nubbin
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 237
|
Post by nubbin on Oct 21, 2011 6:57:12 GMT
since Eric was injured in a fight with Bernard he has slowly been losing weight, we rarely see him eat and usually refuses to take food from our hands where as before he would snatch it off us and gobble it straight up, its definitely not his teeth as the vet said they were all fine, he'll eat treats such as oats and pumpkin seeds but i cant just keep feeding him them.
does anyone have any thoughts on this as i'm completely at a loss. he used to be the dominant alpha and now hes a shriveled version of his former self and i dont want to try a reintroduction until hes healthy again
|
|
|
|
Post by malteser60 on Oct 21, 2011 10:11:24 GMT
Oh dear, poor Eric. He does need to eat though as losing weight is not good.
I can only think of two suggestions to do, hopefully somebody else here has more.
Firstly carry on with the high energy foods like the oats. Also try a dab of sugar-free peanut butter on a piece of pasta. I know all these foods are not great for him but it's better than losing weight.
Secondly try and give him lots more attention. Does he sit on your shoulder? Or even wear a hooded top and normally degus love curling inside it. Just keep him on you as you go around doing your eveyday things. Maybe that will bring him out of his degu-depression and start eating again.
|
|
|
|
Post by amie on Oct 21, 2011 11:48:40 GMT
Is it nuggets that he's refusing to eat?
Pernonally, on top of all the 'treat foods', I'd try some things from their natural nutrition. You can get some of it from the woolands range, such as dried dandelion etc. Herbal delight also has a really strong smell to it so it might be enough to tempt him.
|
|
nubbin
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 237
|
Post by nubbin on Oct 21, 2011 15:45:00 GMT
@maltester60 he is eating plenty of oats and he was eating the high energy liquid food that the vet gave me but that has run out. he gets plenty of attention from me, my girlfriend and the 3rd brother manny as it is only Bernard that he is having problems with. I am currently swapping manny between the other two so no one is alone for too long at a time. amie their base diet is P@H nuggets with a few supreme science nuggets w/ timothy hay. usually they would gobble up the supreme science food straight away then slowly eat the rest throughout the day but i rarely see him eating either |
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Oct 21, 2011 18:03:02 GMT
|
|
nubbin
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 237
|
Post by nubbin on Oct 21, 2011 18:40:17 GMT
deguconvert i've made my own make shift recipe out of what i already have and he seems to be gobbling it right up! ive taken some oats, some of the select science nuggets, a pinch of parsley, mashed it all together in a pestle and mortar and added a little water to stick it all togeather. a bit crude but seems to have worked well
|
|
|
|
Post by Cherpi on Oct 22, 2011 1:34:38 GMT
Baby food, I'd say try baby food. Sorry I've not got much information I'm not used to sick Degus.
|
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Oct 22, 2011 3:47:00 GMT
I'm glad he is responding so well! That is great news!
|
|
