New Degu

[bopeuph]

Hello,

I am new to this thread and a new degu owner. Well, sort of. My girlfriend bought her for me and keeps it at her place, since I can't have any pets at all in this apartment. I even wouldn't mind keeping her here, but my college roommates are such sticklers for the rules (go figure), that they don't want to get caught with her here.

Anyway, my girlfriend keeps me continually informed about her behavior. One of our main concerns in her feeding habits. My girlfriend feeds her a small mixture of the following:

Russel Rabbit Original Mixture (Ingredients: Alfalfa pellets (32.0%), Faked maize, Whole oats, Alfalfa stalk, Flaked peas, Barley extrusions, Flaked beans, Linseed lozenges, Wheat extrusions, Carrots, Natural flavourings, Vitamins and minerals)

Kaytee Supreme Fortified Daily Blend (Ingredients: Dehydrated alfalfa meal, dehulled soybean meal, ground corn, wheat middlings, ground oats, ground wheat, cane molasses, dicalcium phosphate, corn oil, salt, lignon sulfonate, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, ascorbic acid, dl-methionine, vitamin A supplement, choline chloride, ferrous carbonate, riboflavin supplement, manganous oxide, ethoxyquin (a preservative), zinc oxide, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin E supplement, niacin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), copper oxide, cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, folic acid, calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite.)

Pumpkin Seeds, and Almond slices (only a few each), and some timothy hay.

We know there is molasses in the guinea pig diet, but that was the first thing we got her. We are waiting on some degu pellets from Brisky. The problem is my girlfriend says she is only eating the pumpkin seeds, almond slices, and the dried carrots. She leaves everything else, including all the pellets and hay.

Is this a problem? What should we do?

Also, my girlfriend is concerned that the little one is nibbling on her fingers, but I read that this is a sign of affection. Is that true? She is also saying that the nibbling is getting a little harder each time, too.

Any help would be appreciated.

Nick

[Aimeelou]

Dont worry about the nibbling, thats perfectly normal! Check the board for people who have posted about biting/nibbling to get an understaning of why they do it.
As for food check out the main page on feeding, or the what other people on the site use as we all differ due to our location in the world.
I would lay off the almond slices as they are to sweet for a degu! And the reason she isnt eating her normal food is because you are giving her those treats! You aint gonna eat your veg if theres a chocolate bar around! lol

Have a wander around the forum, you will soon get all the info you need

[diet otaku]

yeah, my degus' diet has become strictly pellets (small world sells sugar-free guinea pig pellets for super-cheap!) and timothy hay. treats should always be given very sparingly or, as you've noticed, they'll stop eating their pellets and just wait for treats. i don't give mine pumpkin seeds or almonds anymore, as i've found a variety of vitamin supplement made by ultravite (guinea pig variety) that the degus go BONKERS over! they're nutritious AND delicious!

[skyeblu]

I noticed that hay was not mentioned on your list. I would suggest you add some Timothy hay to their diet as it helps with digestion and also helps keep their teeth worn down (through chewing). You can easily get Timothy hay from the pet stores (I've even seen it at "Wally Word").

I also give mine a small bowl of the "California Blend" which is fresh cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and carrots cut into small cubes (found in the pre-cut salad section of the grocery store). My goos LOVE it!

[Sunshinemeg]

skyblu, timothy hay was on the list, and should be in the cage at all times.

I would suggest bopeuph that you stop feeding the treats, and keep to a basic diet. She will accept this when she sees that nothing else is going to be offered.

can i ask, is she on her own? as this isnt recommended for degus as they are very social animals.

the nibbling is basically how any small animals check to see what if offered to be food or not. she is nibbling fingers to see if they taste nice! She will learn they dont, and the nibbling will then be her way of offering affection to the people she trusts. rough nibbling should be disuaded by imitating a loud squeek at her, and removing your hand, leaving her on her own for a time. she will learn that doing that means she gets left alone, wont like it, and will soon stop. do keep in mind however that gentle bites are also her way of telling you if she doesnt like something, so make sure she isnt doing that before you tell her off.

[bopeuph]

We took out the almond slices and pumpkin seeds, and now the pellets are disappearing, and I see her munching on the hay. She seems to love the dried carrots in the rabbit feed, and I didn't see anything discouraging that everyday, and she prefers it over fresh carrots.

Yes, she is alone at the moment. We saw her at the pet store by herself, and after a week's worth of research, my girlfriend picked her up to surprise me (I was going to get it for her, but she beat me to it). We are currently looking for a friend or two, but it is showing to be incredibly difficult in Florida. The only other degu owner in the entire state I've found online is down the street, and he has two of his own, and that's it. Most of the pet stores I've talked to immediately assume that a degu is some sort of reptile, and send us to the local reptile store to take care of our questions.

My girlfriend is about to find a chinchilla instead, because there is a local breeder down the road. I would love to find her a friend (and possibly a mate; as a kid I went through litters upon litters of hamsters and gerbils, and I would like to try at least one litter of degus. They look like so much more fun than other pet rodents).

[Erica]

Sunshinemeg: Is it possible for you to search for other Degu World members in the Florida area? Maybe you could connect "bopeuph" with other degu owners in their state. Just a thought.

[aqh88]

Try petfinder.com. There are lots of degus listed.

[andrea]

I have been told, and please corect me if there is more information on the subject somewhere, that rabbit food is a no-no for Degus as they add antibiotics in the mix and do not put this in the ingredients list usually.

[bopeuph]

Either way, I think we are going to stop giving the pellets, and just stick to alfalfa and timothy hay as the staples of their diet. I do have a second degu now, and I never thought something so small would go through so much hay, and they love the alfalfa cubes. Thanks for all the help.

Nick