not that interested in veg

bisc and matt have their tea at the same time everyday, they always get excited and run round etc. but lately they don't even bother at veg time when usually they let me know it's time!

sometimes they eat all of it, then some days eat it but get bored half way through. it's mainly matt. if he leaves it then bisc eats his half and leaves the rest for matt :shock: then matt will come back later and eat his.. :?

sometimes matt leaves it but will then eat it if you hand feed it to him.

i thought it must be to do with their teeth and getting spurs but they were checked this week and the vet can't see anything.. although i know this doesn't mean there aren't any for definite.

the thing is that when they have had spurs in the past, neither stopped eating their veg, they always started to struggle eating hay and then dropping it and not eating much at all... but they are both eating hay completely fine. and their dried herbs and their probiotics.. :?

they seem fine, they are happy and binkying. i have noticed they seem to be chewing nothing when settling down to sleep, but they do that anyway and i am looking out for things more so that might not mean anything..

i can't think why they wouldn't want their tea though. or only want it on certain days. it's strange. matt sometimes seems like he can't smell it and it is mainly matt leaving it. bisc does sometimes, but usually because he copies matt.

any ideas?

Spenser is like this with veg, on and off. Any change in behaviour is worth questioning, but the fact they are eating their hay well is reassuring. Are pro-biotics a type of pellet?

Maybe they're full?? When I used to stuff mine on fresh hay and herbs etc.... and then give veg it would often only get half eaten - the only reason it generally all got eaten was because Nino was a greedy pig and didn't have a 'full' button in his stomach! :roll: Poppy is far more sensible and only take what she needs - I suspect Bisc and Matt are the same - just eating what they need and you would probably find that because it goes limp/floppy when they are hungry for it they won't be interested. Maybe try offering it at a different time of day instead :wave:

mine used to go mad for teatime but at mo im putting greens out and theyre still there at lunch time and then get thrown out and new ones put out. Im wondering if they arent that nice at the mo as they dont look as good and green as they used to (last year) they are also outside more with it being nice so maybes filling up on grass

eric never eats all of his in one go - if he's just been stuffing hay, he doesn't eat it at all (until its dried and a bit limp but he doesn't like wet veg).

he always leaves some of his breakfast veg until lunchtime and hops out when he hears me eating.

esme eats all of hers straight away - even if she's been scoffing outside. i swear that girl thinks she's never going to eat again!

Nutmeg won't eat anything fresh, well very, very rarely. Smudge isn't over fussed by it either. I think Nutmeg just doesn't like a lot of stuff, she'll eat spring greens on the rare occasion they get them, she'll have a pea pod and sometimes a bit of mint if I wave it in front of her face but when I put greens down it'll be eaten by Smudge. Oddly with Nutmeg she will always eat dried bramble leaves but rarely will she eat fresh ones. She eats plenty of hay and always finished her pellets so I don't worry about it.

thanks for the replies. my o/h has been feeding them later than i normally do (i've been asleep at the time! ) so maybe they are filling up on hay instead.

i will try feeding them at a different time, and see if they prefer that.

they eat so much hay though, and they have a plate of dried herbs aswell, and probiotics (they are the pellet ones) so maybe they are full. they love the ings hay and soft meadow hay, and eat alot. and i've also been giving them DFH again aswell so they are having a mix of hay and enjoying that.

i recommend cutting back on pellets, or cutting out maybe for a day or too. Then you will be able to tell if they are full or not. My Barney has to be hungry to eat his veg, if not be cant be bothered!

Roseberry said:

i recommend cutting back on pellets, or cutting out maybe for a day or too. Then you will be able to tell if they are full or not. My Barney has to be hungry to eat his veg, if not be cant be bothered!

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they don't have any pellets

just fed them at their usual time, 5pm.. and they are eating it. matt just went away from it but has gone back now. :?

they just used to be so excited at veg time, and eat in in 2 seconds flat! now they don't seem that fussed. :?

but they have eaten it all today.

i know everything else seems ok but if matt keeps doing this for a while longer i will go back to the vets and have his teeth checked again. sometimes he is so snuffly though that he doesn't really want to do anything or eat much. but other than the veg thing he seems ok.

aw, matt went and lay down before then started doing his really bunged up sneezing. so i think that might be what is wrong.

on the plus side he is eating soooooo much hay and is actually still running round and chasing bisc

i think once he gets this mucus out he will feel better eating his veg. it usually happens but he has not long finished his stronger course of meds so i didn't think he would have much mucus build up yet.. but i think having his vacc must have made him flare up sooner than he normally would.

least he's happy though.

update - i stopped giving their veg at the usual time and waited until they 'asked' for it, which has been around 9pm! so now they have both been eating it all.

glad your plan has worked