Degu food and natural Degu food for Degus in the Degu Webshop!
Degu food and natural Degu food can be ordered easily and quickly at DRD Rodent Shop ® the online Degoe Webshop for your Degu!
Are you looking for food for your Degu? Then DRD Rodent Shop Degoe Webshop is the right place for you. Buy different types and brands of Degoe food easily at DRD Rodent Shop ® Ordering is simple and fast!
Folivore/herbivore = collective name for herbivorous animals, which specialize in herbs and leaves.
In the wild, degus eat grasses, herbs, bark, leaves, shrubs, and wood. Degus require a plant-based diet rich in crude fiber and low in energy. A degu can also be fed good quality fresh herbs, fresh grass or fresh vegetables. However, this is not a basic need. The basic feed and unlimited hay is necessary. Degus are predisposed to diabetes. That is why it is better not to feed fruit and sugar-rich vegetables. If degus are fed too sugary and starchy, the animals can develop diabetes. Degus need a high level of crude fiber. Different lengths of the fiber particles are important for the correct wear of the teeth, the loosening of the gastrointestinal filling, good intestinal peristalsis and for the fermentation process in the cecum. For the degu kept as a pet, this means that the basic food for degus consists of high-quality hay and a low-energy, balanced, complete kibble. The kibble must contain all the required nutrients, minerals, trace elements and vitamins.
A degu's gastrointestinal tract is not that muscular. To keep the digestive system going, food must be replenished again and again. To prevent digestive disturbances, it is important that the animals can eat at any time. To prevent the animals from becoming too fat, it is important to choose a food that is adapted to the specific animal species.
Nutrition guide degu
Degus are herbivores. They naturally eat grasses, seeds, and dry plant parts. Degus need unlimited hay. This is important to get enough fiber. In addition, chewing hay contributes to good tooth wear. In addition to hay, degus need a low-energy kibble that contains all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals. In addition, they need rodents to wear down their teeth. Degus are naturally accustomed to a sparse diet. If they get too much sugar, they quickly become too fat. Fruit is therefore not suitable for degus, as it contains too many natural sugars. In addition to hay, rodents and degu chunks, vegetables and herbs can also be fed. It is important that a new vegetable is introduced carefully. Always start with a very small piece, you can build this up slowly. Also note that not all vegetables are safe for degus. Typical features of the herbivorous digestive system of the degu are the lifelong growing teeth and molars, the weakly muscled gastrointestinal tract and the cecal fermentation with the eating of the cecal droppings. In nature, degus spend a very large part of the day absorbing food. Eating breaks can cause digestive problems.
Degu food & Fat
Degu food should not be too fatty. Degus do not digest fat well. Food with sunflower seeds or, for example, peanuts is not suitable for degus because it contains too much fat.
Degu food & Calcium
Degu food should not contain too much calcium. Excess calcium is excreted through the urinary tract. An excess of calcium can cause bladder stones or kidney stones. Once a degu has bladder or kidney stones, this can no longer be solved with food. The animal will need to be operated on by a vet. So it is very important to avoid this. However, a lack of calcium is also not good. A degu does need calcium for teeth and bones. Adult degus require a calcium level of 0.6%. For degus in growth this is 0.9%. The calcium to phosphorus ratio should be between 1.5:1 and 2:1.
Degu nutrition & Fiber
The fiber content in degu food should be around 20%. Degus also get a lot of fiber from the hay. Structure-rich fibers from hay ensure that the degu has to chew for a long time and persistently. This chewing wears down the molars. This is very important because the molars continue to grow for life. Too long molars cause pain and can cause the degu to eat less hay, for example, with all the consequences for the digestive system. In addition, long-term chewing ensures that enzymes in the saliva already start digestion. Fiber is also crucial to the fermentation process in the cecum.
Degu nutrition & Protein
The cecum of the degu is rich in protein. This is then eaten again after which the proteins can be digested. Too high a protein content in the diet can cause the degu to stop eating the appendix. This can have negative consequences for health and digestion.
These plants are allowed to eat Degus
Wild Plants |
Branches and Leaves |
Vegetable |
|---|---|---|
| Strawberry leaf Bindweed Amaranth Mountain savory Mugwort Buckwheat Chives Nettle (dried) Goldenrod Canadian fleabane Bear's garlic Dead nettle Yarrow Speedwell Angelica root cow parsley Great wall Plantain Cat's tail Large poppy Common agrimony Marigold Just pig grass Ordinary rocket Common hogweed Bindweed Horsetail Herik booth pod Dog trot Shepherd's purse Hop hawkweed Hornflower Stag hay Hedge vetch Incarnate Clover Japanese Knotweed Mallow/Malva Chamomile Adhesive herb Nodding avens Knapweed Knobweed Cucumber spice Compass lettuce queen herb Rapeseed Cornflower blue Cornflower Red Coltsfoot Clover Wood sorrel Burdock Look-without-look Lathyrus violet Daisy Margaret Reported Milk thistle/Milk thistle avens Cranesbill Dandelion Bee bread Arrowhead cherry Pennywort Pimpernel clover Comfrey Coleus Streak seed Narrow plantain Evening primrose Torch Valerian Lamb's lettuce Field cress Five-Fingerwort Feed vetch chickweed Flax snapdragon Lady's mantle bedstraw Chicory Wild carrot Winter purslane White Crooked White watercress Zengreen Seven leaf Silverweed Sunflower Coneflower/Echinacea Sorrel |
currant bush |
Endive Celery Broccoli Zucchini Iceberg lettuce Cucumber Lettuce Bell pepper Parsnip Parsley root Pumpkin Purslane |
