What to feed degu?

Squirrel degu is another rare pet that has been chosen by both residents of large houses and owners of tiny apartments. Get them first because they are quite sweet and sociable. However, before you take a serious step and bring a fluffy miracle home, you need to think carefully, as they require a lot of attention and special care.

These animals are small rodents with short hairs, as well as long ears. This is somewhat related to chinchillas. In addition, they have excellent vision.

Degu are also distinguished by excellent hearing and sense of smell, which gives them the opportunity to move quickly and be well oriented in space both 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 a degu can shed its tail along with its skin. Therefore, to grab them for it is strictly prohibited. Each protein 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, choosing food, be sure to consult with veterinarians or more experienced breeders who can advise what to buy. You also need to take care that there is always a fresh litter in the cages. It is better if it consists of fresh hay, since in some cases the proteins may even have their own “bed”. Hay their sensitive esophagus will not harm.

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

But in Russia they began to deliver more like an exotic animal. At the same time not always caring about how to pick up squirrels for their usual food.

Since these animals are considered herbivores, their diet more consists of small roots, tree bark, as well as various grass or leaves. In addition, if possible, they also eat fruits, such as apples or pears. In winter, they put food in their holes. It can be dry mushrooms and cones, as well as various dried fruits.

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

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

Periodically, you can engage in blanks for the winter. For this fit:

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

Protein must be fed in portions, about 4 or 5 times a day. Among the purchased feeds, Versele Laga, a special protein feed, is very popular. It differs not only high quality, but also and composition, absolutely safe for squirrels. 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 the Little One., which includes a large amount of minerals and vitamins. In addition, it contains a lot of fiber, which is necessary for these animals for proper digestion. Most often the food consists of pellets. All necessary food stuffs are their part.

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.

Treats can be very diverse. It:

• walnuts;
• chamomile flowers;
• peanuts or almonds;
• dried corn;
• rosehip berries;
• a bit of hazelnut;
• pumpkin seeds;
• sunflower seeds;
• rowan berries.

You can also buy ready-made delicacies at pet stores. They are often added sweet supplements in the form of raisins or dates. They will definitely need to be removed in order not to harm the proteins. It is best to give such treats during games with animals so that they can quickly get used to their owner. In addition, if they escape from their cage, with the help of snacks, it will be possible to lure them.

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

In this case, the separation should be necessarily full, that the animal received all the necessary components throughout the day.

There are a large number of products that should definitely be deleted from the diet list. This is primarily:

• any sweet fruit;
• candies;
• any sweet biscuits and other pastries;
• 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, it can even be fatal. Therefore, this should be monitored daily and not allowed to feed guests to their pets without their permission.

Squirrels have a longer gestation period than others, like them, animals, for example, rats or hamsters. Therefore, the 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, at first they move very badly and only a week later will they be able to try to get out of the nest. Squirrel copes with feeding their babies. However, they should not be picked up, as she may refuse to feed. Therefore, if you need to take the baby, for example, for inspection, be sure to wash your hands with soap, so that the protein does not smell the smell of a person.

In addition, it can also happen that the protein dies during childbirth or soon after it - then the person should take care of the feeding. This can be done with the help of milk mixture, heated to +36 degrees. Feeding can be done using ordinary pipettes or a syringe without a needle. If they are not, then the usual rag moistened in milk mixture is useful.The mixture can be made 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 belly. Feed the mixture should be no more than 30 days, then you can gradually enter into the diet dry food, such as hay or grain. In addition, you can also give a little nuts, vegetables and fruits.

2-month baby can eat almost everything. Therefore, they can be transferred from the nest to the cell, to a permanent place of residence. From now on, they begin to live adult life and, accordingly, eat in this way. Some owners give them some more time milk formulas, only from a small saucer.

Many owners do not trust feeds that are produced by different manufacturers, so they make a list of products for their pets on their own. When preparing the ration, it is necessary to take into account that the degu squirrels are rodents. Accordingly, food should include foods such as regular oatmeal, various cereal products, such as buckwheat or peas. 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 the daily ration must include up to 60 grams of juicy food.

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

Summarizing, we can say that Chilean squirrels are great animals that anyone can keep at home. The main thing is to learn all the rules of feeding these animals, since they can eat far from all products.

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