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Post by jbaggs92 on Oct 27, 2011 7:55:10 GMT
My question is the subject. Are carrots ok for degus? I know they shouldn't eat too many sweet things like fruits, but carrots are pretty sweet for being vegetables. I've fed them carrot slices, and they love the crap out of them. They love carrots, and it's so cute to see them holding onto a slice of carrot and eating it. I love it!
But, are carrots good for them?
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madhoose
Foraging Degu
Pumpkin & Pipsqueak...
Posts: 85
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Post by madhoose on Oct 27, 2011 10:58:25 GMT
Hi jbaggs92, i believe carrots are good for them but only in small amounts as they have a certain amount of sugar in them as has parsnip and beetroot.. mine love carrots and parsnip too but only dried out.. i can't seem to find any fresh veg they like at all... Although they so love the carrot stems, i know they can have more of that than carrot....
I'm sure someone else with more experience will be on soon to advise you better on quantities and the like..
Oh meant to say you should have a wee read through the food and feeding section there is so much to choose from that you can give them and what you should avoid.....
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Post by jbaggs92 on Oct 27, 2011 17:16:58 GMT
Thank you! And I will check out the other section on food. It should help a whole bunch!
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Post by davx on Oct 28, 2011 5:26:57 GMT
Hello,
sugar content in carrots usually is low and comparable with other vegs. But young carrots can have up to 6% sugar.
In my opinion fresh carrots aren't problematic, also in bigger quantities. But in dryed form I would offer them only in smaller quantities.
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Post by malteser60 on Oct 28, 2011 21:08:09 GMT
Also carrot tops are loved by degus and you can feed in any amount you want. Carrot itself is limited if it's dry, as davx said, but you can increase the amount if they have it fresh. Carrot is sweeter than most veg so it is one of the vegetables to regulate.
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madhoose
Foraging Degu
Pumpkin & Pipsqueak...
Posts: 85
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Post by madhoose on Oct 29, 2011 9:50:20 GMT
There we go jbaggs92 as i said better advice from peeps with more experience than myself ....  I only adopted mine 9 wks ago and am on a seriously steep learning curve at the moment with them being miss sexed then having babies now the mummy has a cataract i think and bless she's only 6 mths old.. I didn't realize that they should have less dried than fresh carrots.. But now i do so thanks davx and malteser60.. now if i can only get them to eat fresh i'd be happy.. |
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Post by fred on Oct 29, 2011 9:59:23 GMT
A dried carrot has exactly the same amount of sugar that it had when it was fresh. It's important to take into account how you measure the amount you give. If you give three slices fresh or after drying, that would be the same. If you give a spoonful of fresh or dried carrot slices, that would make a huge difference.  |
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Post by nuttz on Oct 29, 2011 10:24:21 GMT
sorry, i think im having a blonde moment..
fred, what do you mean by giving a spoonful of fresh or dried making a huge difference? different than what.. giving them three slices?
lol
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Post by fred on Oct 29, 2011 10:30:38 GMT
Sorry, it's just not my first language and sometimes it doesn't come out completely clear. If you give the same volume (say a spoonful) or weight (say 1 gram) of fresh or dried carrots, there will much more sugar in the dried ones because much of the water has gone and the sugar concentration concentration increased. Any better?
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Post by nuttz on Oct 29, 2011 10:38:27 GMT
ahhh, completely clear thank you ;D mind, it did take me a couple of times of reading what you said before i understood and that was NOT anything to do with the way you said it, its just me  and, TBH i really dont think that with english not being your first language makes any difference. its impossible to tell from where im sitting!!! |
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madhoose
Foraging Degu
Pumpkin & Pipsqueak...
Posts: 85
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Post by madhoose on Oct 30, 2011 10:01:42 GMT
Good so i have been doing it right .. i think..?? Let me run it by you all.. Here's what i do, as mine don't eat it fresh the slice they would have had fresh i dry out and give them .. that's good right ?? If i were to give them 5 dried to make up for the size of one fresh that wouldn't be good right..?? I have been scratching my head trying to work out how there was more sugar in one dried bit of carrot compared to one fresh bit of equal weight at the start and then i thought i should only be giving them half a dried carrot strip instead but i think what everybody is saying is that you shouldn't give more dried just because it looks less... Am i right peeps.. or am i just confusing myself and everybody else more...  |
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Post by deguconvert on Oct 30, 2011 19:47:06 GMT
You have it exactly right!! Due to the fact that drying also reduces the size of the carrot bit, it is easy to feel like you can increase how much you give . . . until you remember that that tiny piece has the same amount as it did when it looked so much bigger.
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Post by davx on Oct 30, 2011 20:28:08 GMT
The main difference between fresh and dried carrots is a different water content. The water ratio is about 90 % (fresh) to 10 % (dried). Well, what does this matter? Fresh food ease the water intake and in fact if fresh food without additional water or dried food and water ad lib is offered, the total water intake by the animals feeding fresh food was higher. Also for biochemical details, there are some differences, because in fresh carrots we have a different structure ( hydrogen bond). The water loss in dried food concentrate the other nutrients (sugar, fat, proteins, etc.). This effect is used as conservation method. Water is an important substrate for microbes and decomposting organisms and for life in general. |
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I only adopted mine 9 wks ago and am on a seriously steep learning curve at the moment with them being miss sexed then having babies now the mummy has a cataract i think and bless she's only 6 mths old.. 
