Can degus eat branches?

Yes, degus can eat and gnaw on branches. The Swiss animal welfare society (STS) says degus always need enough fresh branches and twigs to gnaw on. Germany’s Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare (TVT) recommends fresh shoots and thin branches of fruit trees and native broadleaf trees such as birch, hornbeam and hazel, and says branches with leaves should be offered regularly for activity and for eating the fresh bark. The RSPCA and Blue Cross name pear, apple and beech, PDSA and Woodgreen apple and pear, the Zurich animal welfare society (Zürcher Tierschutz) hazel, apple and birch, and the STS poplar, birch and hazel. Blue Cross also lists ash and oak. Apple and pear are the only fruit trees named – the degu sources say nothing about stone fruit trees such as cherry or plum.

How to serve it: fresh, ideally with leaves

Good to know: The RSPCA says to avoid any wood that may be toxic, such as cedar.