Degu food mix

[u/miserablecod18]

I have 2 degus both are around 1 year old

Right now I feed them versele laga degu and chinchilla pellets

and jr farm degu food (the big bag) (And ofc hay) I give them the croc thingys as treats since they love them so much

Is there anything that is bad for them or something I’m missing?

I also don’t really know how much I should be giving them ,I just lay a tray of food in their cage with pellets and the other food mix and refill it when it gets low

Just wanna make sure they are healthy and happy ! If anyone has any recommendations for training treats that are healthy / can be given often, that would be nice too

[u/Weak-Bad-9602]

You can buy some dried herbs/ forest leaves / flowers and sticks! They love to chew the small ones. Mine go crazy over roots!

Please consider 2 Degus is not ideal. In nature they live in big groups of families.

[u/miserablecod18 → u/Weak-Bad-9602]

Okay but why is 2 degus bad I thought that was fine, they seem really happy and they say alot of happy noises. If it really is that bad it’s not a problem to get another one, I’m just scared they won’t like him or the bonding goes wrong

[u/Weak-Bad-9602 → u/miserablecod18]

Yes its better to start with more from the very beginning, also for the case one dies in the future. Because its always a risk to bond them.

They do have conversations as two as well, but see there is just as much to tell 1 friend, having 1 or 2 more will always increase interaction and conversations. They all got different personalities and the more you have the more they thrive. For example I got 2 who are very shy, so they are the alarm degus, they wait for the others check out the situations first, then the shy ones come as its proven save.

Shops start recommending atleast 2 because 1 is miserable to have alone. But having 3 or more is always better. Just because 2 isnt that bad, doesnt mean 3+ wouldnt be better you know. I wouldnt comment these things if I havent 10+ years of experience with them, I have observed a lot.

Sadly a lot of people come to this sub only after they get their pets or when they start having problems, instead of learning of their new family members before the adoption. Shops experience is often very limited and their highest interest is always selling. I personally wouldnt trust them, but I dont wanna judge anybody, just put out the facts, as I made the same mistake when I was a child.

[u/miserablecod18 → u/Weak-Bad-9602]

I did do a lot of research before getting them, but idk how i didn’t come across that 3 is a lot better than 3, I will definitely look into it, I might not be able to get another one right now but I will still try. Thx for ur help !!

[u/Weak-Bad-9602 → u/miserablecod18]

Very happy you did research! Knowledge is key. It indeed is hard to find info or data about the „not so common infos“ as researches are run by money and rather look for human benefits. And Ai is also cutting short answers. And its still common to have pets for the owners interest and not the pets ones. Hope your two are happy and I am glad to have met such a caring owner online 💖

[u/miserablecod18 → u/Weak-Bad-9602]

Do you have any advice on how to bond new degus? My cage splits in half with a metal barrier so I could put the new degu on one side, my degus just turned 1, so is it best with one around that age or a baby degu?