How to feed degu?

Squirrel degu is another rare pet that was chosen by both residents of large houses and owners of tiny apartments. Start them primarily because they are pretty cute and sociable. However, before deciding to take a serious step and bring a fluffy miracle home, you need to think carefully, as they require a lot of attention, as well as special care.

These animals are small rodents with short fur and long ears. This is somewhat related to their chinchillas. In addition, they have excellent eyesight.

Also degu are distinguished by excellent hearing and scent, which gives them the opportunity to move quickly and to navigate well in space day and night. The animals themselves are very small: up to 20 centimeters in length and weighing up to 350 grams.

But their tail is long enough, with a very beautiful tassel at the very end. Very often degus can lose their tail with their skin. Therefore, grabbing them for him is strictly prohibited. Each squirrel has 8 pairs of teeth for chewing, as well as 2 pairs of incisors that can grow throughout its life.

But future owners need to know that their digestive system is quite sensitive. Therefore, When choosing food, you must consult with veterinarians or more experienced breeders who can advise what to buy. You also need to make sure that the cells always have a fresh litter. It is better if it will consist of fresh hay, as in some cases the squirrels may even have their own “bed”. Hay does not harm their sensitive esophagus.

Such animals do not live for too long - up to 7 years - but at home their life lasts a little longer - up to 12 years. To understand what proteins eat in their natural environment, you need to get acquainted with their place of residence. Most often this is rocky terrain, as well as forests and swamps. They live in Brazil, Chile and Bolivia.

But in Russia they began to import more like an exotic animal. At the same time, he does not always care about picking a protein that is familiar to her.

Since these animals are considered herbivores, their diet is more composed of small roots, tree bark, as well as various grass or leaves. In addition, if possible, they also eat harvested fruits, such as apples or pears. For winter time, they stack food in their burrows. This can be dry mushrooms, and cones, as well as various dried fruits.

It will be difficult to feed degu at home, since most of the plants that love these animals are in their countries of residence. After consulting with specialists, you can make a list of possible products for a home feeder.

• It can be grain mixtures, which include buckwheat, millet, barley or wheat.
• Be sure to include fresh hay, and in the summer - fresh grass.
• You can prepare crackers by making them yourself. Squirrels eat them with special pleasure.
• In addition, everything can be replaced with special feeds that can be bought at any pet store.

From time to time, you can practice harvesting for the winter. To do this, fit:

• dandelion flowers;
• fresh leaves from fruit trees;
• alfalfa;
• dried fruits, such as apples or plums.

Protein must be fed in portions, about 4 or 5 times a day. Among purchased feeds, Versele Laga special protein feed is extremely popular. It is not only of high quality, but also completely safe for protein composition. The food is in a transparent package through which everything is visible. However, degu should not eat more than 35 grams of feed per day.

Another type of feed is Little One., which includes a large number of minerals and vitamins. In addition, it contains a lot of fiber, which is necessary for these animals for proper digestion. Most often, the feed consists of granules. They include all the necessary food products.

However, from time to time it is necessary to indulge your animals. All delicacies are best given in small quantities so as not to injure the digestive system.

Goodies can be very varied. It:

• walnuts;
• daisy flowers;
• peanuts or almonds;
• dried corn;
• rosehip berries;
• some hazelnuts;
• pumpkin seeds;
• sunflower seeds;
• rowan berries.

You can also buy ready-made goodies in pet stores. They often add sweet additives in the form of raisins or dates. They will definitely need to be removed so as not to harm the proteins. It is best to give such goodies during games with animals so that they can quickly get used to their master. In addition, in the event that they escape from their cage, with the help of sweets it will be possible to lure them.

Care for this animal is very important, because how much protein can survive depends on it. Therefore, it is worth paying more attention to the nutrition of a newly made pet. Eat protein should be at least 3 times a day. If she is hungry, then you can increase the number of feeds to 5.

In this case, the separation must be complete, so that the animal receives all the necessary components throughout the day.

There are a large number of foods that must be crossed out from the diet. This is, first of all:

• any sweet fruit;
• candy;
• any sweet cookies and other confectionery;
• sweet yogurts;
• any dairy products;
• all sharp herbs and vegetables, such as pepper or sorrel;
• any canned fruits or vegetables;
• roasted seeds or nuts;
• meat or fish products.

If at least one of these products gets into the diet of proteins, even a fatal outcome can occur. Therefore, this should be monitored daily and not allowed to feed guests with their pets without their permission.

Squirrels have a longer gestation period than other animals like them, for example, rats or hamsters. Therefore, kids develop a little faster. Newborn squirrels look like their mothers. They already have fur, and their eyes are open. In addition, almost immediately there are teeth.

However, they move very poorly at first and only after a week can they try to get out of the nest. Squirrel copes with the feeding of its babies. However, you should not pick them up, as she may refuse to feed. Therefore, if you need to take a baby, for example, for examination, be sure to wash your hands with soap so that the squirrel does not smell the smell of a person.

In addition, it can also happen that a protein dies during childbirth or shortly after them - then a person should take care of feeding. This can be done with the help of a milk mixture, heated to +36 degrees. Feeding can be done using conventional pipettes or a syringe without a needle. If they are not, then a regular rag soaked in milk mixture is useful. The mixture can be prepared from cow's milk and chamomile tea. The proportions should be 1 to 2.

It is necessary to feed the squirrels every 2-3 hours. After each feeding, be sure to massage their stomach. Feed the mixture should be no more than 30 days, then you can gradually introduce dry feed into the diet, for example, hay or grain. In addition, you can also give a few nuts, vegetables and fruits.

A 2-month-old baby can already eat almost everything. Therefore, they can be transferred from the nest to the cage, for permanent residence. Since then, they begin to live an adult life and, accordingly, so eat. Some owners give them milk formulas for a while, only from a small saucer.

Many owners do not trust the feed produced by different manufacturers, so make a list of products for their pets on their own. When compiling a diet, it is imperative to take into account that degu proteins are rodents. Accordingly, foods such as regular oatmeal, various cereal products, such as buckwheat or peas, should also be included in the feed. In addition, you can add a little crushed crackers.

It is necessary to take into account the amount of nutrients, as well as vitamins. In addition, it is necessary so that up to 60 grams of juicy food must be included in the daily diet.

If you correctly compose a daily diet of protein, then they will be able to please their owners for a longer time.

To summarize, we can say that Chilean squirrels are excellent animals that anyone can keep at home. The main thing is to study all the rules of feeding these animals, since not all products can eat them.

On the features of feeding degu at home, see below.