Diet & Nutrition: Picky Eatin' Pets

Providing an appropriate, nutritionally sound diet is the single most important thing you can do to assure a happy, healthy pet. However, getting your furry friend to eat this diet can sometimes be a challenge. These picky eating pets can be unwilling to try new foods, nearly impossible to change to an improved diet or may only eat a few select items.

Most pet owners have nothing but the best intent when they offer one more treat, provide an extra serving of a favorite food or give in to a stubborn pet. However, every time you do this, you're reinforcing your pet's poor eating habits. This can be changed. But, like changing any other habit, it may take patience and effort.

All You Can Eat

Overfeeding is probably the most common cause of picky eating in small pets. These three common feeding approaches can lead to it:

The "More Is Better" Approach
Very, very few animals need to eat their body weight in food on a daily basis. Yet some pet owners provide that and more. This seems to be especially true with sugar gliders, short tailed opossums, and other pets given a variety of foods. These critters eat favorite and familiar items first. If then full, they stop eating. This can cause nutritional deficiencies, overweight pets and picky eaters.
No matter what you provide, your pet's diet is only as good as what he actually eats. If there is food left the next morning, reduce the total quantity. This will encourage your pet to eat all the items provided.
The "Bottomless Food Dish" Approach
Some pets - such as hedgehogs and prairie dogs - are opportunistic feeders and well adapted to surviving on marginal diets. In the wild, they eat when they find food, not necessarily when they're hungry. These pets are likely to eat everything offered, no matter how often you refill the dish.
When fed free choice, one of the most primal instincts - the search for food - has been entirely eliminated. Because of this, opportunistic feeders often become extremely picky eaters. These animals are also likely to become overweight, lazy, develop a variety of health problems, and have extremely shortened life spans. Feed measured amounts at scheduled times.
The "Junk Food" Approach
Get rid of those hanging seed bells, snack logs that attach to your pet's cage and similar treat sources. These free choice treats usually are no more than pet junk foods, with little or no nutritional value. Pets given these treats are almost guaranteed to become picky eaters.
It isn't a treat if provided all the time. Limit the amount of any treats you give. Otherwise, your pet may reject the meal in favor of dessert. Also, be sure any treat you offer is nutritionally appropriate for your pet. Finally, give the treat in a way that makes getting it special - such as hand-feeding - or requires your pet to earn it.

Other Reasons for Picky Eatin'

Some other common reasons for picky eating include:

Poor Food Choices
A pet who has been fed poor dietary choices for an extended period often develops a food rut, stubbornly refusing to eat anything but the low-quality diet he is used to. This is common with hedgehogs and sugar gliders fed cat food or other poor choices.
Changing these critters to a better diet often takes time and patience. Occasionally, we talk with pet owners who have attempted a change, only to give up after a few days of resistance. The easy solution may be to feed what your pet readily eats. But, if that doesn't provide an appropriate diet, you aren't doing your pet any favors.
Lack Of Variety
Some pets, such as sugar gliders, require lots of variety in their diet. When this is missing, the critter is likely to develop a food rut, accepting only the limited choices he is used to. This could lead to nutritional deficiencies, with your pet missing important nutrients from the foods he doesn't eat.
Other pets, such as hedgehogs or prairie dogs, may not need a highly varied diet for nutritional reason. But, the same food every day can lead to boredom or a food rut. We suggest offering occasional quality treats, different hays, and feeding in ways that make dinner time more interesting - such as hiding the food.
Frequent Dietary Changes
Arbitrarily changing your pet's diet can lead to food rejection, picky eaters, and other problems. This is true with chinchillas, rabbits, and other pets fed a pelleted diet. It is also true with many exotics.
If you aren't committed to providing an appropriate diet, your pet won't be committed to eating one. This doesn't mean variety shouldn't be part of the feeding program, but the core foods should remain consistent.

Break The Habit

In talking with many pet owners, we've found more than one of the above reasons often applies to a picky eater. To successfully break the picky eating habit, you need to target each one. You also need to be patient. After all, your pet didn't become a picky eater overnight!

To begin this process, set a feeding schedule. Feed your pet the same quantity at the same time, every day. Your critter will quickly learn the routine and will be hungry at dinner time. When a picky eater wants to eat, you've made your first step toward success.

Next, eliminate all free choice foods. The only food your pet should ever get free choice is grass hay, if appropriate. One hour before dinner time, fill the hay rack. Then don't give more until after feeding. If appropriate, add variety. At the same time, reduce or eliminate all favorite foods.

Once the picky eating habit has been broken, you can reintroduce favorite items. But, as long as your pet has "safe" choices, he may never try the new stuff. This is especially true when adding variety to a sugar glider's diet or switching a hedgehog from cat food to a better choice.

Remember, no junk food. Never give treats until your pet's regular food has been eaten. In fact, while breaking this bad eating habit, consider stopping treats entirely. Or, use those favorite foods that you just eliminated. Either way, dessert comes after dinner.

Finally, provide an appropriate diet in an appropriate amount, then don't give in. With especially stubborn pets, you may have to simply put the food into the cage and let your critter ignore it. This may seem cruel, but not if the option is providing a poor diet every day for your pet's entire life! Besides, your pet won't starve. Honest.

Changing Your Pet's Diet

Many pet owners don't know they have a picky eater until they try to change or improve their pet's diet. With any significant change - even one for the better - it can take time for your pet to accept the new food.

Because of this, abrupt dietary changes should be avoided. In some cases, such as chinchillas and rabbits, abrupt changes can cause loose stools and a lose of important intestinal flora. With other pets, this could cause a rejection of the new food.

When changing any critter's diet, the new food should be introduced gradually. Provide your pet a "transitional period" by mixing the new food with whatever you're currently feeding. At first, this mixture should be mostly the old food. Over the course of one to two weeks, increase the amount of new food daily. By the end of the transitional period, the old food should be completely eliminated from your pet's diet.

The Personality Factor

Some critters are just picky at heart. Despite your best efforts to provide a good diet, assure variety and avoid food boredom, your pet's individual tastes may ultimately determine some feeding choices. However, this doesn't mean you should let your pet decide what he eats!

Your pet's health depends on an appropriate, well-balanced diet. And, you have the responsibility to do everything you can to assure this. If your pet is picky, make a strong effort to break this habit. If you fail the first time, try again. Like any habit, it may take more than one try to break it.

We've never talked to anyone who wasn't able to improve to some degree the diet of a picky eater. It may take more effort in some cases, but your pet deserves it. As we already said, providing an appropriate, nutritionally sound diet is the single most important thing you can do to assure a happy, healthy pet.