A complete degu feeding guide with portion charts, schedule and a free calculator.
Degu feeding calculator
Enter a weight to get personalised daily portions. The calculator is preset for you — just add the weight and details.
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Pet Feeding Calculator
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Breed affects metabolic rate. A Greyhound burns more calories than a Bulldog of the same weight.
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BCS adjusts the calorie target up or down based on your pet's current body condition. 5 = ideal weight.
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What do you feed them?
Choose from our food database or enter the calorie number from your bag or can label.
How this works for aquatic pets: We use a percentage-of-body-weight method — no calorie counting needed. Just tell us the food type and number of animals.
For a whole tank, enter the total number of fish. We'll divide the daily portion.
These are typical average values. Use "Enter from label" to match your exact product.
Look for "Calorie Content" or "Metabolizable Energy (ME)" — usually near the ingredients list on the back or side of the bag or can. It reads something like "3,500 kcal/kg" or "350 kcal/cup". Match the toggle above to whichever unit your label shows. Can't find it? Use the list option — it's accurate enough for most foods.
We'll subtract this from the daily food portion.
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Daily feeding guide
These figures are estimates based on NRC/AAFCO veterinary nutrition formulas. Individual animals vary by up to ±20%. Adjust based on your pet's body condition over 4–6 weeks. Always consult your vet for medical dietary needs.
About feeding a degu
Degus are social, diurnal rodents from Chile with a critical dietary quirk: they are highly prone to diabetes and cannot handle sugar, so their diet must be strictly low-sugar and high-fibre. Fruit and sweet treats are genuinely dangerous for degus.
How much should a degu eat?
Calorie needs use the veterinary formula 70 × weight(kg)0.75 (the Resting Energy Requirement), multiplied by a lifestyle factor of ×1.4 for a typical degu at the life stage shown. Enter your own animal's details in the calculator for an exact figure.
Body weight
Daily calories
170 g
26 kcal
189 g
28 kcal
207 g
30 kcal
226 g
32 kcal
244 g
34 kcal
263 g
36 kcal
281 g
38 kcal
300 g
40 kcal
What to feed
Degus eat a high-fibre, low-sugar diet: unlimited grass hay, plain chinchilla or degu pellets, and small amounts of leafy greens and safe vegetables. Fruit, sugary treats and molasses-coated foods must be avoided entirely to prevent diabetes.
How often to feed
Hay is free-choice; a measured portion of pellets and some fresh greens are given daily. Fresh water always available.
Common feeding mistakes
Any sugary food or fruit, which can trigger diabetes.
Commercial treats coated in honey or molasses.
Unlimited pellets rather than unlimited hay.
Rabbit/guinea pig foods with added sugars or unsuitable ingredients.
Weight & health
Diabetes and cataracts are strongly diet-linked in degus and often irreversible. A strictly sugar-free, high-fibre diet is the single most important thing an owner can control.
Frequently asked questions
What do degus eat?
A strictly low-sugar, high-fibre diet: unlimited grass hay, plain chinchilla or degu pellets, and small amounts of leafy greens. No fruit or sugary treats.
Why can't degus have sugar?
Degus are highly prone to diabetes and metabolise sugar poorly. Even fruit can trigger the disease, so their diet must be strictly sugar-free.
How much should I feed a degu?
Unlimited hay plus a measured daily portion of plain pellets and a little fresh greenery. Hay should dominate the diet.
Can degus eat the same food as chinchillas?
Plain chinchilla pellets and hay suit degus well, provided they contain no added sugar. Always check that any mix is sugar-free.