Not eating as a behaviour

[helenllama]

This has been confirmed by a vet...

What is the best way to encourage piggy to eat but not to make him become reliant on syringe feeds.
At the moment i shall give him two feeds a day and he is now drinking on his own and investigating his food
I am also giving him lots of attention.

But how do I get the balance between the two factors... two little food and his gut will shut down. too much and he will become reliant.
I have been told in what the vet sees this behaviour will resolve in 10-14 days...
how will i know it is resolving. he has nibbled hay is that because I am leaving him hungry for most of the day or is it because I am giving him the attention and he has been lonely.
So how do I prevent him becoming reliant on me..
Will little spark help him in this case? He arrives on the 30th

Ideas?

 

[FluffyFriends]

People will disagree with me but my vet says they are animals at the end of the day and too much attention can do harm.

We has a bunny like this once (murphy) and the vet basically told us, no contact for 24 hours. Shut him away and not to even go in the room. Leave him food and water and see what he had done over 24 hours. If that didn't work to feed him enugh to keep him helath but no attention or he may start to carry on the behaviour just for the attention.

And another thing they said was nt to leave large amounts of food for him. A token piece of carrot, a handful of hay and like an egg cup of normal food. And to remove the food after an hour and then place it back in (if he had not eaten) 5 or 6 hours later. This was to encourage him to think that food was not always avaliable and he had to eat when he could or he may not get any more food.

It all worked and he was fine.

Will Spark help? Who knows. Its not like he is totally alone he can see your other pigs and see them feed so as much as he may be missing close contact he its not like the only piggy he lived with has gone.

Just always remember he may reject a new friend even if he was eating - some just do.