jools
Newborn Degu
Posts: 1
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Post by jools on Oct 26, 2020 1:11:36 GMT
Hi
I have acquired 2, 14 week old male Degus. I would like some advice on how much hard food I should be giving them, I have read it is around 10gm for an adult but can not find any info regarding youngsters. I'm giving them unlimited Alfalfa King Timothy Hay and small amounts twice a day of hard food but not sure how much in gms I should be giving them. 😊
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Post by bouncy on Oct 26, 2020 1:35:21 GMT
You will find that youngsters can eat up to twice as much as adults - growing kids! Degus are intelligent. Personally, I fill the bowls and let them get on with it. They don't tend to overeat and, if they know that food will be there, they don't tend to hoard either. Treats, on the other hand....... So, basically, I'd just put food in the bowl. If it's empty,put some more in. If they leave some, you've found their hunger level  |
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Post by savvy on Oct 26, 2020 3:37:46 GMT
I was quite shocked when I acquired a 7mnth old degu to find just how much food a young degu can eat! I agree with bouncy just fill their bowls until they find their own food level. Keeping a good supply of food will help reduce any tension between them too. |
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Post by sonataarctica89 on Oct 26, 2020 8:00:12 GMT
Might be worth saying my degu prefers food which is scattered around and in hay rather than in a bowl. In case say they dont eat a lot from a bowl try hiding it for them to forage, plus its winter expect a lot of food to be buried
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Post by moletteuk on Oct 26, 2020 10:33:45 GMT
Adult degus need a total of 15g of food a day, youngsters can be up to 25g. There can be some benefit to keeping an eye on how much they are eating, so you can weigh how much food it takes to fill the bowl or a scoop that you use to fill it. You can also weigh you degus regularly just to keep an eye on how they are doing. Pellets and hay is really a minimum for degu diet and it is very beneficial to feed a variety of forage and have interesting additions like seeds. There is lots of information in our diet sticky threads, I'll link you to our feeding guide deguworld.proboards.com/thread/16425/degu-feeding-guide |
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 26, 2020 19:22:08 GMT
Hello Jools! Welcome to the forum, and to the world of caring for and loving degus!! I think your question is well and thoroughly answered. SO . . . I thought I would just suggest that it is good for you to know how to identify male and female degus on your own, especially as pet stores are notorious for getting it wrong. (Even some breeders and, if the signage in the pet store was to be believed, some veterinary professionals, get it wrong.) deguworld.proboards.com/thread/13070/degus This link will take you to a thread that illustrates the difference between male and female degus. IE. All degus have what looks like a penis (it is a urethral cone), but it is the distance from cone to anus that reveals which is male and which is female. Have a look! |
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