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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2017 12:07:12 GMT
Hey  I've just been to Wilkos and picked up these:   Are they suitable for my goos? If they are, would it be best to snap them into smaller pieces and feed every so often? Thanks  |
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Post by winic1 on Oct 17, 2017 12:13:21 GMT
No! The corn and wheat are very high in starch, which is digested into sugar (starch is simply a long chain of sugar molecules, like beads on a string.) "Glucose anhydrous" IS sugar, glucose is sugar, the anhydrous part just means it is completely, chemically, dry.
These are basically future diabetes in a stick. Not good for degus.
Most hamster/guinea pig/rat/gerbil/rabbit/etc treats will not be good for degus, for the same reason, unfortunately.
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Post by zenaida on Oct 17, 2017 12:15:07 GMT
From the label, it looks like that is nearly entirely carbohydrate. As far as I know, it is safe for them to eat, but it won't be healthy for them at all.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2017 12:15:13 GMT
No! The corn and wheat are very high in starch, which is digested into sugar (starch is simply a long chain of sugar molecules, like beads on a string.) "Glucose anhydrous" IS sugar, glucose is sugar, the anhydrous part just means it is completely, chemically, dry. These are basically future diabetes in a stick. Not good for degus. Most hamster/guinea pig/rat/gerbil/rabbit/etc treats will not be good for degus, for the same reason, unfortunately. Okay. I know that glucose is sugar etc. I don't know why that didn't click before I bought them. Don't worry they haven't had any. |
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Post by winic1 on Oct 17, 2017 12:28:28 GMT
Anything with "starch" of any kind is not very good for degus. Starch is digested into sugars, like snapping beads off a chain. It digests and introduces the sugars to the bloodstream more slowly than eating sugars directly, but it still just creates a high-sugar food in the end. Grains, like wheat and corn, are high in starch. So if they are any of the major ingredients in something, it's probably not a good choice for degus. Ingredients are listed in order from biggest amounts to smallest, so if it's way way down the list, then there's probably not much of it in there. If it's near the start, then that thing is loaded with it.
However, remember that they list ingredients by weight. So, consider a spoonful of a light, fluffy, powder-like ingredient vs a spoonful of a heavy, chunky, solid ingredient. Like seeds vs powdered sugar. By weight, a spoonful of heavy seeds might be equivalent to four or five spoonfuls of powdered sugar, so you have to consider things like that when looking at the order that ingredients are listed in. Seeds followed by starch seems like it should be better, but there could be SO much starch/sugar in there. Liquids generally weigh more than solids, too, so that can also be deceptive.
Anything that appears as an ingredient after the vitamin listings (if there are any) is generally there in negligible amounts. Often foods will say "with real apple" or "with whole grains" and then you read the label and there is more vitamin B12 than there is apple or whole grain in the thing. But, rules allow them to claim ingredients even if there's only 2 seeds or one tiny chunk of apple thrown into the entire batch. Label reading is tricky.
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Post by zenaida on Oct 17, 2017 12:38:20 GMT
What you describe is why I both love and hate labels.
I love it because we at least have labels, because now we have to at least have some information about our food. (I've read about how it used to be before labels were mandatory...)
I hate labels because they are confusing and manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to lie to us with the packaging and labeling. It's why we have so many names for "sugar" now.
I do like where we grocery shop though. Trader Joe's makes it a little easier because they have common allergens and dietary restrictions on their packaging so we can find it easier (eg vegan, kosher, contains soy).
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