Veggie Success! Squirrel Guacamole!

[tinyaquatickiwi]

So I've posted several times for help with my little guy who absolutely hates veggies...I approximate his age at 11 or 12 weeks...little guy is blind in one eye (not sure if I mentioned that before) and has issues with depth perception and is therefore unreleasable. When I posted for help (and included the things he would eat) the majority of the responses I got were along the lines of: OMG his diet needs needs a serious overhaul. Not much help since I already knew that and I struggled for a few weeks still to find some way to get him to eat the things he needed. I had tried chopped small, diced, slightly cooked, in yogurt, warm/cold and everything in between to no avail. But I found a way to get all the things he needs into a tasty dish a squirrel could not refuse...Squirrel Guacomole. Everything he needs and wont eat hidden by treat sized proportions of ground almonds and avocado. It keeps in the fridge for 5 days. I get the peace of mind knowing that he is healthy and he gets gumped. So if anyone comes here asking for help because their little one won't eat this is what I did...

In a food processor...
-5 days proportions of avocado and almonds (treat sized)
-5 days proportions of their most hated veggies (I used bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms and brussels sprouts)
-enough block (doesnt take much) to thicken it up

...divide into 5 equal daily servings and refrigerate.

Seasoned squirrel keepers and rehabbers...I would appreciate your opinion on this...thanks much!

[CritterMom]

No chips? Sour cream?

I see no problem with this, but how do you keep it from turning brown in the fridge?

[tinyaquatickiwi]

Squeeze a bit of lemon juice in there...I forgot to jot that down

[LeilaNami]

Squeeze a bit of lemon juice in there...I forgot to jot that down

Also an air-tight seal. We use saran wrap and press it down onto the guac to keep it green.

[DarkLies212]

That's a really good idea, in my opinion (I'm no expert, though). I'll have to write down the technique just in case I'll ever have to use it. Thanks for sharing!

What do y'all experts think about giving this along with some other favorite veggies/fruits?

[farrelli]

So his diet now is this and blocks?

[czarina]

Lets face it, how many squirrels can refuse avocado?

I like the idea, my only concern is having avocado on a daily basis. BUT, if he won't eat healthy veggies, it would seem a clever way to acclimate to eat them, I would just slowly reduce the amount of the avocado, and by then he should be use to the taste/consistency, and hopefully continue to eat it.

Plus, on the up side, if one gets unexpected guests, well, thats when you add the chips and sour cream :-)

[tinyaquatickiwi]

So his diet now is this and blocks?

He will still get the lettuces he so dearly loves, sugar snap peas, sweet potato, tomato, clover, maple seeds and a piece of fruit or two a day...etc...In small quantities...He seems to know what the "good stuff is" but I think the bitterness of the others is what is turning him off.

Czarina, that's a good idea on the avacado. I haven't been one to give him many treats because I didn't want to make his habits worse and it pained me to have to mix in the almonds and avacado...since they are treats. But like you said hopefully he will get used to the taste of the more bitter, yet better, options.

I also ordered Henrys (regular and picky eater) when he first started nibbling on block and he wanted nothing to do with that either (again no matter how I fixed it up)...but would eat Kaytee...I plan on adding the henrys into the mixture soon...but one thing at a time. I would hate to give him too many changes at once...I think of us (him and I) lucky that we have gotten this far and would hate to add too many changes too fast and mess up all our progress.

[farrelli]

There are all kinds of ways that people have introduced HHBs, you'd just have to look for it if you haven't tried. You're clearly willing to experiment, so give it a shot. SOme like them cut up, some warm, some cold, some with oil, some ground up with applesauce, some with blueberry juice, etc.

[nkkritters]

I made something similar for my three grey squirrels. As they got older I made it into balls , and added a little peanut butter. They were healthy eaters and all released.

[LeilaNami]

There are all kinds of ways that people have introduced HHBs, you'd just have to look for it if you haven't tried. You're clearly willing to experiment, so give it a shot. SOme like them cut up, some warm, some cold, some with oil, some ground up with applesauce, some with blueberry juice, etc.

I had the same issue with the flyer for awhile. I tried juices, almond butter, oil, etc. Turns out she just wanted it soaked in water for a few hours and then warmed up in the microwave. Now I don't even have to do that.