Degus and porridge

Well the "of which sugars" bit is pretty much how much sugar is in it, so if degus are not sugar tolerant its not a good idea?
I've never even heard of degus before, but a guess is that you could maybe give Winston some seeds or nuts?

I had a look on the ingredients for Ready Brek and it doesn't say any sugar or 'oses', it says: Wholegrain rolled oats (60%), Wholegrain oat flour, Calcium, Niacin, Iron, Pantothenic Acid (B5), Vitamin B6, Riboflavin (B2), Thiamin (B1), Folic acid, Vitamin B12.
Then on the nutritional values it mentions some sugars in the form of carbs..
Carbohydrate per 30g 17.6g
of which sugars 0.3g

I don't know what half of this means and if it's good or bad ! I've got some broccoli and pine nuts in the house already so I can try them with these today and see what they make of them. Afraid I don't have any unsweetened cereals in the house (they take after Mummy because I have an extreme sweet tooth !), so the shredded wheat will have to wait til I go shopping !
Thanks for your advice, any more welcome !

Hi Vicky
I agree with Rory it is most likely the sugar taste they like which is not good for them. I have known people in the past to feed them ready brek and they have either become ill or very fat. Why not try giving sheddred wheat as a treat just don't add anything to it.
As with all treats for all animals do not fed all the time otherwise your'll end up with an ill overweight animal.

Hi Vicky,

The biggest problem with the Degu [and charming as they are] is that as you have pointed out they are not sugar tolerant, so you have to keep their diet relatively bland.

Ready Brek is basically a flattened oat, or micro micro oat. Why not make him a small grain mix, as this will def not do any harm at all.

Degus have changed considerably since they came into the UK in 1999, and although still not sugar tolerant as some would have keepers believe, they do tolerate more than they did when we first started hearing about them and keeping them.

Tap water is acceptable, where as we were led to believe it had to be bottled spring water!

ready brek also does have a small amount of sweetner to its compound, so this is why your little man will be so fonf, they are no different to humans, they too have a sweet tooth!! LOL

Hay is an essential part of their diet, for in the wild, Degus are like Pikas, [natural harvesters], they go out daily and crop fresh grass with their chisel like teeth and lay it out on rocks to dry, therefore making their own hay.

Also as you probably know, they have an extremely high metabolism, and as such require constant energy sustance. Commercial rabbit mixes can be fed, but just remove the locust beans which they adore, because of the sugar.

As said, a nice quality grain mix will do winston the world of good and also act as a treat.

Pine nuts are appreciatve, and are a delicacy, but so are oats, buck wheat.

But then you can also provide veg, such as carrots, yes they hold sugars, but are fresh, and if fed once a week do no harm what so ever, sweet potato, broccoli, apple, again in small portions once a week, this will keep him very happy.

I love the Degu as a species, l think they are great fun, and love the way they purr. Also the way they hold up their tails when they walk, run and exercise in the wheels.

I have provided a care sheet l wrote for them about three years ago, you may find it useful

http://www.tskacareguides.com/degus.htm

regards Rory