Post by deguconvert on Aug 2, 2021 18:57:07 GMT
She ate yesterday before she hurt her head and I gave her some of my pizza crust to chew on and some spinach and she was eating little and often last night but today she just wants to sleep and isn't eating or drinking much
When shes getting hyper bursts though shes bounding around but she seems a lot more reserved than she usually is,I gave her some carrot stick to try to get her to eat and some oats but she's sort of nibbling,second guessing,doing it again and then just having no interest. Dennis though is as hyper as ever and keeps trying to get doug to play with her and she's having none of it 😩🤣
Firsttimedegumum, I don't want to cause you stress by commenting on this part of your post. Diet is a point of importance for your lovely degus.
Degus are herbivores and are genetically predisposed to developing diabetes. It is because of this disposition that degus were brought from their native habitat to be studied, and as a result were also introduced into the pet industry.
Degus to not process sugars of any kind, and for that reason we have to be very careful what foods we give them. No processed foods, not foods containing cereal grains, no food sweetened with sugar, molasses, cane syrup, or any other kind of sweetening, not fruits, and there are certain kinds of veg that are high in natural sugars that should be avoided, or given very sparingly and not too often. A LOT of pellet foods for small animals have wheat and oats and sugars in them . . . they should be avoided. If you have questions about any of these foods, post the ingredients and we will help you with discerning if it is OK or not. ( deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17365/commercial-food-chart ) We can also suggest foods that are good. Our breads and cereals should not be given, except in small, moderate amounts. Oats are high in calories, which make them a helpful recovery food, as well as a good training aid, but shouldn't be given in large amounts. There are exceptions, ill degus, underweight degus, training young degus or degus new to your home. Our "Diet and Nutrition" section has a LOT of excellent information in it that will help you with this really big subject, and we are glad to help you understand and assimilate it.
I want to say, if you are giving fresh veg (like the spinach you refer to above) to your degus, do so in very small amounts and then wait for 24 to see how they respond to it. If they have not had access to fresh veg in their life previous to coming into your home, they may not have the gut bacteria for digesting it, which can result in fermentation and the production of gases that could cause bloat . . . which can be very dangerous for them as it can fill up their abdomen so much that they struggle to breathe.
DON'T feel horrible after reading this!! We went through a MASSIVE change in feeding protocol on this forum several years back, and the learning curve was HUGE! It was a struggle. It challenged us all very deeply. It is worth it, though. We realized that just because the packaging has the name "degu" on it, doesn't mean that the manufacturer knows what is healthy and good for degus to eat. It seems to be assumed that all small pets eat the same things, but it is not so. Rats are omnivores, as are gerbils, but chins and degus are strictly herbivores. Guinea pigs can have fruit, but degus cannot. And so forth.
We are here to help. PLEASE ask any and all questions. We do not consider anything stupid. If you have noticed your degus eating their own poop? Totally normal and completely healthy! They are supposed to do that.