Softer Pellets to Eat?

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kellylynnmarie

kellylynnmarie

lovin' my chinny boys!
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
180
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Hi All. I'm still hand-feeding my Splinter boy... and I'm wondering if there's something I can leave in his cage (because his usual Oxbow pellets & Hays/Grasses) that is a softer consistency for him to eat in between hand-feeding. I don't force-feed... he's happy to much on Critical Care food from a spoon and I'll try to leave some in the cage if there's any left over but he won't touch it once it starts to harden and create a film on top (after just an hour or two)... he'd eat the CC if it didn't start to harden.

So... I'm looking for something like maybe a softer pellet (as opposed to trying to add water and soften his pellets, which he's not a fan of)...

I've tested it out to see what he's able to munch on himself at this point and though it's improving day by day he's not able to eat anything too hard. My ideal find would be a pellet of some sort that is like the consistency of those Dandelion Drops that you can find in pet stores (obviously I do not want to feed him those - not healthy, I know - but I gave him 1/2 of one to see if he could chew something softer and he could!) For my peace of mind and his hungry belly... I would just like to know he has food in his cage he can actually eat while I'm not around.

Does something like that even exist? Other ideas?
 
Is he a dental chin? If not why are you handfeeding? I seem to remember you mentioning dental issues in the past, but I may be thinking of someone else.

Many people (myself included) have fed their dental chins Beaphar- the only unfortunate thing about this is you have to buy it from overseas and it tends to be a bit costly. However, if you're only feeding it temporarily as a transition back to regular pellets, the cost isn't all that bad. You might be able to find someone on the forums that has it that can send you a sample or even buy some from.

I'm not sure if it's softer, tastes better, or what, but dental chins really seem to love the Beaphar even when they can't/won't touch anything else.
 
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Yes, he's a dental chin. Attempting to get him off the hand-feeding but so far he's not having it... he'd rather just not eat or be extremely picky. That'd be great if I could find someone with Beaphar. I'd love to try it. Hoping it's only temporary, but I'll do whatever I need to for my little guy because other than the picky eating, everything else is doing much better!!!
 
The link below is the only place where I've found that ships the Beaphar to the U.S. pretty quickly considering it's being shipped overseas (within 10 days) but as Stacie mentioned it is a bit costly. It can run anywhere from $40-$50 for just a 3.3 lb. bag. The bag is the same price for everyone, it's the shipping that is expensive.

http://www.partnerspets.com/Bea-Care+-Chin-1.5K-112729/
 
ok - here is a recipe given to me by an vet who really knows her chins. Pre-heat oven to 200F. Put pellets in a colander, pour extremely hot water over and drain. Put pellets in oven safe dish - spread out. You can put a little back strap molasses on the pellets. Bake for 1/2 hour. This puffs up the pellets and make them easier to eat. The back strap mol. is safe when use in small amounts.
 
ETA: Having problems with my computer and just realized my first post did make it through but wanted to add....

Most dental chins dig in pretty quickly but I have heard of some that don't like it. Unfortunately, I don't have any on hand or I would send you a little to try out on your chin first.
 
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Something I would suggest if you want to stick to a basic, but softer feed, that you can actually buy locally would be Blue Seal Show Hutch Delux. It's an extruded pellet and easily crumbles. Any Blue Seal feed dealer should be able to get it for you and it doesn't cost half a fortune. Worth a try.
 
Vyxxin said:
Something I would suggest if you want to stick to a basic, but softer feed, that you can actually buy locally would be Blue Seal Show Hutch Delux. It's an extruded pellet and easily crumbles. Any Blue Seal feed dealer should be able to get it for you and it doesn't cost half a fortune. Worth a try.
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Do you know of a supplier??? I'm reading about it all overt the place... but not finding any place that sells it... Strange!
 
Sandi said:
The link below is the only place where I've found that ships the Beaphar to the U.S. pretty quickly considering it's being shipped overseas (within 10 days) but as Stacie mentioned it is a bit costly. It can run anywhere from $40-$50 for just a 3.3 lb. bag. The bag is the same price for everyone, it's the shipping that is expensive.

http://www.partnerspets.com/Bea-Care+-Chin-1.5K-112729/
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Bummer... they are out of stock. Do you know any other suppliers that ship to the US? Can't seem to find one... :(
 
If he likes to eat the CC from the spoon, why not put the dry powder in a bowl and offer that to him? You could also crush some pellets and use that.
 
Cuddlebug said:
If he likes to eat the CC from the spoon, why not put the dry powder in a bowl and offer that to him? You could also crush some pellets and use that.
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Hmmm.. I had thought about that. I will try it. I guess I had assumed he wouldn't like the powder because he's so picky when the food starts to harden and gets a little film on top that I hadn't even tried. I'll see what he does with it tonight!
 
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