Hay

Hay should make up the majority of degus’ diets and must always be available. We feed a mixture of meadow hay and timothy hay, with the occasional addition of oat grass hay and readigrass or graze-on (dried grass). If your degus don’t eat much hay, try different types, and mix in some forage or pellets to entice them.

Forage

Alongside hay, we feed a daily handful of dried or fresh forage (leaves, herbs, flowers, roots, bark, branches).

Our dried forage mix typically consists of:
Leaves – Plantain, Apple, Echinacea, Raspberry, Nettle, Dandelion, Hazelnut
Roots – Chicory or Dandelion
Bark – Willow or Birch
Flowers – Marigold, Rose, Cornflower, Chamomile, Mallow

In the spring & summer months, we collect fresh leaves and branches such as plantain, dandelion, yarrow, clover, willow, hazel, hawthorn and birch for the goos to enjoy.

Pellets

Pellets should only form a small part of the diet and should be viewed as a supplement, rather than a main food. Too many pellets can lead to obesity and serious dental issues as the degus fill up on these, neglecting the all-important hay. We feed only around 1 tablespoon of pellets per day, alongside a mixture of forage (with hay available 24/7). Pellets containing grains and cereals should be avoided – grass/hay based pellets are best (not alfalfa!) – our favourite brands are Rosewood Naturals Meadow Menu, BunnyNature (available in the UK via Haybox) and Versele Laga.

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Recommended Sites for Degu Food

Healthy Herby (mention us when purchasing and we’ll receive free hay!) – hay and forage

Timothyhay.co.uk – hay

Hay and Straw – hay

Just4Rabbits – hay and forage

The Hay Experts – hay, forage and pellets
Vetsend – pellets

Haybox – hay, forage and pellets

Nature’s Grub – forage in bulk!