[Judy Fuller]

I rescued two male degu that are about a year old, I bought degu pellets and timothy hay and they get a baby carrot and a slice of sweet potatoe each day. Thats what they were fed before but I also have three rats and nine mice that I make a mix of cerial grains and nuts for treats. The degus pick through it and eat the oat meal first then the nuts. So far I haven't found anything saying the oat meal was OK for them. Does anyone here feed it to them? Thanks!

 

[mimzy2]

SUPER LATE...but yes the oats of oat meal is totally good for them. I know it doesn't have sugars and I would think it is a source of fiber or so... I use it as treats and my younger degus go crazy!!

 

[Sasami]

Oats are OK as occasional treats but in general you want to avoid feeding a lot of grains. The above poster mentioned that they don't have sugar but you have to remember that it'll be processed as sugar in the body. Degus fed a lot of grains like oats and corn tend to develop diabetes. Carrots and sweet potatoes are also treats that should be fed very sparingly. I would pick ONE treat a day, don't feed all of those foods every day.

The mix sounds great for mice and rats but degus have different dietary needs. Instead, offer them fresh grasses, herbs, and vegetables .

Here are some ideas, from another thread:

Romaine lettuce
Green leaf/red leaf lettuce
Escarole
Chickory
Dandelion greens and flowers*
Marigold flowers
Lavender
Wild grasses
Clovers
Alfalfa sprouts*
Cucumbers
Broccoli leaves
Kale*
Spinach*
Zucchini
Bell peppers
Parsley
Basil
Oregano
Mint
Cilantro

*Feed only a few times per week max due to Calcium content

 

[mimzy2]

Oh, I was unaware of that. I thought in the book I got about degus many years ago said oats were good. And it never listed all of those veggies, wow. And if you don't mind me asking, where do you get your info? It is really good input. Thanks from me too lol.

 

[Sasami]

Oh, I was unaware of that. I thought in the book I got about degus many years ago said oats were good. And it never listed all of those veggies, wow. And if you don't mind me asking, where do you get your info? It is really good input. Thanks from me too lol.

Unfortunately, the one degu book that's circulated is very, very out of date . If I recall, it even mentions feeding certain fruits (although my edition may not be current) and fruits should never be fed IMO. Oats make good treats, they just shouldn't be the main diet...especially since degu pellets tend to already have them plus other grains.

My info just comes from many years of keeping and researching degus plus talking with other experienced keepers . I also have a lot of interest in animal nutrition to begin with.

 

[Judy Fuller]

Degu food

Thanks for the info, both of you! I cut way back on the oats and started giving wild grasses, they liked the parsley real well too. I have another problem now, I got them September 1st and the lady said they were a year old then,they have a large cage b ut yesterday they started fighting, it was so bad Max was breathing real hard, no blood but it took him about 12 minutes to calm down and breath easy while I held him. I separated them but the cages are side by side so they can see each other and they are eating and taking snacks and playing on there wheels OK now. Did they reach the breeding age, or what caused this upset? Is it ok to have them separated but still close to each other? Stubby is the agressive one but was always friendlyer than Max, they are acting OK now so should I try putting them togather again? Any advise?

 

[Sasami]

How large is the cage? When did the fight happen? During feeding time? After the cage was cleaned? After a play session?

 

[Judy Fuller]

degus

Their cage is 30x18x29 it has three levels. It's a Super Pet brand cage. They bickered pretty much all day but about early evening Stubby started getting pretty rough and Max was tired from running and jumping to get away. Nobody bled and they aren't scared up coat wise but Max was breathing real hard so I picked him up and Stubby bit my hand as I was pushing him away from Max. Not hard, no blood, but they never have bitten before. They have hay and pellets and rodent blocks all the time and the treats a couple times a day, mostly when I play with them.

 

[Sasami]

If you have any more issues with fighting I'd look into getting a larger cage, especially since you have males.

It's good that there was no blood or anything. Are they back together now? Was the day they argued after a cage cleaning and/or dust bath?

What type of rodent blocks are you feeding? Degus shouldn't be fed rodent blocks unless you're referring to specific degu ones (but you also mentioned pellets separately so I'm not sure?).

 

[Judy Fuller]

degus

They are still separated, The next day I tried putting them together but Stubby got real agressive right away. And no, nothing had changed, except they don't get oat meal like before. I have them in cages side by side but they are pretty much ignoring each other. I'm taking Stubby to the vet Saturday to see if his teeth are bothing him or anything else he can find. This vet is real good with my geckos and rats so I'm hopeing he's good with the degus also. I;m really worried cause everyone say's they need a friend with them, and I can't let Max get beatup again. I'll ask the vet if neutering will help too.

 

[Judy Fuller]

Stubby and Max

I forgot, the rodent blocks are for lab rats and the pellets are Sunseed brand, it say's Degu Formula, with timothy and alfalfa hay, vitamins, minerals, vegetable formula. Sunscripion Vita. They don't ear the rodent blocks very much but thats what they were fed when I got them.

 

[Sasami]

Would it be possible to get a larger enclosure? Males need a ton of space. Do they have their own food dishes already?

The pellets are fine but I'd stop feeding the lab blocks completely. They're pretty bad for degus and tend to have a lot of corn. It's good that the degus don't like them .

When you tried putting them together again was it in a neutral spot? A bathtub or small room would work great for that.

Good luck!

 

[Judy Fuller]

Stubby and Max

yes we made a run for them that is 5 foot long and 20 inches wide for them to play in, I took the rodent blocks out and gave them timothy hay blocks, so far they aren't real partial to them either. I was told they are both male but I'm having the vet check for sure tomorrow. Stubby bit me again, as I was changing food dishes, this time he was serious cause it bled quite a bit. I think he was sorry cause he right away started begging for treats! I might be in for having a 5 foot run in front of my fire place for the rest of their lives. Hoping for good news from the vet tomorrow!

 

[Judy Fuller]

update on vet

Well we are back from the vet, both degus are indeed male, both their teeth are in good shape, he took blood from both so I'm waiting on that. He said they looked real healthy and their coats were nice. That Stubby is the dominant one and Max isn't fighting back at all. So I just spent $136.00 to hear what I all ready new.