My goos like raisins

[crittermom6977]

yesterday in adn atempt to get them more used to me i offered them treat of a rasin for each of them they took them right from my hand... they seemed to really like them...what other treats can i hand feed them to get them to more used to me..

[ifiwasahamster]

hi i dont really think rasins are that good for goos if you check out amethystbelles degu rock website there is a list of treats and foods that are safe for goos mine like bitesize shredded wheat carrot the occasional very occasional peanut or we just used to pick their favourite bits out of their regular food that used to work lol hope this helps good luck

[MañasMom]

Well, you've found the quickest way to a Degu's heart - their stomach! lol

Here is a great list of good Degu treats:

http://www.freepowerboards.com/degur...ck-about8.html

Each Degu has their own personal favorite, and they'll quickly tell you what it is. Giving treats is a good way to build a friendship!

[kunecka]

Funny how they crave the things they're not supposed to have (like humans I guess :-)). My degu also used to love dried fruit but I was really concerned about his diet (even though I only gave him some for treat). So instead I started giving him small slices of fresh apples. I think the water content helps with the sugar absorption. Maybe you could also try something like that?

[degumomma]

Mine like raw oatmeal and sugar free rice puffs ( the rice puffs I pick out of a natural organic cereal that I buy for myself). Both treats are really small in size and contain little sugar so you can offer more of them than raisins I would think.

[melony]

from what i have read they are born diabetic and cannot have anything with sugar in it at all. no fruits at all. they sadi that could kill them quickly. by the way im new here. but i have been doing alot of research on them as my sister is getting 2 of them and they will be living here with me.

[Chinchi]

They are not born diabetics
I'm not quite sure how that stupid myth got out there.
If an entire species of animals were born with diabetics, the species would die out before the animals would be old enough to reproduce

But some animals do have a bigger risc og getting diabetis when fed sugar And the problem whith dried fruit is that some where in the process of drying the food, the fruit sugar turns into that bad sugar you know from when you are baking

[mulder]

yes i agree, they are not born diabetic, they are born cogenitally diabetic (like us humans) this means the disease can be triggered in life from a bad diet. a raisin as a treat is fine, i liked sunflower seeds. it's all about moderation. even two or three raisins every night or two is fine. it's when it becomes a constant daily meal that it becomes an issue. you can also use dried bread pieces, carrot bits, kernels of corn or peas. but again, it's about moderation

[melony]

oh ok. im glad that was cleared up. when i googled degus that was info i was given. but this is why you should actually speak to someone and get others opinions on it. lol. but thats what forums like this are for. but thank you for clearing that up.

[Chinchi]

That's just the problem whith the internet.
If you are new to some thing you need info about, it can be hard to find correct info, because most of the sites that pop up first, are sites with all sorts of weird myths.
It's too bad. Because it can give people who acutally know some thing, such a hard time trying to get other people to understand

[MañasMom]

This site has some great information on Degus and insulin.

http://www.btinternet.com/~p.long/de...deguhealth.htm


I'll post what it says, since it's short:

Quote: Degus can become diabetic very easily1, 36. You need to cut out all sugars from your degus diet. To find out more about diabetes, visit the ILLNESS section and the HEALTH FAQ. Degus can develop islet amyloidosis1, 36. This means that the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas (the cells that produce the hormones insulin and glucagon which regulate blood sugar levels) can be prone to accumulate starch-like matter that reduces their productivity. Degu insulin (the hormone that lowers blood sugar levels) and the C-terminal region of glucagon (the hormone that raises blood glucose levels) is very different from other, non-caviomorph mammals1, 122. This suggests there is/was some form of evolutionary pressure on blood glucose hormones in caviomorphs1. It has been shown that the Hystricognaths as an order have a highly divergent insulin structure24b (including a phenylalanine deletion at position B24 and insertion of two amino acids at the carboxy-terminal end of chain A122), and may not be able to store it in the usual way122. In fact, degu insulin is only 1-10% active in controlling blood sugar levels compared to other mammals24b. This suggests that degus are either unable to regulate their blood glucose levels, or have an alternative mechanism for doing so24b. This is entirely possible, as the glucagon molecule, which is absent in degus24b, has many amino acid substitutions that can affect physiology24b. Similarly, the degu insulin molecule also has amino acid substitutions122. Alternatively, it has been suggested degus compensate for the poor effect of insulin by increasing the concentration of insulin in the blood24b, or that degu insulin degrades more slowly (has a longer active period) than in other mammals24b, or that there are more and different insulin binding receptors24b. In effect, this means that degus CAN tolerate low levels of sugar but in a different way/at a different rate to other mammals. It is hypothesised that the diabetic predisposition of degus is a combination of genetic problems and an alternate regulation pathway. More information on the role of sugar in the degu can be found here.

This page has a little more info on Degu diets:

http://www.btinternet.com/~p.long/de...a/degudiet.htm



They also have some great info to help you visualize how Goos bodies deal with sugar in their diet. You can find the graphs here:

http://www.btinternet.com/~p.long/de.../degusugar.htm



While they're not born diabetic, they are born prone to develop diabetes. Since they're small, it doesn't take much sugar to send them over the edge.

If you're going to give fruit, it's important to give their bodies plenty of time to metabolize it all back out, and for their insulin levels to return to normal, before giving them fruit again. If their insulin levels don't have time to return to normal, then it starts damaging tissue and organs.

[crittermom6977]

thanks for the response about raisns i only gave them each one as i read it wouldn't hurt to give them on like once or twice a monthe... I alos found they love oats, andrice krispies im using these to get them to come to me and they seem to prefer the oats...