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!
Next I wanted him to get a taste for the foods individually.
kale dipped in lime juice
squashes
beats
banana and papaya
sweet potato
8 hours later
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.
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!
Next I wanted him to get a taste for the foods individually.
kale dipped in lime juice
squashes
beats
banana and papaya
sweet potato
8 hours later
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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