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Post by goolover on May 10, 2017 19:32:41 GMT
Did someone mention Wine......anything with wine in the sentence always gets my attention lol.
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Post by moletteuk on May 11, 2017 16:44:13 GMT
Without know exactly which gerbera species it is, it's impossible to be sure it is safe, Gerbera jamesonni is probably OK, Gerbera saxatillis and anandria both have the coumarins. Somebody experienced with fresh forage could probably try it if they really wanted to on degus who they know are good at doing their own safety testing.
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Post by zenaida on May 11, 2017 18:24:58 GMT
Any identifying markers between the species? I'm also totally fine with not giving it to them. I just have so few forage options right now that the prospect of a free and easy forage that isn't dandelion would be nice.
I did some googling, I don't know if it would be possible to ID them correctly. Sometimes the exact same picture is even used for the two species.
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Post by winic1 on May 11, 2017 19:32:16 GMT
To separate the species, you would have to be really good at plant taxonomy, and even then it would be tricky since they have been developed for horticulture and hybridized so much. Probably best not to give it to them.
Chickweed should be starting to grow, and my hibiscus (rose of sharon) bushes are starting to leaf out. Raspberry bushes are leafing, too, and the clover in my lawn is getting quite large, and I noticed the plantains are getting prominent (my lawn is a weeder's nightmare, but a foraging bonanza. Except for the dog peeing and pooing all over it, darn it!).
Oh, are violets safe, I would think? They're blooming right now, too.
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Post by deguconvert on May 11, 2017 20:26:46 GMT
Raspberry and blackberry leaves are HUGE favorites. If you can find any of those, or know someone that has some in their yard, see if you can get some leaf samples to try on your girls.
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Post by moletteuk on May 12, 2017 10:08:39 GMT
Violets are safe.
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Post by darthchinchi on May 23, 2017 13:16:25 GMT
This list says hibiscus. I just got a hibiscus for my birthday (not the one I wanted :/) and it explicitly says its not for consumption. It's one of the big flowered ones.
Not going to feed it to my animals, but going to source the species I know is edible (H sabdariffa)
Just a thought that it may not be all hibiscus that's edible
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Post by moletteuk on May 23, 2017 17:36:02 GMT
I'll try and look into the hibiscus.
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Post by animalmadchloe on Jun 20, 2017 20:06:19 GMT
Is any part of Elder flower or Bramble leaves safe we have masses in our garden x
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 21, 2017 9:42:46 GMT
Elder flower and whole tree/shrub is not safe. Brambles are safe.
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Post by morton235 on May 25, 2018 21:07:12 GMT
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Post by bouncy on May 25, 2018 22:01:28 GMT
Yes, they can!  |
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Post by morton235 on May 26, 2018 10:19:59 GMT
Yes, they can! For real? Even though it contains things like mushrooms, cucumber and peppers? Just wanting to be extra sure before I order it, I can't find mushrooms on the degu safe list haha. Granted, those things do seem to be in small amounts within the mix, but I want to make sure it's not going to harm him in any way I was so excited reading the ingredients, then got to mushrooms and was like 'wait, are you having me on?' hahahaha! |
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Post by moletteuk on May 26, 2018 10:37:23 GMT
The mushrooms are the only slightly dubious ingredient, but I understand squirrels eat mushrooms so it's not something I would worry about, but I trust my degu(s) to decide for themselves, you could pick them out, there won't be many. You should limit the mixes you feed that contain veg and grains because you need to take their carbohydrate/ sugar content into account and the high phophorus and low calcium that they bring to the diet (you want the opposite). If you are interested in placing a Zooplus order, I would recommend the forage mixes that don't have anything else added, so you can feed them freely, the dandelions, ribwort, green oats (whole plant), and garden herbs. You could also order a packet of the dandelion roots. If you are interested in trying some grain free pellets, you could try the Versele Laga Crispy or Complete and the JR Farm grainless guinea complete pellets.
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Post by bouncy on May 26, 2018 16:34:01 GMT
They should be fine with mushrooms. The peppers and other veg are also fine. In fact, Hansemanns sells individual bags of dried vegetables, and I know Emziedee has had some for hers. I'm also fairly certain mine have had that mix too. I can't guarantee they didn't just throw away the mushrooms, or hide them under the bowl, but I didn't get any complaints! |
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 20, 2018 20:36:11 GMT
I've collected a large bag of raspberry, cherry and apple tree leaves from my parents garden and have been feeding small amounts for the past three days. They really love them however I have noticed their pee has turned a bright orange/red colour which I can only associate is with these new leaves. I fed them these off the same plants throughout the summer last year and didn't have any issues. Any thoughts? I also have discovered I have a pear and an apple tree in my garden which I plan on feeding the leaves and branches, just triple checking it is all safe!
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 21, 2018 2:57:37 GMT
I have no idea why they would create an effect this year, but not last year. Have they been sprayed? Or perhaps the trees might have been fertilized? I've no idea if these would make a difference or not.
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Post by misscatafer on Jun 21, 2018 6:08:30 GMT
No, my parents are not gardeners so all of the plants are in their natural states (the raspberry has completely taken over the garden!) do you think I should stop feeding them these looking at the urine?
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 21, 2018 14:55:37 GMT
No I don't. If there are no effects to the poop, as in runniness, then I wouldn't stop feeding them. You could try reducing amounts a bit and see if that makes any difference. Not sure what we would learn from that, LOL! But we might learn something unexpected, or it might simply affirm that they are the cause of the coloration. At this point, I'm not concerned that any harm is being done.
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Post by ntg on Jun 21, 2018 15:23:23 GMT
Is it just the leaves or wood from the apple too? Wouldn't expect the leaves to turn pee a different colour but there's plenty of reports of apple wood turning wee a reddy-orange colour! If they all seem normal and you're curious as to what's causing it, remove the leaves for a day and then slowly introduce them one species at a time and you could see if you get the same effect from a particular plant |
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