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Post by degumummy137 on Jun 2, 2019 13:56:59 GMT
How much does a degu need to be eating daily to be a healthy weight and how much is too much? My girls seem to always be eating, and they’re getting through the bowl I give them by lunchtime, and seeds go within an hour. They’re growing well and don’t seem to be overweight, but I’m worried about over feeding if I keep filling it two or three times a day ... They’re on a natural mix, not pellets, so is it just that they need more plants to fill them than they would pellets?
Note: atm I’m filling it every time it gets near empty, and they have constant access to hay as well.
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Post by savvy on Jun 2, 2019 14:31:34 GMT
If they are still growing they will eat more than an adult degu. It's very rare for a degu to over eat so I'd keep filling the bowl until they tell you how much is enough. They should be eating regularly throughout the day, not just at mealtimes and if they think that food is in limited supply it could cause them to fight over what food is there.
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Post by degumummy137 on Jun 2, 2019 14:36:29 GMT
Okay, thanks  I never let it run empty, and they’ve never fought over food (touch wood!). I’m just wary of getting into the habit of overfeeding and compromising their health. |
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 2, 2019 18:01:41 GMT
It depends what is in the bowl. Only forage and hay should be fed freely on a full natural diet, and they must be fed unrestricted. All seeds and other treats should be restricted. High calcium seed mix is around 2 or 3g a day, off the top of my head, I think it's around 1tsp to 1.5tsp.
Bear in mind that dried forage weighs very little for it's volume.
Adult degus are supposed to eat about 15g per day, youngsters can eat over 20g, it can vary quite a lot.
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Post by degumummy137 on Jun 2, 2019 18:14:03 GMT
I think everything in the bowl comes under forage - it’s flowers, leaves, herbs, and the occasional bit of dandelion root. This is what they have about three small/medium bowls of a day. Hay they have inside their wooden den, and then extra scattered a couple of times a day. Their seed mix is given once a day (about 3tsp between them).
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Post by degumummy137 on Jun 2, 2019 18:14:41 GMT
It depends what is in the bowl. Only forage and hay should be fed freely on a full natural diet, and they must be fed unrestricted. All seeds and other treats should be restricted. High calcium seed mix is around 2 or 3g a day, off the top of my head, I think it's around 1tsp to 1.5tsp. Bear in mind that dried forage weighs very little for it's volume. Adult degus are supposed to eat about 15g per day, youngsters can eat over 20g, it can vary quite a lot. The quantities are very helpful - thanks! |
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 3, 2019 2:39:37 GMT
Pups can eat you out of house and home! They start eating less between four to six months of age, but at seven weeks, OH MY can they eat!! I used to be in shock by the amount our pups would put away. They have very high metabolism and are growing so much, so yeah . . . they will put it away in a hurry!
Edit: Just don't expect them to be eating a lot less once they hit four months . . . it really depends on the degu. Size of parents (so genetic predisposition), metabolism, and nutrition contained/quality in the food being fed are all factors in the amounts being eaten. As well, certain diseases, such as diabetes, can sometimes increase appetite as well as thirst, though we don't very often see degus that young developing diabetes.
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Post by yasmin on Jun 3, 2019 3:12:03 GMT
A few weeks ago I adopted three boys who are now almost 8 weeks old. At 5 weeks, they were eating way more than my adult girls. Now, they still eat twice as much - about 50 Science Selective pellets a day each along with hay, dried plant matter and a few seeds. (I am giving them pellets because I want to make sure they are getting enough Vitamin D in their diet.)
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 4, 2019 9:51:14 GMT
Just to explain a little bit, ideally in a natural diet there should be a surplus of a variety of forage so that the degus are able to get enough food, but also so that they have some scope to self select the forage. Different plants have different levels of minerals, compounds and nutrients so it's much healthier and safer if the degus have some opportunity to eat more of something they may be lacking or less of something that may contain too much of something.
Did you manage to sort out the vitamin D issue?
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Post by degumummy137 on Jun 4, 2019 15:10:30 GMT
Just to explain a little bit, ideally in a natural diet there should be a surplus of a variety of forage so that the degus are able to get enough food, but also so that they have some scope to self select the forage. Different plants have different levels of minerals, compounds and nutrients so it's much healthier and safer if the degus have some opportunity to eat more of something they may be lacking or less of something that may contain too much of something. Did you manage to sort out the vitamin D issue? They have twenty-something varieties in their forage, so should hopefully be getting enough nutrients ... Yes, I got the baby vitamins from Holland and Barrett |
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 4, 2019 18:02:38 GMT
Good, do let us know how you get on.
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Post by degumummy137 on Jun 4, 2019 18:08:37 GMT
Good, do let us know how you get on. All of a sudden Lyra has a bald patch on her nose - is it likely to just be overgrooming or is it something to worry about? |
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Post by savvy on Jun 4, 2019 18:15:12 GMT
Is it in a place where it could have been caused by bar chewing? If possible, a picture would be helpful.
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Post by degumummy137 on Jun 4, 2019 18:41:43 GMT
Is it in a place where it could have been caused by bar chewing? If possible, a picture would be helpful. Don’t think so - it’s like a small square on her snout, the most accessible bars are vertical, and I’ve never seen her bar-chewing ... |
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Post by degumummy137 on Jun 4, 2019 18:42:57 GMT
Is it in a place where it could have been caused by bar chewing? If possible, a picture would be helpful. Don’t think so - it’s like a small square on her snout, the most accessible bars are vertical, and I’ve never seen her bar-chewing ... I would post a picture but the site always says that the files are too large? |
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Post by savvy on Jun 4, 2019 18:54:16 GMT
If you use a hosting site, not photo bucket because they charge a small fortune, you should be able to post a link to the picture(s).
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I never let it run empty, and they’ve never fought over food (touch wood!). I’m just wary of getting into the habit of overfeeding and compromising their health. 
