Hating Fruits And Veggies?

[Tiayra]

So. My girls refuse to eat anything other than their hay and pellets, besides the occasional lettuce. I have tried so many different things, they respond to none of them. Berries, bananas, bell peppers, parsley, oranges, cucumbers, kiwis, celery, etc. Is there any advice, pointers, or recipes someone can give me?

 

[GPcrazy]

Mine were also very hesitant and reluctant at first. But they're getting better with their variety.
Se absolute favourites include: fresh grass from the lawn, wheat grass (they go nuts for it!), Chickweed, lettuce, carrot.
They will now also eat dandelion greens, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, oxalis/wood sorrel, clover, cucumber, green & yellow pepper, corn husks and silks and green beans.
When I put their food in their cage though they'll hurry through the stuff they like, and spread the other things around he cage so it looks like they won't eat it (especially the cucumber, bell peppers amd green beans). But if I leave it in there then over the next hour or two they do actually normally go back nd eat the other bits. Some things I have to try 3 or 4 times before they will start eating it though.

I find green leafy things much preferred by them so maybe start with those.

 

[Tiayra]

I've tried leaving it in their cage. They still don't touch it. Guess I'll just continue being persistent lol. Thank you for the advice! I'll have to try kale & corn husks. Never thought of those hahaha

 

[GPcrazy]

The first time I give new things and sniff and maybe take one nibble but don't eat it. Second time is similar. Sometimes even the third time. Then after that they gradually start eating it. Maybe try one new item every day for a week. E.g. give cucumber every day for a week. Then add bell pepper every day for a week etc.

 

[Anarchybmc]

So. My girls refuse to eat anything other than their hay and pellets, besides the occasional lettuce. I have tried so many different things, they respond to none of them. Berries, bananas, bell peppers, parsley, oranges, cucumbers, kiwis, celery, etc. Is there any advice, pointers, or recipes someone can give me?

Hi, how old are your girlies? My two babies are kind of the same I had them at 6 weeks they are now 9 weeks old, they wasn't interested in anything but hay and pellets really so I put in little chunks of cucumber overnight plus one added to their pellets to see if the accidentally picked it up and realised it was good! I did this with a variety of veg until one got eaten (parsley) so I put parsley and little chunks of peppers in the next night and they ate that! I found that keeping the one veg that they ate and adding another to it introduced them rather well to the wonderful world of veggies now they know the veggie routine and are the loudest wheekers in the house

So try 1 veg overnight, then when that goes add another and so on and so on....

 

[Sue G]

Have you got a lawn, so you could cut them some fresh grass? It must be clean, not treated with anything, and cut with scissors not a lawnmower. In my experiences there isn't a piggy who doesn't love grass - you'd need to start them off with just a little and if they do like it, increase the amount over a period of time(so they don't get bloat). Then, if they are happy to eat grass, they might move on to veggies as well.

 

[Tiayra]

I don't really have a lawn. I live in the desert, but I can take them out to places that do have grass (or bring it to them). One of my girls is a teenager (not sure of her exact age, but I've personally owned her for 3 months) the other is still a baby, only personally had her for a month. So they are still relatively young. I'll keep trying to introduce stuff to them. They have Romane lettuce, cucumbers, and raspberries in with them right now. They've been eating the lettuce, and tried the raspberries. But not too much.

 

[DM030819]

Persistence is the way forward. One of my adopted boys had only had carrot at his previous home.

I must have thrown away 20 or 30 red peppers before he actually ate a piece. I think it was probably a month or so before he gave in and took a bite.

Just keep giving them a little bit each feeding time and eventually they'll try it.