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Post by joannetunbridge on Jun 10, 2020 17:37:43 GMT
hi everyone, new to the group. I have loved reading all the questions and answers. Just bought my first 2 degus. I've had chinchillas, hamsters, g.p. and rabbits before. Want to do the best for my boys.
Question: in my garden I grow potatoes, hot peppers and tomatoes. Can u feed the leaves of these plants? I know moderation is key with anything fresh but I was wondering if I could dry the leaves from these.
Thank you
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Post by joannetunbridge on Jun 10, 2020 17:38:37 GMT
Not sure why it says newborn? Boys are 6mths.
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 10, 2020 18:15:01 GMT
Hello and welcome to the forum  Newborn just refers to your low post count on the forum with you being new, not your degus. It's brilliant to feed degus fresh forage but unfortunately all of the plants you mention are in the nightshade family and are not safe to feed. Do you grow anything else? Carrot tops, legumes, brassicas, chard, herbs are all safe. Or perhaps you have some wild hedgerows nearby? |
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 10, 2020 19:00:22 GMT
Hello, Joannetunbridge! Welcome to the forum, and to the adventure of owning degus!
I ditto what Moletteuk said. Plants from the nightshade family have very poisonous stems and leaves.
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Post by joannetunbridge on Jun 11, 2020 22:01:06 GMT
Thank you!
I grow peas, hot peppers, tomatoes, peaches, tangerines, bananas, strawberries, basil and onions.
I live in Florida, so unfortunately we have no hedgerows. I've picked a few blades of grass today which I'm drying out.
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 12, 2020 9:45:07 GMT
OK, pea plants, strawberry leaves and basil and degu safe. Peach tree wood is also safe. There are some safe north american plants that you might find in this list octodons.exotenhaus.ch/index.php/HerbsYou can offer forage and grass fresh as long as you introduce it in small amounts, most degus do prefer it dried but fresh has some health advantages if they like it. |
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Post by joannetunbridge on Jun 13, 2020 22:28:08 GMT
Thank you!
I offered them celery leaves, no interest at all! They do like fresh grass.
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 14, 2020 11:05:41 GMT
Do leave any new things in the cage for 24 hours to allow the degus to do their own safety test, sometimes they have a tiny nibble and then wait until the next day to eat more. Other times they will just sniff it and do an immediate NOPE though! It's always worth trying things again months or even years later as they sometimes change their mind.
Try drying the celery leaves if you offered them fresh the other day, that can make a big difference to acceptance too.
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Post by joannetunbridge on Jun 19, 2020 12:05:14 GMT
Thank you. I'm looking at platforms for their cage, Amazon has pine ones but I think I read that pine isn't good for them. Is that true?
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 19, 2020 14:08:32 GMT
Pine is fine, any kiln dried softwood is good.
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 19, 2020 20:13:17 GMT
However IF you buy pine wood that still SMELLS like pine (as in just chopped down, pine/spruce tree at Christmas kind of smell), or you can see sap that is soft . . . don't give them that wood. The process of kiln drying evaporates the sap and that is what makes it safe.
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Post by tedanddougal on Jul 7, 2020 21:08:20 GMT
I feed my degus a bit of guinea pig food and degu/chinchilla food. They also get fresh greens everyday like basil leaves or dandelions. And I sometimes give them some rosewood naturals stuff and hay. Fresh water is important too😊
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