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Post by deks on Jan 11, 2006 4:28:26 GMT
Hi. After several falls from the cage, one of my degu finally lost her last teeth (she's 5 years old, so let's say that she fell less than once a year  ). The problem is that she can't eat what she ate before, so right now I'm giving her peanut butter, she seems to eat it and continue drinking water, hopefully. Is there anything smooth I can feed her? Anyone experienced the same problem? Thanks for any help, Jeff |
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Post by worthym on Jan 11, 2006 11:33:55 GMT
My advice would be to try to in some way liquidise her normal food. I'm not sure of the nutritional content of peanut butter, but I'm fairly certain that it wouldn't be suitable for degus, especially not for the long term.
The best bet would probably be to buy a chinchilla/guinea pig mix that is totally 'pelletised'. These you can then soak in water until they are soft enough to give to her.
Anyone else got any ideas?
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Post by Sunshinemeg on Jan 11, 2006 13:07:49 GMT
I would have thought there is sugar in peanut butter. I really wouldnt feed her that.
Any food could be liquidised I would assume, so try that, You can also get vitamin drops to add to her water.
Good luck
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northernstar40
Foraging Degu
May you always have an angel by your side
Posts: 102
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Post by northernstar40 on Jan 11, 2006 13:16:35 GMT
Wow poor thing. can you imangine trying to eat yourself with no teeth. not a easy thing. Peanut butter like peanuts contain alot of fats. Which should be givin moderately. I would soak her normal food in water and add vitimans to either the food or the water. Keep an eye or her weight make sure she is not loosing weight. I hope things go well.
Peg
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Post by diet otaku on Jan 11, 2006 13:23:06 GMT
i further the recommendation of soaking pellets in water... also, if she still has her molars (and has only lost her incisors) she should still be able to eat hay to aid her digestion. if not, soak an alfalfa cube as well so that she's still getting her fiber.
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Post by ra on Jan 11, 2006 13:27:50 GMT
The other concern I would have with peanut butter is her choking. I had a pet rat that got peanut butter stuck in the back of his throat and choked - scared me silly. Definitely too much sugar and fats. How about some pureed baby food. You'd have to check ingredients. Perhaps peas, a limited amount of carrot, beans.... I know, you could buy wheat grass juice at a health food store. The idea of taking pelleted feed and soaking it would work well too.
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Post by deks on Jan 11, 2006 13:31:29 GMT
Thanks for all the replies! I'll try out several of your suggestions and get back to you in a week or so to tell you what is happening!
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Post by swank on Jan 20, 2006 10:47:38 GMT
You could also try to grind the normal food you give your degus and then add some water
use an old coffeegrinder to grind the food - make sure you clean it well before use though, you don't want your degu to go hyper =P
I've been feeding it to one of my degus and she really loves it - she keeps licking it from my fingers =)
Trying out new food with a degu who's a little older can result in the degu not eating hardly anything at all - they might become REALLY picky about their food
I also have one question: aren't her teeth growing back?
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