The struggles of finally getting Uglow off pellets and onto fresh food

Uglow

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Jan 19, 2016
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Well, I thought it was hopeless. After months of trying everything I could imagine Uglow is finally eating fresh foods consistently. It was touch and go. One step forward, two steps back.
My Hail Marry was getting a dehydrator so he could still get the nutrients and the taste of fresh foods with the crunch which he loves.
First thing I did was make my own pellets. cooked sweet potato, carrots, butternut squash, acorn squash, beats, radishes and mashed them together. Then I took red bell peppers, jalapenos, kale, chard, dandelion greens, papaya, horned melon, banana and half an apple and blended them. I mixed those two parts together and added quinoa and lentil sprouts, cooked beans, some brown rice flour, some coconut flour. dehydrated them and voila!
IMG_1597_zpsk2wy9gea.jpg

Next I wanted him to get a taste for the foods individually.
kale dipped in lime juice
IMG_1603_zpsa6gttaoe.jpg

squashes
IMG_1608_zpssatyhkfw.jpg

beats
IMG_1607_zpstoprwm8v.jpg

banana and papaya
IMG_1606_zpstx4kahic.jpg

sweet potato
IMG_1605_zpspydzoi2l.jpg

8 hours later
IMG_1611_zpszakimbaj.jpg


He loved both the homemade pellets and the dehydrated fresh food. Over the course of this last month I've been giving him his fresh chop with the home made pellets and dehydrated "chips" crumbled on top and with his store bought pellets on the bottom. Gradually eliminated the store bought pellets. and slowly reduced the dehydrated foods to a small sprinkle.
The dehydrated food and store bought pellets are now mostly used for foraging and treats. I honestly can't believe the variety of fresh foods Uglow is eating now.

I can't thank you guys enough for all the suggestions and encouragement. And I hope this helps anyone out there who's got a stubborn eater. Persistence really is the key.

edit: wanted to make a quick note that you should take into account the sugar content in fruits. As the water leaves the fruit the sugar content becomes far more concentrated in what's left, comparatively. So please keep that in mind.
 
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Christinenc2000

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This so interested me. I want to try dehydrating. Just have put off buying one. Glad it is working for you . I really think BB would enjoy it. If it goes crunch he LOVES it.
 
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Uglow

Uglow

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lol What brand of Dehydrator do you have ? I was just looking . I really want to buy one and try this

I got the Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator FD-75A from amazon.
some of the reviews are negative with questionable customer support so definitely read through them and assess for yourself. I have had no issues so far.
 

Scott

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Aug 21, 2010
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RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Wow, you have done a magnificent job! All those foods are nicely prepared and have eye appeal! Uglow will be so much healthier for your efforts!!
 

Christinenc2000

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lol What brand of Dehydrator do you have ? I was just looking . I really want to buy one and try this

I got the Nesco Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator FD-75A from amazon.
some of the reviews are negative with questionable customer support so definitely read through them and assess for yourself. I have had no issues so far.

Thanks. I will check on ordering one tonight. I would LOVE to try this with him.
 

Christinenc2000

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Actually not just BB. I ordered him some Sweet Potato chips not long ago. Plus some dried veggie chips. Um James and I ate a LOT of them lol. So this would really help in our snack jar LOL
 

GraciesMom

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Didn't hafta show me twice lol just ordered. Great job you did there! Man you folks around her make me hungry all the time LOL

The solids/fruit roll up trays are interesting have to see if I can concoct some veggie roll-ups that meet with her highness's approval.

I'm thinking this would be great for doggie jerky too & veggie treats.

Thanks much!
 

RavensGryf

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Jan 19, 2014
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Wow, very impressive! Look how nice and neat everything is, I love it :). Good job, that was an innovative way to get Uglow to love his veggies.

I fixed the spelling in the title for you.
 
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Uglow

Uglow

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Wow, very impressive! Look how nice and neat everything is, I love it :). Good job, that was an innovative way to get Uglow to love his veggies.

I fixed the spelling in the title for you.

Thank you for fixing it. ;)

also, wanted to make a quick note to take into account the sugar content in fruits. As the water leaves the fruit the sugar content becomes far more concentrated in what's left, comparatively. So please keep that in mind.
 

coopedup

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There are several "used" ones on Amazon---warehouse deals. New ones with damaged boxes at great prices.
 

OOwl

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Wow, thanks so much. My male lovebird is my crunchy food lover and I bet he would try so many more veggies if I could present them like this. Great idea! They all look delicious!
 

DexMom

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Your arrangement of the food on the dehydrator trays made my OCD self so happy! I've thought about getting a dehydrator for a while, you may have just convinced me. I like the idea of dehydrated chips for foraging since if they are not found right away, nothing gets icky.
 

Christinenc2000

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I've been looking at this one. Just can't figure what one I want yet

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B0047WOWHE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewpnt_rgt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&pageNumber=1&filterByStar=critical"]Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Excalibur 2400 4-Tray Economy Dehydrator, Black[/ame]
 

chris-md

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Aphrodite - red throated conure (RIP)
You're slaying it, keep it up!

Keep in mind though that dehydration can damage many of the water soluble vitamins so it's not nearly as nutritious as fresh. Find ways to sneak in fresh stuff like finely chopped peppers. This should start introducing him to eating loads of fresh.
 

Brittany741

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SI Eclectus (Ruby) - 11 / Eclectus (Wrangler) - 7 / Eclectus (Pinto) - 6 /
Red Sided Eclectus (Oliver) - 4 mos. /
White Bellied Caique (Dan) - 2 /
Foster Congo African Grey (Molly) - 6
I recommend the L'Equip brand of dehydrators. They are hand-in-hand with Bosch. I have a few Bosch stand mixers which run circles around my Kitchenaid. European quality and serious workhorses. I plan to pick up a dehydrator soon. Uglow sounds like he is doing well!

Stupid question but how do you pronounce Uglow? You-glow or Ug-low?
 

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