**Has he been to a vet? What did the vet say? How old is the degu?
He's 7 years old. His teeth have been out of control & growing down into his jaw & up into skull (through the roots) for two years now.
**I would focus more on trying to fix the teeth. Degus can't live on critical care as a staple--especially since it contains sugar, if I remember correctly.
The vet tried to pull his teeth out soon after we found out to see if it would help, but they'd already fused with his bones so there was no chance of removal. Basically it's just a matter of trying to keep him with a good quality of life for as long as possible. Every month to two months he has to go back in under sedation & have his teeth ground. It's his back teeth, not the front where they're easily done. His bottom molars have grown down through his jaw causing bumps but still no real damage. He's on a maintainance dose of metacam daily for the pain and still really loves life. He only needs to be fed the critical care when his teeth get really bad right before his vet appointments but he's been fed it for so long he's gone from loving it to really fighting it.
**The degu's vet may be able to flavor it or make suggestions. Carrot juice might flavor it (most degus love carrots) but I don't know of any oils offhand that would make the degu eat more.
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll have to see if that will help at all! I've never tried carrots so it may work. I haven't asked my vet yet about additives as I'm still able to force the unflavored anise critical into him, but it would be nice if he didn't hate it.
