Comparison of mixes for degus

There are various brands of degus food, or degus & chinchilla food, and sometimes even degus / gerbil / hamster food on the market. While degus and chinchilla share many similarities, the other species have a much more distant diet. Most degus foods have pet-friendly formulas that focus on digestion and teeth. Unfortunately, this is mainly marketing, which does not take into account the particularities of the diet required by degus.

Diet of the degus

Octodon degus diet is a delicate and essential element of its health. A bad food, an unsuitable mixture can cause various pathologies, which can lead to the death of the individuals. Most of the related problems are dental in origin and often require complex operations. The risk of relapse is high if no changes are made quickly. In recent years, several studies have been carried out on degus and show how vital their nutrition is in captivity⁰¹.

To get a healthy pet, it is essential to offer it food adapted to its needs.

In the wild, the degu has access to many different sources of plant material. As a folivore, it eats mainly foliage from grasses and herbs, but also seeds. Occasionally, it may eat roots, bark and some fruits. It is intimately linked to its environment and actively participates in the health of ecosystems.

For more information, please read our article about the natural diet of the degu.

Degus food

Dietary needs

Degus require a very special diet, in line with their species. With the work of Vladimir Jekl’s team of veterinary researchers, members of the “degus-international” forum have studied the subject. This resulted in a few basic rules to follow.

One of the most important points in the diet of the Octodon degus is the calcium : phosphorus ratio. Indeed, this ratio helps keeping the rodent’s teeth healthy, as they grow continuously. On average, 60% of veterinary consultations have something to do with dental problems in the Octodon degus⁰¹. With a proper diet, it is possible to avoid and minimise such health problems⁰². The research team found that the minimum ratio should be 1:6:1⁰³⁰⁴.

This minimum must be achieved to ensure the health of the degu. The optimum level would be 1% to 1.2% total calcium, with a calcium:phosphorus ratio of 2:1.

The dietary characteristics of the octodon must also respect other rules, such as the levels of fibre, protein, fat and non-structural carbohydrates or NSC (the addition of the carbohydrate level and the starch level). Thus, octodons require a high level of digestible fibre and non-structural carbohydrates, with a medium level of protein and little crude fat.

Nutritional requirements of the Octodon degus :

NSC	Fibre	Protein	Fat	Calcium	Phosphorus	Ca : P
⩽ 30 %	⩾ 25 %	15 % to 18 %	3 % to 7 %	1 % to 1, 2 %	0,5 %	1,6:1 minimum 2:1 recommended

Values expressed in % dry weight.

Comparison

The NSC is calculated with the following formula: (Fibre + Protein + Fat + Ash + Minerals + Moisture) – 100: (Fibre + Protein + Fat + Ash + Minerals + Moisture ) – 100. Its value is not always exact, as some information is missing, so it is indicative.

Name	% ENA	% Fiber	% Protein	% Fat	% Calcium	% Phosphore	Ratio C : P
Cunipic Naturaliss Chinchilla & Degus Complete	41	19-23	14	2	1,2-1,4	0,6	2,1 : 1
Versele-laga Crispy Pellets Chinchilla & Degus	41	20	16	3	1	0,5	02:01
Vadigran Terra degu - degu	43	22	14	3	0,96	0,47	2,04 : 1
Supreme science -Science Selective Degu or degu	47	15	14	4	1	0,5	02:01
Beaphar care+ degu	50	19	13	2,3	0,88	0,35	2,5 : 1
JR Farm Grainless Mix	-	-	13,4	-	0,9	0,4	2,25 : 1
Degu Dream Basic for degu	42,6	20	14,3	2,8	0,65	0,4	1,6 : 1
Witte Molen Puur Chinchilla and degu	45,9	20	13,6	2,4	0,5	0,3	1,6 : 1
Witte Molen Puur Muesli Chinchilla and degu	45,9	20	13,6	2,4	0,54	0,34	1,58 : 1
Versele-laga complete Chinchilla and Degu	42	20	17	3	0,8	0,6	1,33 : 1
Versele Laga Complete (Cavia Cuni junior, Chinchilla & degu)	44,6	20	14	3	0,8	0,6	1,33:1
Versele-Laga nature Degu	46,5	16	14,5	3	0,75	0,55	1,36 : 1
Riga - Degus Degu Mix	-	15,5	-	-	-	-	-
Cunipic Degu Complete food	58	8,45	14,99	5,64	-	-	-
JR Farm Degu Special	51,7	14,1	13,8	2,8	-	-	-
JR Farm Adult Degu Food	53,9	14,4	11,6	3,1	-	-	-
JR Farm Grainless Complete Degu	40,97	18,4	15,3	4,5	-	-	-
JR Farm Grainless Health Complete Chinchilla and Degu	45,6	21	11,9	3,6	-	-	-
JR Farm Grainless Herbs degus	41,7	19,2	15,7	4,7	-	-	-
JR Farm Regal	48,8	13,1	13,9	2,2	-	-	-
JR Farm Schmaus for degus	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Full meal Optima degu from Chile	49	13	15	2	-	-	-
Tyrol mix degu	45	17	15	4	-	-	-
Vitakraft premium menu vital degu	-	14	-	-	-	-	-
Zolux Nutrimeal Standard degus	57,24	9,9	11,46	3,4	-	-	-
SCHWEIZER - Food for Degus Nature	53,7	14,1	13,8	2,8	-	-	-
Cunipic Complete Food degu/degu	43,77	14,41	17,36	4,31	0,94	0,54	1,7 : 1
Zolux Nutrimeal degu	50	12,5	14,9	3	0,47	0,38	1,2 : 1
Zolux Nutrimeal mix degu	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Some degus foods may be missing or partially present in this table. For any addition, please send us a picture of the characteristics and composition, as well as the brand of the food to this address: octodons.lesite@gmail.com . Thank you for your participation!

Conclusion

Currently, there are no feeds other than the SAB mix that are well suited to the real needs of the Octodon degus. There are a few brands that come close, but these contain ingredients that should be avoided, or NSC levels that are too high. Even if these levels can be added to the diet of the degus, they risk unbalancing the Calcium : Phosphorus ratio. Only a few brands stand out, with Cunipic Naturaliss Chinchilla & Degus Complete, which lacks fibre but is, to date, the best blend on the market, followed by Versele-laga Crispy Pellets Chinchilla & Degus and Vadigran Terra degu – Dègue. Finally, Supreme science – Science Selective Degu or octodon and Beaphar care+ Octodon extruded have correct ratios, but less Calcium and more carbohydrates.

If the SAB degu diet seems too complex to implement, the website team strongly recommends the Cunipic Naturaliss Chinchilla & Degus Complete mix, at 20g/d per degu.

Translation by Matthieu Selles.