Natural diet in wild

[moletteuk]

I'd just like to mention that degus eating a particular food in the wild does not necessarily mean it is good for them. I guess there has been a lot of disturbance of ecosystems in native places for degus and it seems probable that degus will sometimes eat what they have to to survive.

I also just posted in Malteser's diabetic thread that high fat contents are not good for diabetics, so I think we should be cautious about thinking about feeding higher fat levels, particularly things like the coquitos. It's also important to consider that increasing high fat and high calorie foods could considerably reduce that amount of high fibre foods the degus will eat, with possible consequences for teeth, gut health, and hydration (important for diabetes).

Having said all that, I am very excited about all the new possibilities for giving our degus more interesting and varied diets, I think this is great news for stimulating clever degu minds and also great for thier happiness and quality of life

[davx]

Of course it doesn't necessarily be good, but it matters if it is an occasional observation or if they eat it regularly. It doesn't make sense to eat something that is harmful and curb evolutionary fitness.

[davx]

I have to come back to following topic:

It's also important to consider that increasing high fat and high calorie foods could considerably reduce that amount of high fibre foods the degus will eat, with possible consequences for teeth, gut health, and hydration (important for diabetes).

Teeth health is a complex issue and high fibre is only a part of the whole picture. Degus in fact tend to avoid high fiber content and prefer also in nature low fiber parts of plants like shoots and young tender leaves. Stems etc. often are rejected. But important is not the fiber itself instead the time used to chew the plants matters, the longer they chew the longer the upper and lower molars grind one against the other and wear down. In addition grasses uses a totally different method to defend greedy herbivores, they use silicates, this substance has strong abrasive properties and works in fact like sandpaper. The effect on the teeth is much stronger than high fiber food.

By the way, to crack a coquito the degus have to use their incisors and must repair them (=chattering of teeth) from time to time. And also it takes energy to crack the nuts. It is not only easily accessible energyrich food making our degus fat, it is hard work and in wild food for a time, when high quality food is rare.

[davx]

Update... youtube is a great source of information and interesting stuff.

Here a guy introduces his palm nursery and some young Chilean wine palms (Jubaea chilensis):



Source / Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=puoMck1PxXc

It is also interesting to read the information rich comments. And yes Switzerland is mentioned... I'm a little bit proud... yes, also that I had the opportunity to see, experience, feel, touch, smell etc. this palm species, their fruits, bark etc. some days ago.

[listracian]

Just wondering if you have read any of these, they are based on the nutrition of wild degus though I am pretty sure some are on captive bred ones. I haven't had a chance to read them all yet and can't link them because it's through the uni website so you wouldn't be able to access them

BOZINOVIC, F. (1995) NUTRITIONAL ENERGETICS AND DIGESTIVE RESPONSES OF AN HERBIVOROUS RODENT (OCTODON-DEGUS) TO DIFFERENT LEVELS OF DIETARY FIBER. JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY Volume: 76 Issue: 2

Gutierrez, JR, Bozinovic, F. (1998) Diet selection in captivity by a generalist herbivorous rodent (Octodon degus) from the Chilean coastal desert. JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS Volume: 39 Issue: 4

TorresContreras, H, Bozinovic, F. (1997) Food selection in an herbivorous rodent: Balancing nutrition with thermoregulation. ECOLOGY Volume: 78 Issue: 7

Garcia-Allegue, R. Lax, P. Madariaga, AM. Madrid, JA. (1999) Locomotor and feeding activity rhythms in a light-entrained diurnal rodent, Octodon degus. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-REGULATORY INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY Volume: 277 Issue: 2

Edwards, M. (2009) Nutrition and Behavior of Degus (Octodon degus). Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice. Volume 12, Issue 2

SAKAGUCHI, E. OHMURA, S (1992) FIBER DIGESTION AND DIGESTA RETENTION TIME IN GUINEA-PIGS (CAVIA-PORCELLUS), DEGUS (OCTODON-DEGUS) AND LEAF-EARED MICE (PHYLLOTIS-DARWINI). COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-PHYSIOLOGY Volume: 103 Issue: 4


Not sure how many of them you will find or be any use to you, I also found one on renal kidney failure in the degus but i haven't read it yet to see if it is linked to diet or just inherited.

[davx]

The First one is the most interesting article.
I know most of them, but haven't read all.