Salty will not touch raw squash or pumpkin. we cut those little pumpkins and carnival squash in 1/2, punch some holes in it, and zap it for 2 min or less in the microwave. Salty loves them, seeds, guts and all. He will spend a good 2 hrs eating these, its one of his favorite dinners. Cut them in half and after they re cooked, we cut it like a pie, with lots of slices and plop it into his bowl. Make sure its not hot, he loves it warm still. We call it his comfort food