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Post by annanatya on Dec 1, 2018 17:48:40 GMT
I just got a bag of dried leaves for my degus with alfalfa meal , pea flakes, oats, dried oat herb, dried parsnip, oat flakes, wheat flakes, roasted wheat, dried beetroot, dried carrots, dandelion, grass seed, dried marigold flowers and dried sunflower. On the package says it’s specifically made for degus. I just gave them a tablespoon each in their food bowls and they really liked it. How often should i feed them this?
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 1, 2018 18:09:19 GMT
Not very often as oats, wheat and dried veg all need to be limited due to high carbohydrate, sugar and phosphorus content. It does depend what else you are feeding them though, so if your pellet food also contains grains and you are using oats or puffed rice for training already then they should get even less, but if they are on a grain free pellet with tons of leafy forage then they could have more.
Things that we do recommend and that you can feed unlimited in a variety are leafy forage which includes things like grasses and various hays, tree leaves, meadow and hedgerow plants, safe garden plants and leafy veg, herbs, flowers etc. You can also try a high calcium seed mix (mix your own using our nutrition charts or buy from Ratrations) and natural treats like dandelion root.
See the diet sticky threads for lots more information or just ask.
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Post by winic1 on Dec 1, 2018 19:26:23 GMT
Yes, while all of those ingredients are degu-safe, it is a very very rich mixture compared to their ideal diet. Think of it as more of a "deep dark double chocolate cake" kind of treat for them.
A tablespoon at a time is kind of like eating the whole chocolate cake in one sitting. So, a smaller portion, and not every day, certainly. You wouldn't want to trigger diabetes in them, which I'm sure you're aware of degus' tendency to develop diabetes if fed a diet too rich in carbohydrates?
Many manufacturers don't really understand what makes a truly healthy diet, and offer what should just be treat foods as regular foods. This is one of those cases.
But I'm sure your goos will continue to love this as an occasional treat.
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