Now I know why Degus should not have sugar!!

[freakyl]

;D :)yesterday i witnessed first hand exactly why degus should not be given things with sugar in it!!

i keep gerbils as well as degus and unlike the degus they can really have any treat they like, so i give them these yogurt drop things (which actually smell really nice) anyway one of my degus goes mad for them if he smells them near his cage. while i was standing at his cage i was holding this box of yogurt drops and when i opened the door he came flying out of it, his whiskers going crazy, he then got hold of the box and tried to pull it from my hands while reversing back into the cage it was like a tug of war i managed to get it off him, and he just sat there perched by the door making these almost hissing noises (the noise degus make when fighting over the food bowl) i could tell he was a bit frustrated and angry with me and if i put my hand near him he would growl really loud, feeling bad that i had prevented him from getting his fix of sugar i emptied out all the treats and just gave him the box which he was delighted with and carried all the way to the top of his cage and into his hammock he continued to make the angry noises, so i got the hint he was telling me to back off. it was weird almost like a cat with catnip, suger is like a drug to degus.

[dreamcatcher]

wow, that's quite the experience!! I never realized that the degus would act so strongly with a sugar treat. I also keep a gerbil and have two degus and we often give the gerbil cherrios( it's a treat from the kids). They always want to give some to the degus as well, but of course I tell them no. I'm just getting used to the degus and what they are and aren't allowed to have.

[Aimeelou]

Hay, wave a cheeseburger i cant eat infront of me and ill do the same! lol

[Sunshinemeg]

hahaha, i like your comment Aimee, Im the same with chips!!

I give my degus tesco value brand bran flakes, not really that much better than cardboard, but enough of a treat for the degus that they go nuts for them, so I can well imagine how bad sugar would be for them. Mungo cant be anywhere near them if he has a slice of apple, or they would probably mug him for it!!!!

[aqh88]

i keep gerbils as well as degus and unlike the degus they can really have any treat they like

Sorry normally when new to a forum I would hold off on ranting for awhile but this struck a nerve. Gerbils most certainly cannot have anything they like. I used to be a member of the American Gerbil Society, had about 1 dozen gerbils, and visited most of the popular forums and mailing lists. Nearly daily I had an email, pm, or im message about a health issue and 9times out of 10 it came down to diet. (The rest were usually bedding related) Yogurt drops were the most common cause of dietary health issues. They often cause severe diarhea and death along with having such a high level of sugar it's about like giving a kid a king size chocolate bar. It definitely effects their health over time even if it doesn't lead to immediate problems. Many people and sites who advocate feeding such treats also quote gerbils as having a much shorter lifespan than I've experienced. Mine often lived past 5years. I also found no commercial mixes in my area that I liked so I researched and created my own mix. Now that supreme pet foods has changed their mixes to include less sugar, no ethoxyquin, and several healthier ingredients I do reccomend their products except their guinea pig food which is still crap as far as actually feeding it to guinea pigs is concerned. Absolutely under no circumstances would I touch kaytee, hartz, or the treats made by either company. If I could I would get such junk pulled from shelves permanently. I've actually turned down donations of these for animals I've rescued.

[freakyl]

sorry to have struck a nerve with you, but when i said that gerbils can have pretty much anything, it was ment to mean their treat issues are less complicated compared to the degus, obviously i dont serve them a fry up on a sunday morning! or give them a creme egg now and again, of course i dont feed my gerbils yougurt drops all the time, and to be honest with you they dont really eat them anyway, as for diarhea i have seen none, i also work in a pet shop and check out everything before i buy it,

but thankyou i will take your advice on board when future shopping.