breeder would do this anyway, they really should not be letting singles go alone. Young degus need to learn social skills and they can't do that on their own, they aren't adult until about 12 months and they need to be learning and socialising all that time. Later on down the line if a degu gets sick and dies and leaves one remaining or if they start fighting and have to be separated for a while - those are the circumstances where you have to deal with a single for a while and make the best of it and do things like give them extra attention to compensate. In my opinion it is not right to start off with a single due to an irresponsible breeder. I'm sorry this isn't going to be something that you are happy to read. Please understand my frustration is with the breeder and not with you, until you live with degus it's difficult to really grasp how intelligent and social they are and how important company is for them. I urge you to give it some thought and to ask us any questions at all that you may have, it's great that you have come to us before getting any degus
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pbbdegu
Foraging Degu
Dedenne will be my profile pic until I can get some actual degus. I guess it looks a bit like a goo?
Posts: 52
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Post by pbbdegu on Feb 6, 2021 22:43:19 GMT
I hope I don't sound stupid but what is forage?
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Post by bouncy on Feb 6, 2021 22:46:30 GMT
It's the leaves, flowers and roots they may eat if they lived outside. They can't eat everything - some things are poisonous, but we have good guides on here to help.
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cookiedegus
Burrowing Degu
Fly high my sweet girl Maja [url=https://postimg.org/image/dwub0fayl/][img]https://s6.postimg.cc/3zja7d3cx/heart.gif[/img][/url] you won't be forgotten.
Posts: 183
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Post by cookiedegus on Feb 11, 2021 11:48:19 GMT
curently have 10 degus, and today two are goin to a new home Pellets (if fed) Degu and chincilla pellets 1spoon per degu Degu mix with grain 2spoons per degu Degu premium mix half a spoon per degu Chincilla all in one pellet balls unlimited Degu and chincilla grainless food 1spoon per degu *i have to buy this all 1 time per two weeks:)*
Seed mix (if fed) sunflower seeds only
Forage (leaves, flowers, herbs) roses dried, fresh grass, small natural spinach, dried carrots very small portions, fresh cabbage. Daily treats Some balls with dried carrots and a degu snack mix Twice weekly/weekly/monthly treats (include how often they're fed) twice weekly: nothing weekly: nuts monthly: tiny wenny apple. and of course unlimited timothy hay
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2021 15:53:01 GMT
Hello, i hope you don't mind if i ask here some questions (if i need to open a new subject please tell me !). I'm new here and new with degus too (will get 2 males next week). Though i read a lot about them for about a year, i still have things i don't know or little question now and then I chose to take "supreme science selective" or someting like that for food. Is it okay with hay ordo i need to add something else to it ? I chose this one because i didn't want any weird things or dairy in their food and it's not too high with sugar... I read that dandelion are good for them and i have a looot in my garden (small, big, old,... everything haha). How much can i give them ? (they'll be 5 month old) do i need to dry the flower or leaf before or not necessary ? Thank you for your help ! (Oh and, i hope i didn't do too many mistakes, english is not my first language, so please, excuse me if there is some :s )
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Post by savvy on Sept 22, 2021 16:36:21 GMT
Welcome to the forum! Your English is very good so please don't worry.
Science Selective is a very good choice, hay should be fed unlimited. They will use it for bedding as well as food. Dandelion can be fed fresh, but wash it first and feed only small quantities just in case they are not used to it. A sudden change in diet can cause stomach upsets which are best avoided. It can be dried for future use.
Oh and we want to hear all about your degus when you get them. There are no silly questions when it comes to degus, so feel free to ask anything you need to.
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 22, 2021 16:46:07 GMT
Hi Moutmout, welcome to the forum Supreme Science Selective is OK for their main nuggets and these are normally fed with unlimited hay. We also strongly recommend that you feed a selection of forage in addition to the nuggets and hay, forage is good for their health and also mental stimulation. Forage can include things like safe meadow and hedgerow plants, safe garden plants, herbs, tree leaves, various grasses, alfalfa etc. So yes, you can feed dandelion leaves, and you can feed them fresh or dried, and ideally you would find or buy a range of other leafy forage things to give them. If you feed fresh forage then start with small amounts and build up gradually so their gut flora has time to adjust. We have more information about degu diets in the feeding guide deguworld.proboards.com/thread/16425/degu-feeding-guide
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2021 17:19:40 GMT
Thank you for your answers ! (And thank you for my english haha) I'm glad i chose this one then Okay so just a little in the beginning and then add little by little... yes i will wash the leaves before, even if i don't use anything in my garden it's better to be safe than sorry (i think it's the right sentence ) I will look at the link and try to find a mix in the shop or internet ! I will do a little presentation of when i can bring them home, the one i have on my photo is one of the two ^^
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Post by bouncy on Sept 22, 2021 20:06:43 GMT
He does look VERY cute!
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 25, 2021 0:02:42 GMT
Hello, Moutmout, and welcome to the forum! The photo of one of your soon to come degus is very cute!!
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cookiedegus
Burrowing Degu
Fly high my sweet girl Maja [url=https://postimg.org/image/dwub0fayl/][img]https://s6.postimg.cc/3zja7d3cx/heart.gif[/img][/url] you won't be forgotten.
Posts: 183
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Post by cookiedegus on Nov 11, 2021 18:29:04 GMT
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Post by savvy on Nov 11, 2021 19:27:54 GMT
No, I've just checked the ingredients and its got molasses in, which are basically a sugar.
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Post by bouncy on Nov 12, 2021 1:13:51 GMT
I've just been onto the Oxbow website and looked at all their different guinea pig foods (because they're also susceptible to diabetes). Disappointingly, all their foods either have molasses or berries in! The ingredients lists also read like a chemical experiment, rather than food. What is the rationale behind their recommendation?
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 12, 2021 5:46:42 GMT
I want to know that as well, Bouncy! I don't think I ever used Oxbow for my degus because of all the sugars, fruits, and chemicals in them. When I was in to a pet store for degu food, I read all the ingredients of every package I picked up, even of the ones I regularly used. The manufacturers are inclined to change the ingredients without notification, and more than once I discovered that a favorite food suddenly had ingredients that were not good for degus to consume. Then would begin a new hunt for something good for them, and then something that they would eat. This difficulty is one reason why I increasingly used more natural foods for them. We still used pellets, but over time, it occupied less and less space in their overall diet.
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