Veggie advice

[stepnstone]

My little one eats her veggies very well... as long as they are super fresh.:shakehead 3 to 4 days if I'm lucky!
She likes dandelion greens, lettuce, sugar snaps, green beans, fennel, cucumber, broccoli, all that stuff. Problem is after 3-4 days she won't eat it. Now, if I go out and buy her more of the same thing she will but the process starts all over again. I find I'm wasting a lot of food trying to appease her. :bow
Her veggies of course are kept in the refrigerator, in the veggie crisper section, not in contact with other foods, She even has her own section. Any suggestions or ideas or am I just stuck with my personal prema donna's eating habits?

[virgo062]

My boys are the same way...try cutting them into differnt shapes and sizes. Some days I chop carrots and other days they are julian this keeps things interesting:thumbsup They can get so bored with the same ole thing every day HEY just like me!!!!


Would like to add......The leftover veggies make GREAT compost

[Jester]

Try soaking them in water for a few hours before giving them to her, it will put some extra moisture into them, might make her think they're still really fresh.. that's what I have to do sometimes. :Sham

[stepnstone]

Try soaking them in water for a few hours before giving them to her, it will put some extra moisture into them, might make her think they're still really fresh.. that's what I have to do sometimes. :Sham

Been there, guess I could try with bits of ice. Thanks!

[Rhapsody]

I think we all have been there, but I have to say I never thought of soaking them in water - will have to give that a try. Thanks :thumbsup :thumbsup

[djarenspace9]

I bought some "green" bags for produce.
They really do keep the veggies fresher for longer.

It works best if you put the produce in the bag prior to washing
and make sure they are dry.
Just wash or soak the parts you remove for feedings each time.

These are the ones I buy.
I have been getting them at Target for $10 and just found them on
Amazon for $3.99 :D

http://www.amazon.com/Debbie-Meyer-20317-Green-Bags/dp/B0011TMP3Y

They do last a while, I rinse dry and reuse.
Eventually they need replacing.

[stepnstone]

I bought some "green" bags for produce.
They really do keep the veggies fresher for longer.
It works best if you put the produce in the bag prior to washing
and make sure they are dry.
Just wash or soak the parts you remove for feedings each time.
These are the ones I buy.
I have been getting them at Target for $10 and just found them on
Amazon for $3.99 :D
http://www.amazon.com/Debbie-Meyer-20317-Green-Bags/dp/B0011TMP3Y
They do last a while, I rinse dry and reuse.
Eventually they need replacing.

Checked out the site, thanks! Anything is worth a try. :thumbsup

[UDoWhat]

I hate to admit this, but I go to the store 2 or 3 times a week just get small amounts of veggies at a time. Crazy huh!!! :shakehead Oh well.

[SammysMom]

I just learned that having an apple in the fridge makes veggies get old faster. Just thought I'd share in case it helps. Sammy is also a big fusspot! I like the water bath idea!

[stepnstone]

I hate to admit this, but I go to the store 2 or 3 times a week just get small amounts of veggies at a time. Crazy huh!!! :shakehead Oh well.
Well if that makes one crazy, move over you got company. :dono


I just learned that having an apple in the fridge makes veggies get old faster. Just thought I'd share in case it helps. Sammy is also a big fusspot! I like the water bath idea!
:sanp3 Interesting to know as I do keep her apple with the veggies, I'll try putting it in a sealed container.

[UDoWhat]

Well if that makes one crazy, move over you got company. :dono


:sanp3 Interesting to know as I do keep her apple with the veggies, I'll try putting it in a sealed container.

:rotfl Somehow I knew I would have company in here. :rotfl
I keep the apples with the veggies too. In the "squirrel drawer" that is. I will also take it out and see if that helps.

[naturelady1]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with this same problem. I used to feel funny going to the store and picking up one brussel sprout, two mushrooms, ten green beans, etc....now its just the norm.

I use water to freshen mine, and every once in awhile throw all the veggies in the juicer, and feed the juice with a syringe which Boo will drink most of the time. I mix the leftover veggie "sludge" with organic almond paste. Those leftover veggies usually disappear that way. Notice I said usually....

I've been unemployed for awhile, its been a challenge keeping both my kids and I fed well. And since Girlie's accident, I have another inside healing and eating til spring. If they don't feel like drinking the juice, I drink it myself!

[stepnstone]

[QUOTE=naturelady1][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Glad to hear I'm not the only one with this same problem. I used to feel funny going to the store and picking up one brussel sprout, two mushrooms, ten green beans, etc....now its just the norm.
:thumbsup
I also get a kick out of the way some people look at you when your ripping a veggie pound bundle down to a quarter. :rotfl

[Scooterzmom]

I keep the apples in the fruit drawer, it's separaet from my veggie drawer and I put the greens in water.... and still Mr. Hami will turn his nose up at them. the only greens he will eat, and that is just a few at best, are sugar peas, frozen peas and the occasional on a green bean. Avocado, of course, he would prostitute himself for a piece of that... oh yeah!

So I decided to go to war with him on the diet bit:

He gets his blocks in the morn, gets his veggies at lunch time and if he has not eaten them, gets no fruit for dinner... kinda like our mothers used to do with us... "Eat your veggies or else you get no dessert" :)

I figure when he realizes that there's nothing else for dinner he'll eventually eat. Long as he gets his blocks every day I know his health won't be compromised - well at least not for the few days it will take for the tough love to work, I'm sure. Problem is, soon as he starts getting some fruit again, he'll probably turn his nose up at the veggies once more? I guess we'll see. Thing is he does need fruit too, I mean.... :osnap Kids!!!!

[momma2boo]

If you find a great deal on veggies you can always freeze some. Clean them first and freezed them. The only thing is, you need to steam them since the crispness will not be there once thawed. The good news though is that a lot of squirrels like them steamed. It seems to release the aroma when they are.

[stepnstone]

@ Scooterzmom,
Totally agree. No veggies, no fruit. She can hold out but not as long as I can, problem with that is I think sometimes she just shreds them to make it look like she's eaten on them. :thinking


If you find a great deal on veggies you can always freeze some. Clean them first and freezed them. The only thing is, you need to steam them since the crispness will not be there once thawed. The good news though is that a lot of squirrels like them steamed. It seems to release the aroma when they are.

Thanks, I'll have to try that and get her opinion. ~ rolling eyes ~

[naturelady1]

@ stepnstone: lol...see you DO know what I mean.
do you remember when you were a kid and you moved the food around on your plate to make it look like you ate some??? rofl our kids are too funny
:jump


With this thread in my head, I "experimented" and put some almond butter (just ground almonds, no additives) in the folds and crinkles of a piece of kale...the entire thing disappeared before my eyes..I think she liked it...rofl...today. I was putting in in with the veggie sluge mix from the blender, but if I do it this way and she continues to eat it, I may not have to juice it!

[djarenspace9]

throw all the veggies in the juicer, and feed the juice with a syringe

OMG you make a VEGGIE SMOOTHIE for your squirrel!
:jump

I never thought to do that - INGENIOUS!
That's how some Moms I know slip the good stuff in for their kids to drink.

I'll be trying that this week! :thumbsup

[naturelady1]

yep...never thought I'd be doing that,(the things we don't do for our fuzzbutts) but she went through a few sick spells where I was desperate to get good nutrients into her as well as use up what she wasn't eating. I did also drink it and it wasn't that bad. If you throw a nut or two into the mix that goes through the juicer it gives it "Eau de Nut" that helps too ...lol

[stepnstone]

I tried finely ground almond in the folds and crinkles of a piece of kale.

That piece of kale took a mean licking, I thought she was going to suck the green off of it!

...It still wound up on the floor uneaten. :Cry

[djarenspace9]

Mine don't care much for kale either,
yet I've heard other people say their squirrels love it.

The are picky, fickle, fastidious little beasts but I :Love_Icon em!

[naturelady1]

I tried finely ground almond in the folds and crinkles of a piece of kale.

That piece of kale took a mean licking, I thought she was going to suck the green off of it!

...It still wound up on the floor uneaten. :Cry

Oh that little rascal.:shakehead Guess I'm lucky that Boo-boo didn't lick hers off...you could try it with a little natural salt free peanut butter to see if the butter consistency makes any diff, or if she still licks it off. Boo downed both pieces of kale that I gave to her with the almond butter smeared into it....as I said...today.. tomorrow could be a dif story. My other Girlie eats kale with no problem..she loves it. go figure

[Scooterzmom]

I tried finely ground almond in the folds and crinkles of a piece of kale.

That piece of kale took a mean licking, I thought she was going to suck the green off of it!

...It still wound up on the floor uneaten. :Cry
:jump :jump why does that sound ohhhh so familiar??? Hami did the same thing with the romaine lettuce and brussel srout I gave him when I spread the avocado on it... lick lick lick, and dump :rotfl :rotfl :jump

[Busysqrl]

I have a little different technique. . .I KNOW my squirrel will eat the squirrel blocks, so I feed his least favorite veggies first and nothing else until about 10:00 or 11:00am. Once he's eaten a good share of them, he gets his first squirrel block. After he eats that, he gets his favorite veggies at about lunch time, snap peas, avocado and a couple of blueberries. Then for dinner his second squirrel block. I've tried many different timings with the squirrel blocks and veggies and this one works the best so far at least for my furball.

As far as keeping the veggies fresh, I use Food Saver Canisters and vacuum save all of mine and keep in the fridge of course. They cost some money, but for me it was worth not making 20 million trips to the store each week to get fresh stuff. They will keep fresh for at least 2 weeks in those things and the harder squashes like butternut and acorn even longer.

http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Vacuum-Sealer-SmartSeal-Technology/dp/B001E42R8O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1298162959&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-T02-0052-01-4-Quart-2-Quart-Canister/dp/B00005Q4OD/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1298162998&sr=1-1

[stepnstone]

Busysqrl I have to agree with your method. I find holding back anything "nut" or fruit until a good amount of veggies are consumed works best for my little girl... even if I do have to make sure they are fresh to her taste buds.mjs
It just is what it is... :dono

[djarenspace9]

I like your feeding schedule busysqrl.
It's similar to mine, but I start with a block mostly cause I'm not a
morning person, so I cheat by handing each squirrel a block to keep
em busy til I am awake enough to fix their veggies. :dono

So many GREAT ideas floating around in this thread!

I'm so FOCUSED on giving my squirrels good nutrition, I border on ANNOYING!

I learned this lesson the hard way with my cats, because I was
young when I got them and paid little attention to the contents
of their food. It caused them a lot of health issues that probably
could have been prevented. I learned it was worth paying a bit more
on this end (nutrition-wise) than later at the vet and watching them
suffer.

I bet that a VERY HIGH percentage of the emergency health issues posted
on TSB by panicked squammys are probably nutrition related, and 100% preventable!

Even well-meaning folks, and even those that buy the right foods
but give the wrong portions. It's sad really :shakehead

[naturelady1]

Busysqrl I have to agree with your method. I find holding back anything "nut" or fruit until a good amount of veggies are consumed works best for my little girl... even if I do have to make sure they are fresh to her taste buds.mjs
It just is what it is... :dono

I agree as well...I hold back on any nut treats until later in the day. I do give her fruit in the morning with her veggies. She eats blocks with no problems, they are usually a midmorning "snack" . Boo-boo has a chronic problem with constipation which we are working on. I give her watermelon and a few grapes with veggies cause she needs some fluids in the am. Veggies she loves, my problem has been getting her to eat greens like kale, dandelion, etc, she eats them, but sporadically. And this thread sparked the idea of smearing them with almond butter, which worked.....so THANK YOU :thankyou stepnstone!!!!

These neuro kids have problems that can be challenging at times. Sometimes I'm not sure she remembers where the water bottle is, if she isn't on the same level as it in her cage, or out running around. She has a tendency not to drink as much as she should, and it causes problems. I'll do anything it takes to keep her healthy. Hence the fresh squeezed oj, veggie and watermelon juice by syringe. Boo-boo has very limited sight as well, water in bowls just doesn't work for her, we've tried. Her lab tests from the vet were great, so we are doing good so far.

Thanks for all the great ideas out there on food storage !!!!:thumbsup

[Jester]

@ stepnstone: lol...see you DO know what I mean.
do you remember when you were a kid and you moved the food around on your plate to make it look like you ate some??? rofl our kids are too funny
:jump


With this thread in my head, I "experimented" and put some almond butter (just ground almonds, no additives) in the folds and crinkles of a piece of kale...the entire thing disappeared before my eyes..I think she liked it...rofl...today. I was putting in in with the veggie sluge mix from the blender, but if I do it this way and she continues to eat it, I may not have to juice it!
That's a really good idea with the almond butter, I never thought of that. I keep trying to feed him leafy plants but the veggies he'll even touch are either super-wet ones, like cucumbers and celery, or string beans (dunno why he likes those). I will definitely need to try that. :wott

[UDoWhat]

Busysqrl I have to agree with your method. I find holding back anything "nut" or fruit until a good amount of veggies are consumed works best for my little girl... even if I do have to make sure they are fresh to her taste buds.mjs
It just is what it is... :dono

I too find I have to hold back on nut stuff and fruit until blocks and greens are gone. Boy was this hard in the beginning. My 2 were turned over to me in Oct. by families who loved them but had no idea about squirrel nutrition other than what the good folks at Pet- Something or other sold to the them. Surprise, surprise , it was MBD in a bag (that phrase is borrowed from CritterMom in another thread, just killed me) but a perfect description of what they were sold.:shakehead It has been a long road and full "dietary tough love" has been established. Most of the time. :) I think I will try the veggie smoothie in the morning. Only problem, Hubby gets excited and thinks I'm doing something new for him for bkfst. Sorry, Honey! It's for the squirrels. :rotfl

[Jester]

This is just a random thought that popped into my head, but has anyone ever tried soaking their veggies in organic apple juice?

[stepnstone]

I too find I have to hold back on nut stuff and fruit until blocks and greens are gone. Boy was this hard in the beginning. My 2 were turned over to me in Oct. by families who loved them but had no idea about squirrel nutrition other than what the good folks at Pet- Something or other sold to the them. Surprise, surprise , it was MBD in a bag (that phrase is borrowed from CritterMom in another thread, just killed me) but a perfect description of what they were sold.:shakehead It has been a long road and full "dietary tough love" has been established. Most of the time. :) I think I will try the veggie smoothie in the morning. Only problem, Hubby gets excited and thinks I'm doing something new for him for bkfst. Sorry, Honey! It's for the squirrels. :rotfl

Unfortunately, there are also sites on the internet that are just as misleading when it comes to feeding a squirrel. There is a big gap between feeding a squirrel and squirrel nutrition.

In my house it's the other way around. My lady came home one day to discover what she thought was a batch of cookie dough in the fridge, she was really excited at the thought that I was going to bake cookies. :sanp3
It was a boo ball batch... I told her she could try one. :icon_devil

[naturelady1]

Unfortunately, there are also sites on the internet that are just as misleading when it comes to feeding a squirrel. There is a big gap between feeding a squirrel and squirrel nutrition.

In my house it's the other way around. My lady came home one day to discover what she thought was a batch of cookie dough in the fridge, she was really excited at the thought that I was going to bake cookies. :sanp3
It was a boo ball batch... I told her she could try one. :icon_devil

:jump too funny

[UDoWhat]

Oh yes that is funny!!!!!!!!!!! :jump Choc chip cookies, NOT!!!
I tried the flax seed dusting. Lick, lick, lick, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Do we look stupid? Getting the blender out tonight for the smoothie thing.

[naturelady1]

well..it worked again today,:wahoo took the almond butter and not only did the kale, but the broccoli heads as well...it may help that Boo-boo is partially blind...she doesn't attempt to lick it off, just eats the whole thing