Anyone else have a super picky eater?

[Lulu-Bean's Mommy]

Lulu-Bean goes through these phases where she refuses to eat anything but a certain type of food (a while back, all she wanted was broccoli and snap peas. Then she only wanted blueberries and snap peas. Then romaine and snap peas). She'll push aside everything on her plate and then look at me like, "Mooooom! Didn't you get ANYTHING I put on the list?" :poke

I try to keep her diet varied, so things don't get "boring", but always on the approved list of foods. I learned that she seems to absolutely HATE brussels sprouts. What kid doesn't?

No matter what phase she's going through, she LOVES sugar snap peas...they seem to be her favorite food in the whole world. Well, I went shopping at a different store during my last grocery shopping trip and had to get a different brand of snap peas. As usual that day, she ran over to her plate and the first thing she picked up was the snap peas. She took a few bites, darn-near threw it down and turned to "glare" at me. Then she resentfully ate the romaine. :tap

Nightly now, same routine. Is she just that spoiled rotten that even the BRAND is a problem for her?

[lennysmom]

Oh, I feel your pain LBM! And yes, with picky eaters I have found that brand DOES indeed make a difference in veggies. My Lenny is a super picky eater and I have been struggling for weeks to find something he will eat consistently - but he usually will eat sugar snap peas.. that is, IF I get the brand HE likes! :grin2 He really is spoiled rotten! But he changes his food preferences quite frequently. What he likes one day may not be something he will eat the next. :shakehead I just try to keep a wide variety for him to choose from and hope he will find something he wants that day. And his "brother" in the next room eats like a horse - go figure!

[DarkLies212]

Ambrose has just stopped eating anything good for him. He used to eat mustard greens, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, celery, merliton/chayote and something else but he won't TOUCH them anymore! I used to include a tiny piece (about 1/8 inch thick and 1/2 square) of squash or sweet potato and two berries, usually blueberries, but stopped that since that's all he was eating - that was IF he would eat the sweet potato or squash!

He's not eating any of his veggies :tap Not. A. One.
I have half of my freezer and 1/4 of my fridge full of foods I've been trying that he refuses! :tap

[Rhapsody]

While most of us that rehab do deal with picky eaters at one time or another I find it easier
to notice what my squirrels will and will not eat and buy based upon on experience and not
so much on what every one is saying they should eat. I offer a variety for all my squirrels and
and I no longer cater to one over the other and they eat when hungry --and always get HHB.

[DarkLies212]

Rhapsody, what have you found works for you?

[MollyBear361]

Jill's faves are cauliflower and sugar snap peas.....won't touch broccoli but will eat the stalk (bottom) just not tops. some days she loves shrooms...other days she buries. loves whole artichoke - or maybe just likes to shred them.... also loves asparagus. oK, she seems to love all the EXPENSIVE stuff now that I read this. I offer her other random choices but these are her go to....She had a pumpkin squash fetish for awhile but that seems to have worn off. And she loved radishes for about a month.
One thing I noticed she loves is Zupreem premium bird food for large parrots- Veggie Blend. I know another rehabber who uses this for blocks so I tried it. She will eat it over the Zupreem Nut blend and is supposed to be a good supplement. I guess I should ask what the rest of the board thinks. She gets offered Mazuri Rat and Mouse block as well as Kaytee in the blue bag. They are all left for her to eat every day. She also gets her two HHB in the morning. The girl would eat as many HHB as you will give her but momma's not rich so she fills up with Zupreem and veggies.

[Rhapsody]

Rhapsody, what have you found works for you?
The staple in my house are:
Broccoli Stems, Cauliflower, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Mushrooms, Snap Peas,
Bok Choy, Yellow Squash, Blue Berries, Black Berries, Red Apples and HHB.
..... Walnuts, Hazelnuts, Almonds and Yoplait Vanilla Yogurt.

[Turner's Mom]

I am wondering if I can give frozen veggies to Turner. He rarely eats as much as I have read others eat when it come to veggies. I give him 2 HHB (one in the am and one in the pm). The next list is varying combination of a couple of theses once a day: a baby carrot, a slice of strawberry, a few small pieces of iceburg lettuce, a piece of apple, a bowl of formula (after the formula is gone I was the bowl and put water in, he has a watter bottle also that stays clean and full). I have given him rose bud form my mom's because know she doesn't use poison on them. A magnolia flower bud. Red clover, white clover, and even some dried mixed veggies. I guess my point is, frozen veggies would be easy as they would not likely go bad before he could eat them all. So, yay...I finally got to the question. What do y'all think?:thinking

[DarkLies212]

I am wondering if I can give frozen veggies to Turner. He rarely eats as much as I have read others eat when it come to veggies. I give him 2 HHB (one in the am and one in the pm). The next list is varying combination of a couple of theses once a day: a baby carrot, a slice of strawberry, a few small pieces of iceburg lettuce, a piece of apple, a bowl of formula (after the formula is gone I was the bowl and put water in, he has a watter bottle also that stays clean and full). I have given him rose bud form my mom's because know she doesn't use poison on them. A magnolia flower bud. Red clover, white clover, and even some dried mixed veggies. I guess my point is, frozen veggies would be easy as they would not likely go bad before he could eat them all. So, yay...I finally got to the question. What do y'all think?:thinking

I freeze Ambrose's broccoli and cauliflower...not sure if I should, but he wouldn't eat it all before it went bad :eek

[Rhapsody]

I am wondering if I can give frozen veggies to Turner. He rarely eats as much as I have read others eat when it come to veggies.

I give him ......... a few small pieces of iceburg lettuce
Yes, it is perfectly fine for you to use frozen vegetables & fruits, just do not use can vegetables or fruits.
Please do not feed Iceburg Lettuce, it has no nutritional value --feed: romaine, kale, bok choy, or spring mix.

[Turner's Mom]

Thank you so much for the response. i am happy to know that i don't have to by a fresh broccoli stalk only to watch it go bad because my boy can't it all. Thank you again. :)

[Lulu-Bean's Mommy]

While most of us that rehab do deal with picky eaters at one time or another I find it easier
to notice what my squirrels will and will not eat and buy based upon on experience and not
so much on what every one is saying they should eat. I offer a variety for all my squirrels and
and I no longer cater to one over the other and they eat when hungry --and always get HHB.

Good point!

Sometimes I can't get a certain food because I'm strapped on cash and things aren't in season...I'm not always paying $5 for a little itty bitty container of blueberries! Then when I get a glare from Lulu-Bean I tell her to get a job and help mama out :rotfl (I crack myself up sometimes).

But maybe some of it is her being spoiled. I hate when she's unhappy with her food selection. She ALWAYS gets her rodent blocks, though (staple of her diet, though she seems to eat those when she "has to")