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Post by davx on Oct 19, 2011 5:21:35 GMT
Yes, there is:
Potentilla indica (formerly Duchesnea indica) -> I offered my degus several times, but I'm not shure if they like it.
Lambs quarters, Chenopodium album -> is good food, my degus like it Pinkweed, Polygonum pensylvanicum -> I don't know, but some Polygonum species are eaten. Common yarrow, Achillea millefolium -> Good food, but probably they feed on only in smaller amounts. Aster, Aster sp. -> try it out, especially the flowers. Mine liked Aster flowers, but I don't know the species too. Common mullein, Verbascum thapsus -> My degus didn't eat Verbascum species Gill-over-the-ground, Glechoma hederacea -> Not eaten, probably bad taste. Carpet bugleweed, Ajuga reptans -> Not eaten, probably bad taste Grape vine & leaves, Vitis labrusca -> I don't know
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abirose
Burrowing Degu
Forum Helper
Posts: 276
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Post by abirose on Oct 21, 2011 22:06:53 GMT
Ok I think you might have converted me! I just want to make sure I get everything right because I don't want the nutritional value to be dodgy! Currently on P@H pellets mixed with gertie guinea pig as well as meadow hay, but I think I might start the process of having a 50% natural diet. So I'm thinking of using these products from chinchillas2shop ( when I have money!) to create the natural mix: Natures Salad- Oat flakes, wheat flakes, marigold, parsley, redbeet, alfalfa, dandelion, pea flakes, carrots, nettle, plantain, wheat, burst wheat, burst maize, edible leaves, melissa cornflowers, rose petals, peppermint, maize flakes, red clove Herbal Garden- green oats, green wheat, parsley, balm, peppermint, nettle, chamomile and dandelion Luxury Flower Power- Pink and red rose buds, coneflower blue petals, ultra blue mallow flower, marigold petals, whole hibiscus, marshmallow flowers Dried carrot, bell pepper and beetroot. Does this sound suitable? I know its been mentioned before but I'm a bit confused on seeds, what sort of ratio should seeds be in the mix and are there any suitable bird mixes available, or can anyone recommend something simple to add? Also would you still keep in the guinea pig mix? If the girls stop eating the original food should I leave it in the cage until it is all finished or take the hint Sorry for all the questions I just don't want to buy it all and realise I've made a mistake ;D
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Post by malteser60 on Oct 22, 2011 7:48:48 GMT
Hi abirose, that sounds like a good mix to start with. They're love the luxury flower power pack. The only change I would probably make for now is the Natures Salad as that has lots of grain stuff in it which will already be present in the P@H pellets and gertie guinea pig mix. So maybe swap it for the fenugreek crunchies, or one of the health treats pack, or two other plants that are not in the herbal garden and luxury flower power. As for the seeds, for now start off with a small amount. So maybe a millet spray hung up, or a small lump of mixed seeds everyday. What you'll then find is that you'll start reducing the the hard feed (pellets and gertie guinea pig mix) and up the seeds and flowers. There's a very good seed mix to copy on this thread, not sure if you've seen it yet: deguworld.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=food&action=display&thread=8775As with any foods introduce slowly and build it up from there. You'll probably find that the first to go will be the P@H pellets. Then bits of the guinea pig mix. They'll still love the flaxed peas and some of the grains from the mix but probably will ignore the rest. And let us know how it goes
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abirose
Burrowing Degu
Forum Helper
Posts: 276
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Post by abirose on Oct 22, 2011 16:36:50 GMT
Thank you that was really helpful, I feel a bit more confident about it now! ;D
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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Oct 27, 2011 6:17:31 GMT
The girls are really funny. I dont think they have come to realise that dried plants and herbs are now part of the regular diet. They seem to be creating reserve piles here and there, like the squirels do before the winter ;D
The mix is really being enjoyed and is being eaten very quickly. I know some owners have difficulty getting their degus used to fresh greens and vegetables, but they really do appreciate them when they are dried and dehydrated.
They do not seem to care as much for the fresh herbs, but once dry they are gone in a blink.
I am truly hooked on this method of feeding and am really anxious for spring to arrive. I had a very good time hiking outdoors collecting plants and leaves. It was lots of fun and it is now even more fun to watch the degus eat through the big bowl of dried greens and flowers.
They are not relying on Versele-Laga as much, so I am preparing seeds mixes three times a week. The seeds are also very much appreciated.
It is so fun to see so many of us taking part in this project.
I have a question about the seeds. I have come across many good seed mixes, with the exception of one questionable ingredient. I realise for birds this is good, but for degus I am skeptical. The mixes I have come across contain bits of clam shells.
Is there anything I should know on this matter ? The shells are broken into tiny bits, so I do not think they could prove harmful, although I am not sure how they could be digested if consumed. Would appreciate some advice.
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mel
Foraging Degu
Posts: 100
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Post by mel on Oct 27, 2011 19:21:16 GMT
Wow very interesting thread. I've picked some goodies from the garden this afternoon (dandelions, mint, Rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley) and have them all lined up on kitchen paper on a shelf above the radiator. I've also purchased some millet and various flowery and herby mixes from pets at home. Can't wait to mix up my own mix once the ingredients are all ready! One thing I do have in the garden is a big bay tree. Are the leaves and wood safe does anyone know?
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Post by winic1 on Oct 27, 2011 20:27:22 GMT
My guys are loving the Pinkweed (Polygonum), mostly the flowers, they will eat them fresh, which they will not do with anything else. Am drying everything green & approved that I can find, and put a bit in the cage every day, mostly they don't seem impressed, eventually it disappears, but I suspect it's just being pushed aside and lost or trampled. But, hey, the frost is soon to kill everything, so if I dry it and they don't use it, no big loss. Maybe eventually they'll decide they like it. Kinda like kids & veggies.
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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Oct 29, 2011 4:07:33 GMT
@ Mel I have actually never come accross information regarding the suitability of bay leaves. Perhaps Fred, David or Marlen will be able to share some info about this from the german degu community.
We are happy you are taking part in this wonderful project. I am really anxious to hear about the mix you are creating and how the degus are liking it ! Hope to see some photos ;D
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Post by joodles on Oct 29, 2011 10:07:11 GMT
I love this thread. For some time have been trying to increase the amount of natural food but in a bit of a haphazard way. After reading this thread we have been more structured and now we have Tequila eating maybe 30-40% natural and Tabasco 10-20%. Tequila will eat anything and is fine but Tabasco has a more delicate digestive system so we have had to go really slowly with him. We are currently using the JR Farm Degu Premium (I think) in the afternoon, sprinkled in amongst their hay to encourage foraging behaviour. We give nuggets in the morning, so far they are not refusing the nuggets - they just give us a look to say where's the nice stuff? They have as much hay as they want and we add dried plants (dandelion being the current favourite) to the hay. They do tend to pick out their favourite bits first but will later eat the other bits and sometimes eat nuggets instead of the "nice" mixes. When they see the nice mix coming towards them they get a bit excited! We are going foraging later to see what we can find (armed with a list of safe woods from the forum). Thank you to everyone who has added their comments - it is inspiring to see how much we all want to improve our degus food and lives - and our boys certainly appreciate it!
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Post by fred on Oct 29, 2011 11:53:49 GMT
Apologies to those whose recent posts here (quite a few ) I haven't yet responded to; there has been too much distraction over the past few days. It is important not to get this wrong, so it often takes me quite a bit of research. I'll try to work through the backlog over weekend. mel So good to hear you are joining in; I am sure you will find it very rewarding Regarding the wood and leaves from the bay tree: Are you talking about the bay laurel ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_Laurel )? There don't seem to be any experiences with degus so far. The degupedia wiki reports that larger amounts of fresh leaves can cause diarrhoea and hallucinations in some mammals. Of course we don't want to be confronted by hallucinating little monsters However, with the natural mixes, any given plant there would contribute only a small amount. If I had a bay laurel tree at hand, I would have no reservations to offer my girls a small piece of a leaf to find out whether they are interested in the first instance. I would expect that a lot of these “uncertain” plants can be ruled out as food simply because they are not attractive to degus. I think the wood should be fine, but would like to hear David's view on this.
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Post by winic1 on Oct 29, 2011 19:51:09 GMT
Heavy wet snow today, several inches of it and still falling fast. Way too early for so much snow, not all the trees have lost their leaves yet because it has also been a late fall. Broke a large branch off my wild black cherry tree, probably 4-5 inches thick where it broke, big long leafy branch. Normally I'd be upset, as it is a major chunk of the tree, but all I can think of is, excitedly, LOTS OF LEAVES AND TWIGS AND BRANCHES FOR THE GOO'S!!!!
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mel
Foraging Degu
Posts: 100
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Post by mel on Oct 29, 2011 20:54:00 GMT
@fred Yes it is the bay laurel. I will try a leaf tomorrow and see what Alvin and Theodore think! Dont fancy hallucinating goos though (they're mad enough aleady!) so won't give them more than half a leaf each!
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mel
Foraging Degu
Posts: 100
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Post by mel on Oct 31, 2011 15:22:38 GMT
Here are some photos of my new mix and the goos love it. It contains millet, oats, dandelions leaves and flowers, parsley, rosemary, thyme, basil, chives, rose hips (only a few), mint, chamomile, milk thistle, mallow flowers, sage, hibiscus, fennel seeds, rose and sunflower petals.
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Post by malteser60 on Oct 31, 2011 19:44:40 GMT
Does anybody know if the bitter (or broad) dock leaves Rumex obtusifolious are safe? How about white clover Trifolium repens?
I've been weeding the garden before winter sets in and have managed to collect a fair amount of dandelions which are all nicely drying on the radiator. I've read from a roborovski hamster breeder that the dock leaves are good for the robos, but not sure about the degus.
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Post by fred on Oct 31, 2011 20:06:03 GMT
malteser60 Rumex acetosa is safe and often given in Germany. I couldn't find anything about Rumex obtusifolious, but wouldn't see a problem to feed it my girls. Trifolium repens only in small amounts because of potential bloating with larger amounts.
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Post by fred on Oct 31, 2011 20:44:44 GMT
mel This looks great; I can believe your goos love it! What a good start these two boys have Did they eat the bay leaves?
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Post by davx on Oct 31, 2011 22:11:48 GMT
Bloating is overestimated. I never had problems, but of course it isn't a bad idea to feed it in small quantities and increase the amount gradually.
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Post by fred on Oct 31, 2011 22:43:09 GMT
Bloating is overestimated. I never had problems, but of course it isn't a bad idea to feed it in small quantities and increase the amount gradually. I was referring to the degupedia wiki This shows nicely how the view of many plants is shifting, and as far as I can see, always in the direction of less problematic / more suitable.
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mel
Foraging Degu
Posts: 100
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Post by mel on Oct 31, 2011 22:45:38 GMT
No they didn't eat the bay leaf. They weren't interested at all. Might try again in a few days just in case though.
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Post by NightwishRaven999 on Nov 1, 2011 1:35:51 GMT
Mel ! This is fantastic ! Your degus are lucky to be cared for by such a devoted owner. The mix looks great and varied, well done ;D
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