On the menu today is Dandelions! I can remember when I first started keeping degus I was very unsure of what to feed them other than pellets (back in the stone age). I was so worried about them trying new foods - what was poisonous, what was toxic, what was sugary, were they eating too much of something. The first ever food other than pellets that I fed to my degus was dandelions and it has been their favourite food ever since...
Natural nutrition may seem like an advanced subject for an owner to take up but it really isn't. You can begin your journey into natural nutrition by feeding such commonly found plants as Dandelions. The great thing about Dandelions is that you can feed them as much as they can eat, its found everywhere and best of all its free!
Now is a very good time of year (in the UK) to hurry into the garden or find that patch of over grown vegetation and begin to harvest the dandelions. Currently the rains are keeping the Dandelions nice and fresh but when the colder weather arrives with winter, they will begin to wither.
The Dandelions scientific name is: Taraxacum officinale
Degus are adapted well for dealing with the high calcium content of the Dandelion plant. If they have eaten much of the plant, you may begin to notice that their urine turns white or milky. This is normal, the degus have simply secreted the excess calcium they do not need.
I hurried into my garden today and collected one carrier bag full of Dandelions. Try to take the whole plant where possible as the routes can be eaten too (although many Dandelions are well rooted and not easily removed).
I begin by washing my Dandelions in water, especially to remove dirt and soil from the roots.
I soak them in warm water and give them a good mix. I use my fingers to rub the soil from the roots.
Once both the leaves and roots are cleaned I drain them off and begin to dry them.
There are many ways you could dry the wet leaves, I personally choose to use a hair dryer. Use a lower setting with a high temperature to quickly dry most of the moisture. 2 -3 minutes should be long enough to remove most of the moisture if you are turning the leaves throughout.
A small portion of this batch is fed to the degus as they enjoy the leaves fresh and clean (the roots are not fed at this stage). The rest of the batch will be dried and stored for the winter months and will make up a large bulk of their diet. The dried roots will be chopped up and fed as treats. For drying, a great way is to store the leaves in a cardboard box and left in a warm dry area of the house such as an "airing cupboard" or boiler room.
In this case I am using a wicker basket because it allows the warm air to easily access the leaves at the bottom, middle and top. I also divide the top, middle and bottom with paper or newspaper as this helps soak up excess moisture.
My degus won't touch fresh leaves, so I dry them in the airing cupboard. Have yours always eaten fresh leaves or did you have to keep offering them over a period of time?
Any advice is useful, thanks.
(I've had two degus since just before Christmas + another two babies since end of June and want to do my best for the little guys)
Thanks for your question! My degus immediately took to fresh Dandelion leaves the first time I offered them. For other fresh leaf matter they were less keen. As I have evolved the diet over time to more closely mimic the natural diet of a degu, they have become more accepting of fresh foods.
Just keep offering, eventually they will come around. It is like feeding young children - their tastes take time to adapt.
Congratulations on your new little family! ;) I am sure you are doing a great job!
Reply
marija
8/3/2014 07:11:04 pm
Hi!
I have a degu and she has cataracts in her right eye. And I had read that dandelion helps with this - I desperately need advice! How much do i give her? it is safe to give her everyday? day - and night? do i give her some flovers like rose petals? can i give her her odrinary food? and i had read that for of the disease helps a diet but no one tells what exactly needs to be given which seeds and flowers that and for how long - I need help desperately I love her so much I want to help her as much I can - please help. thank you
Providing detailed guides on how to construct and build degu enclosure, vivariums and cages. This blog has a focus on stimulating and creating more natural habitats for degus...