Can someone please help?

[kaoskat]

Sellabell is making me nuts. For a heck of a long time now, I have not been able to get him to eat his pellets or his hay. I've tried switching pellets and hay over and over trying to find SOMETHING he'll eat. He'll try the new food and hay but that's about it. He just doesn't like it. His dad did the same thing after he recovered from his terrible bout of scurvy. I ended up creating the "Soli Salad" for him in an attempt to give him something at least close to an almost balanced diet. I wouldn't mind doing that for Bell either but I need some help figuring out what needs to go in it to keep him healthy. I mean I know all the things he can and can't have and things that have vitamin c and all that but I don't know which ones contain the right amounts of the right nutrients he needs if that's to be his only food. The vet has said that green leafy veggies will help fulfill the fiber needs (though not as well as hay but he won't eat the hay!). He has been to the vet, by the way, a couple of times in fact. The vet (who is an excellent piggy vet) says he is healthy and nothing is physically wrong with him other than being a bit underweight. He said as long as he's still pooing he's ok and suggested some ways to get him to eat his pellets and hay but nothing has worked. He just doesn't like hay or pellets. He's going to HAVE to have a "Soli Salad" because I'm all out of other ideas. If anyone knows what I should put in it I would be very grateful for the information.

-kkat

 

[starshine]

For fibre could you sprinkle his salad with finely chopped hay or even critical care powder? Or have you tried using dried grass instead of hay? It would provide more fibre but might be more tasty to a fussy eater.

He won't get that much fibre from veggies so you will need a way to get him eating it in some form - would he eat a bran mash or oats mixed with water?

 

[kaoskat]

He doesn't like oats and unfortunantly, unlike his father, he hates critical care and if i try sprinkling it on anything he refuses to eat it at all. That's where Soli benefited over him, he LOVED the stuff and I still remember "force" feeding him when he was sick and I took a bit too long for him and he dove head first into the bowl of wet runny critical care and spilled it everywhere. He was having a blast slipping and sliding all over the table with his little tongue just lapping everything in sight. Sellabell won't eat dried grass but he may eat fresh grass. I haven't tried that in a while. They usually get that when I take them outside to graze but it's too hot for that in the summer. For some reason it slipped my mind to go get some for his cage. Thanks! I can't believe I forgot about grass. I do put oats in his salad because they get stuck to the damp veggies and he gets some of it in him whether he like it or not. I also smuggle pellets into it but he tends to leave at least most of those at the bottom of the bowl. He doesn't like anything dry at all.....You know...I wonder if I crushed his pellets and soaked them if he'd eat them......

 

[starshine]

I'd try crushing the pellets and sprinking them on maybe?

Have you tried alternative recovery feeds like Science selective?

 

[kaoskat]

No I've never heard of it. Is it even available in the US.