[Gpdd] [CARE] Picky Eaters

[Louise August]

Someone wrote recently about picky eaters - heres my two cents

My pigs certainly have their preferences too. Often they refuse a new food
item, although at other times they just devour it, like its their favorite
thing.

I recently tried them on green bell peppers. Each curious little piggie
came over to see the strange item being offered. Of the six, three took it
and ate it right down, two sniffed and refused it, poor Panda took one
little sniff, jerked her head away, looked at me like I was trying to
poison her and raced away and hid. Go figure! 

Its been like that with a lot of new things. On the other hand they were
immediately pleased with apples, dandelions, clover, various melons, and
radishes. Still won't consider tomatoes or kale. Some of them will eat
oranges and blueberries. 

My only suggestion in getting them to try new things is timing. I give the
new item to them when they're a little hungry - after the pellets have run
out and there's only hay left. And I give them the new thing by itself so
they aren't distracted by their old favorites. Then I leave them with it
for a while, maybe 45 minutes while I get the rest of their food ready or
do some other chore. If they still haven't eaten it, I give them their
regular banquet but leave the new item. More often than not its gone by
next morning - I figure that pieces of fruit or veg can't spoil overnight. 

With six pigs, its hard to tell sometimes who is eating what - the green
pepper disappears, but who knows if Panda's eating any? Haven't caught her
at it yet.

This method of introducing new things seems to have worked pretty well -
for the most part they're regular little gourmets.


Love from all of us,
Louise and her masters: Phineas, Delilah, Hillary, Mostly, Pandora,
Neville, and Mr. Norman, the Rat