Editing Common degu (section)

== Diet ==
[[File:2007-12-09 (20) Degu.JPG|thumb|200px|Degus use their forepaws to hold food while eating]]

Common degus are strictly [[Herbivore|herbivorous]], in the wild feeding on grasses and browsing the leaves of shrubs, though they will also take seeds.<ref>{{Citation| last1=Bozinovic| first1=F.| last2=Gallardo| first2=P.A.| last3=Visser| first3=G.H.| last4=Cortés| first4=A.| year=2003| title=Seasonal acclimatization in water flux rate, urine osmolality and kidney water channels in free-living degus: Molecular mechanisms, physiological processes and ecological implications| journal=J Exp Biol| volume=206| pages=2959–2966| doi=10.1242/jeb.00509| pmid=12878664| issue=Pt 17| doi-access=free}}</ref> Throughout much of the year forage is dried<ref name=Kenagy2002/> and so common degus are specially adapted to a very high fibre intake,<ref>{{Citation| last=Langer| first=P.| year=2002| title=The digestive tract and life history of small mammals| journal=Mammal Review| volume=32| pages=107–131| doi=10.1046/j.1365-2907.2002.00101.x|issue=2| doi-access=free}}</ref> and this varies between food types and environmental conditions.<ref>{{Citation| last1=Gutiérrez| first1=J.| last2=Bozinovic| first2=F.| year=1998| title=Diet selection in captivity by a generalist herbivorous rodent (''Octodon degus'') from the Chilean coastal desert| journal=Journal of Arid Environments| volume=39| pages=601–607| doi=10.1006/jare.1998.0412| issue=4| bibcode=1998JArEn..39..601G}}</ref> Like some other herbivores such as [[rabbit]]s, they perform [[coprophagia|coprophagy]] ([[feces|faecal]] reingestion) so as to extract more nutrition from their diet.<ref name=Kenagy1999>{{Citation| last1=Kenagy| first1=G.| last2=Veloso| first2=C.| last3=Bozinovic| first3=F.| year=1999| title=Daily rhythms of food intake and feces reingestion in the degu, an herbivorous Chilean rodent: Optimizing digestion through coprophagy| journal=Physiological and Biochemical Zoology| volume=72| pages=78–86| doi=10.1086/316644| pmid=9882606| issue=1| s2cid=32432487}}</ref> This also serves to maintain healthy gut function during times when food is scarce.<ref name=Kenagy1999/> Although they are active by day, in high summer they do not leave their burrows in the middle of the day<ref name=Kenagy2002/> and instead emerge to forage in the mornings and evenings.

Common degus have an intolerance of dietary sugar. They have been found to have a divergent [[insulin]] structure (one of the hormones that regulate [[blood glucose level]]) and so are highly susceptible to developing [[diabetes mellitus]] when fed regularly on a diet containing free sugars.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Opazo |first1=J.C. |last2=Soto-Gamboa |first2=M. |last3=Bozinovic |first3=F. |year=2004 |title=Blood glucose concentration in caviomorph rodents |journal=Comp. Biochem. Physiol. A |volume=137 |issue=1 |pages=57–64 |doi=10.1016/j.cbpb.2003.09.007|pmid=14720591 }}</ref> This is thought to be due to evolutionary pressure arising from the lack of availability of free sugars in the degu's natural environment.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nishi |first1=M. |last2=Steiner |first2=D. |year=2003 |title=Cloning of complementary DNA's encoding islet amyloid polypeptide, insulin, and glucagon precursors from a New World rodent, the degu, ''Octodon degus'' |journal=Molecular Endocrinology |volume=4 |pages=1192–8 |doi=10.1210/mend-4-8-1192 |pmid=2293024 |issue=8 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Because of this, the ingredients of non-degu-specific hard feed formulations given to captive common degus should be checked for sugar-laden ingredients, such as [[molasses]], [[honey]], and [[glucose syrup]].{{citation needed|date=November 2011}}