Dehydration, hair loss and fresh stuff

[Willow]

Okay I know this sounds like a health post but it really is a food question but if any technical people know how to link it to the health forum go for it.
I took my girls to the specialist degu vet as they'd both lost all the hair on their tails. After much research he had a couple of suggestions and one was they may be slightly dehydrated. So I now have 2 water bottles in the cage and change the water daily (low chlorine bottled water - our tap stuff is horrible). This seems to be going down well but there's no significant increase in water drinking so I've also doubled the amount of fresh stuff they get everyday ... and its working. The hair is growing back. I think I'd been over cautious and not been giving them quite enough as I was worried about diarrhoea (fatal to degus).
I'm looking for ideas for fresh stuff to give them, they wont eat carrots or lettuce and they've gone off cauliflower leaves so I'm running out of ideas. I'll try the spinach and clover suggested in other posts but has anyone any other suggestions?

[ra]

Do you have Dandelions there in Scotland? My girls love the fresh Dandelion leaves.

[Willow]

Yes they love them and my neighbours think I'm nuts as I actively cultivate them! I'd like to give them a bit more variety, also I'll need something for the winter. Any more suggestions?

[deguqueen]

I cant see a link between a degu being dehydrated and losing fur on it's tail.
Feeding degus fresh produce daily shouldn't cause diarrhea so you shouldnt have a problem as long as they get lots of hay and pellets.
As for fresh produce, mine get lettuce, broccoli, carrots, peas and beans.
At first mine didn't like fresh food and now they go nuts for it when I give it to them. I think most degus prefer dried carrots but I guess that doesn't solve your problem.
What type of lettuce are you giving them? Maybe try a different type and see if they appreciate it more?

[skyeblu]

I am actually not surprised about the hair loss and dehydration. If you notice a person with anorexia (dehydration tends to be a common side effect) or chronic mild dehydration they often have thinning hair.....oddly enough, any time the body's chemistry is "out of whack" thinning hair is a common symptom.

I give my little ones something called "California Blend" from the grocery store. It is cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and cabbage cut up like cole slaw (about matchstick size). It is hilarious to watch them chew through a stick in nothing flat!

[Hanlou]

Mine love cucumber and this has a high water content, so this may be worth trying. I give mine romaine lettuce and broccoli which they love as well.