Help with generic rodent mix from local petshop

[tolisgoal]

Hello, I have 2 degus a male and a female at home that I house next to each other in different cages and I'm looking to add a bit to their diets instead of just giving them pellets + hay.

Right now they get Versele Laga Degu/Chinchilla complete pellets and oxbow Timothy hay every morning (I add more hay if I see the rack empty but even after they pull it from the rack they don't eat much).

I have a seed mix from a local pet shop that the employee there suggested as feed and I bought a 3kg bag for pretty cheap. Before I got the degus I did a bit more research and got them some pellets instead as I was unsure about what was in the mix (still am) and if it'd be good for them. At the moment I pick out sunflower seeds and nuts from the mix and use them as treats. I do this once or twice a week, since I initially got my diet advice from degutopia, where the articles say you have to be pretty strict about fatty seeds/nuts (I later heard here that the forum has some outdated data so it's back to searching).

I'm postic a couple of pics of the mix below in hopes that I can identify what is in it and decide what I should give my goos and how much of each:

I'm not sure what 1 is, it has a yellow hue and looks nut-ish? but isn't peanut or a nut I recognise.

2 I think are popped oats.

3 is sunflower seed.

4 are white seeds with a shell which I don't know the name of.

5 I have no idea, they are small seeds with no shell.

6 are flakes but I don't recognise them.

7 are I'm guessing generic rodent pellets of the pet shop.

8 I think are dried peas, but I'm not too sure, the goos liked them when I gave them 1 or 2.

9 and 10 I have never given, as they are colored and color usually means sugar in my experience. Would still like to know what they are out of curiosity.

11 I also have no idea what it is maybe the shell of a kind of nut?

The mix also contains peanuts with and without skin on. I give them 1 of those each once in a while.

I have also been giving them Quaker white oats lately a flake or two each time, while training them to come to me when I snap my fingers and call out to them and it's working pretty well. Are those oats ok to give?

As you see I'm pretty clueless about these, so I rl appreciate any help.

Thank you!

[savvy]

I'll do my best but I can't identify some.

1. Dried sweetcorn. It looks like its been broken, but it looks like sweetcorn. Can be fed in moderation, but as its very hard, its good for grinding down their teeth.
2. Wheat. Not great for them.
3. Sunflower seeds.
4. No idea.
5. Looks like a grain, possibly unpopped corn?
6. Flaked peas. Again in moderation, but great for treats/training.
7. Possibly grass/hay based pellets.
8. Dried peas. Again in moderation.
9. No idea.
10. Looks like either dried carrot or parsnip. Definitely looks like a vegetable.
11. Carob seed shell. Carob is a chocolate alternative, best to pull this out and discard.

The flaked peas will be great for training, as for porridge oats (Quaker) try to switch to a gluten free one.

We were all beginners once and sometimes still come across things we're unsure of. You're doing great, done worry.

[deguconvert]

#8 looks like pearl barley to me, which like wheat is a no no. #4 looks like some kind of grass seed to me. I'd just remove whatever #9 is from the mix as you are using it. Dried carrots are really high in sugar, so give that VERY sparingly. One piece a week is more than enough.

[tolisgoal]

Thank you for the input! I won't be giving them the wheat anymore(only gave them a couple of those yesterday so all good).

About #6 I googled flaked peas and they are green these ones are not green at all in person. Maybe it's flaked corn? So I guess avoid/feed moderately. And #11 was giving me chocolat-y vibes from the moment I got the mix but I thought it was a rl dumb thought and didn't consider it more. Anyway that goes to the bin as well.

How often did you give sunflower seeds to your goos? Is 1-2 a week (what i'm currently doing) the maximum or am I being too strict w/ it?

Edit: Oh and also what's an easy to find thing I can give them often to grind down their teeth? I've been kinda worried since I haven't looked into chewing sticks and such at all and I've heard scary stories about overgrown teeth

[savvy]

Mine have sunflower seeds daily, but I've got two on meds and it makes them easier to catch.

I have had flaked peas that are a grey/green in colour. In your 2nd photo, they do look green.

As for wearing down their teeth, hay will help, apple wood is pretty good and they find it quite tasty. Also thick cardboard such as carpet roll tubes keep them amused as they can run through them as well as chew.

[deguconvert]

I gave my degus about 3-5 sunflower seeds daily. Seeds that are higher in calcium content are good for them to have. deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15602/vegetable-seed-nut-nutrition-charts You can find several in this chart.

[tolisgoal]

Nice thank you very much! This makes training a whole lot easier as well + I like the little guys being happy and munching on food they like instead of just pellets all day.

I've had my goos in cardboard housing for a while and they don't really munch on cardboard since they've been living in it since they got here. Not sure about cardboard tubes though, maybe that will work if the texture is a bit different.

Actaully I was about to make a post about this but I have a lot of spare chopsticks since my and my roommate eat a lot of asian. Would that be something to give them to chew? Bamboo is on the safe wood list and I'm almost sure the chopsticks are made of bamboo (will order asian today anyway so I'll know for sure). Maybe I could sprinkle a bit of powdered oat on top to make it more appealing?