How much forage is enough or too much?

[teemu]

I've been trying to find information on how much forage degus should generally get. As with many things, the info varies a bit. I've usually just gone with giving them a good amount, but I realised that I've never actually thought about it too much, and now that I am, it seems like there's conflicting information about it. Some info I found claims that you can generally give forage freely, while some says that it should be measured out due to dangers like bloat etc (I'm not sure how much of a risk that is with dried forage, but in any case) and only given more sparingly.

How much do people here give to their degus, keeping in mind that they get pellets and hay? The forage we've mainly been giving our degus has been dried dandelion leaves in the summer, along with a mix of lady's mantle, dried birch leaves, dried willow leaves (I know that some people point to willow as an unsafe plant, but I think this is a different kind of willow. The common type of willow in Finland is not white willow, at least, which is discussed often) and meadow grass. I've also given them some strawberry and raspberry leaves.

[deguconvert]

We usually recommend caution and limited amounts when giving something new to your degus that they have not eaten before. We want you to observe them and look for any reactions that are not good . . . if all is good, then give it again. If things continue good, then you can begin to give more regularly, or in gradually increasing amounts. For the most part, dry forage is good for them and you can give as much as they are likely to eat.

Wet forage is what will most commonly give issues to degus unless it is introduced slowly and sparingly, one new item at a time, with generous time between new introductions. This is because we need to give their gut time to develop the bacteria needed for the successful digestion of the new, fresh food. Fresh foods should be given sparingly and not on a daily basis, unless the degus have a good (long) history of eating that food. This is what some may consider an over abundance of caution, but the pain and bloating they can experience from fresh veg and forage is a serious thing, and can result in death.

[teemu]

Okay, sounds like I won't need to worry about it then, since the forage they get tends to be very stable (they sell a cheap, ready-made mix of the aforementioned dried stuff in our pet store) and they've been eating it without issue.

I don't really tend to give them fresh greens or veggies in any case. Most of them have never really show interest in them anyway, and my understanding is that they generally eat a lot of their food dry in the wild as well (stored roots, grasses and such).

[deguconvert]

Exactly!

[bouncy]

Ditto. I've always made sure there's food in their bowls. As a general rule, they don't overeat. If they know there's a ready supply of munchies, you won't encourage them to hoard or binge. Mine get bits of fresh every week, but they're used to it.