refused to eat!

[Mavrycs Mommy]

he ate well last feeding but this time around i had to fight with him to get him to eat 6 ccs hes been eating 15-20 his squirrelly god mom did say he'd start to refuse feedings once he started eating his block but i really dont think hes eating that much of it... there are crumbs in his box and his poopie is darker than usual but i hardly ever see him touch the thing and they never seem smaller so im pretty sure hes eating some, but is it enough to refuse a feeding?! he just keeps pushing the syringe away! should i be worried?!

[msriri]

I went through the exact thing with Stella at about 12 weeks. It only lasted a day or two and she was kind of back to normal. To ease my mind about her nutrition, I gave her a teaspoon of yogurt with FV mixed in....and lots of different veggies to choose from.
She is now down to one feeding a day and I still have no evidence that she actually swallows any block...its all over the place, but she is gaining and is very happy.

Maria

[Mavrycs Mommy]

Mavryc is about 8 weeks and we havent started veggies yet but he just went poo and its WAY darker so im thinking he must have gotten some block down :dono

[msriri]

That's what I figured too. I made the mistake of offering too much variety at one time because I got worried she wasn't getting enough to eat. Now I'm dealing with a very picky eater. I was advised to put the block in alone (preferably in the morning when they're hungriest) and it did help her actually start eating some.

[Mavrycs Mommy]

yea? do you do the hhbs? were using kaytee

[Mavrycs Mommy]

okay so he is def eating block!!!!! im watching him devour his block right now!!! this is great he finished and is looking for more =]

[msriri]

Awesome! Yes, hhb and I made boo balls :)... It's kind of depressing to have her almost weaned, but also very gratifying to see her grow up!

[pappy1264]

You can also start now offering his formula (just a little) in a small crock. Many times, they will begin to not want to eat from the syringe, so the younger you can get them to start lapping from a dish, the longer they seem to eat their formula (in my experience, anyway). I will usually put a small dallop of full fat yogurt in to thicken it a tiny bit, makes it easier for lapping. If they step in it, they usually will lick it off their feet (yeah, makes a mess, but gets her done, as they say! lol) I offer formula and block first thing in the morning......then when they eat that, put in their greens, veggies, etc. Any nuts are late afternoon as handfed treats, then I leave Mazuri rodent block in the cage during the night (they get hhb's in the morning. When are are small, I heat the blocks, cut them into little pieces for little hands to hold. I find they eat them better that way.)

[Mavrycs Mommy]

You can also start now offering his formula (just a little) in a small crock. Many times, they will begin to not want to eat from the syringe, so the younger you can get them to start lapping from a dish, the longer they seem to eat their formula (in my experience, anyway). I will usually put a small dallop of full fat yogurt in to thicken it a tiny bit, makes it easier for lapping. If they step in it, they usually will lick it off their feet (yeah, makes a mess, but gets her done, as they say! lol) I offer formula and block first thing in the morning......then when they eat that, put in their greens, veggies, etc. Any nuts are late afternoon as handfed treats, then I leave Mazuri rodent block in the cage during the night (they get hhb's in the morning. When are are small, I heat the blocks, cut them into little pieces for little hands to hold. I find they eat them better that way.)

okay thanks =] could i try putting the formula in the water bottle or is the bowl better?

[pappy1264]

No, just a bowl, never put formula in a water bottle, it will clog up! It is a good habit to get them in, taking some formula out of a dish, as I have found if they do it young, they will continue to take formula for longer then they will with the syringe (and better for them the longer they are on it!)

[Mavrycs Mommy]

okay :thankyou