Degu foder
Degu (Octodon degus) är en gnagare i familjen buskråttor. Bland sällskapsdjur är den närmast släkt med marsvin och chinchilla. Den kommer ursprungligen från Chile, där den anses vara ett skadedjur då den plundrar böndernas skörd. [ 2 ]. By Eddie Chevrel. Updated on November 18, Degus are not your average rodents and are very similar to guinea pigs and chinchillas in terms of behavior. They have a diet that is similar to the needs of chinchillas, but they are strictly herbivores.
This guide will give you a complete run-through of what to feed degus so they can grow up healthy. Your degu needs vegetables, but not all of them can be given all the time. They have a special feeding schedule that is very rotational. This allows for certain veggies to be given weekly, in moderation, and once a month.
What Do Degus Eat? A Complete Guide
Each one of these will be listed here per group so you can get a better idea. Do not give your degu any fresh fruits except apples since the natural sugars involved are not going to be healthy for them. If you do decide to give them a fruit treat, dried fruits that are low in sugar are best recommended. You can give them dried apricot, raspberries, or cranberries once a week because they are very low in sugar.
Raisins are fine but this should only be given to them once a month. The following dried herbs can be given once a week. They can also be given fresh, though in moderation:. Degus love eating pellet food that is made for them, but they can also eat chinchilla and guinea pig pellets that are made from Timothy hay and have high amounts of processed grass fiber.
The Ultimate Degu Diet Guide: Helpful Tips and Guidelines
Additionally, you can give them veggie sticks that have hay mixed into them. You have to be careful that some pellet mixes with seeds in them are clearly marked only for degus, chinchillas, or guinea pigs. Some rodent mixes have items in them that your degu cannot digest easily. They can also have seeds that are too high in sugars and fats. You should also avoid mixes with corn and sunflower seeds. As long as you give your degu the pellet food that is recommended for them, it is a good option.
Just be sure to avoid pellet food that is processed with molasses. This has too much sugar content and will make them fat. Degus love good dry hay they can munch on for most of the day. Your bale should include Timothy and Meadow hay. If your hay is brown or green, it will not be good for a degu. Green dry hay will also cause degus to bloat. Here are three types of grass you can confidently give your degu:.
Degus love chewing snacks of all kinds since this helps keep their teeth from overgrowing. You have to show some caution here since they need chewing snacks that apply only to their breed. Cross-over chew snacks meant for chinchillas and guinea pigs are fine.
In the wild degus enjoy chewing bark but your degu will certainly enjoy the following woods:. Since degus are herbivores, they have no need to eat meat or insects. They might attack a bug that wanders into their cage, but they might not be interested in eating it. They cannot eat cooked eggs of any kind, but they can chew the eggshell in small quantities. This is actually good for adding calcium to their diet.
Yes, they can if it happens to be from guinea pig or chinchilla food only. They cannot share rabbit, gerbil, or hamster food at all. The only exception is that some of the food that is made for guinea pigs or chinchillas is made with molasses. These pellets or snacks need to remain free from this as this will cause your degus to gain considerable weight. Your degu is going to eat anything you give to them, and the worst part is that they will likely enjoy these foods.
Some of this food will be problematic for their digestive system. For that matter, you need to avoid giving these tempting treats:.