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 20 hard seed diet DHJanzen100594.jpg high resolution
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| However, what happens if the mouse is deprived of moist soil on which to put the notched enterolobium seeds? In this graph the three red lines plot the body weight of mice given no food. After three days, their body weights have not only fallen dramatically, but if not given good food, they woould have been dead of starvation in another 12 hours. The four black lines plot the body weights of Liomys mice given only hard dry enterolobium seeds? For the first three days, their body weights fall at the same rate as do those of the mice with no food, even though the black line mice are eating 1-5 grams of dry hard Enterolobium seeds every day. But, at the end of this period the mice do not die, and their body weight loss gradually levels off. While not shown here, these mice continued to live for months on a hard Enterolobium seed diet and even gradually regained their initial body weight after 2-5 months. But, other individuals offered the same regime, immediately switched to eating germinating Enterolobium seeds at any time offered. They CAN live on dry ungerminated Enterolobium seeds, but they definitely prefer germinating seeds. If you are ever forced to choose between bean sprouts and hard, dry and dormant mung beans, you will quickly see why. | ||
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