Cavie not eating at specific dinner time

Hi All

My family and I have now had our tri Rio for a glorious year and 3 months. How time flies!

Anyway I was wondering how you get your Cavs to all eat at a specific time. Rio is fed between the hours of 5pm and 6pm when we get in from work. My sister is in earlier so she doesn't give him any treats as he has 1 biscuit only in the morning as we are conscious of his weight gain since his neutering operation. He has even started to eat a little of his dry mix in the morning as we had to switch him to Burns for his delicate stomach.

He has a little dog food put in such as tinned dog tripe or his usual canned food not alot though as we have had to find a good balance between the dry mix and the meat so as not to give him the runs. On a Friday and for his coat he will have a tiny amount of sardines for his coat.

He just does not seem to be interested in his dinner at this time its only occasionally he will eat before 7pm. We lift the bowl for 15 mins and he just doesn't seem bothered. He always has been a pernickity eater from the moment he was switched onto adult food.

We would like him to eat at a specific time so that its easier to manage around him in order for his "business" He is very well housetrained and has not had an accident until that time he was very unwell with viral infection and had diahrrea on the mat at the front door.

We don't want to start starving him until the following day and then put the same old mucky meal down to him, as even then he won't eat it. When he does eat it he eats with gusto then has a dentastick before bed and he knows that unless he eats he will get a little treat afterwards.

Can anyone give advice on this ?

: )

First of all the only real difference between junior feed and adult feed is the protein levels in it, if you find he prefers the junior feed over the adult why not try giving him the junior again but just a little less of it to adjust the amount of protein he is getting?

I have had puppies who would only eat adult kibble because they found the kibble size easier to deal with and also had adults who would only eat puppy/weaning feed! There are no hard and fast rules really, just check the protein levels on the feed you are using and adjust accordingly.

I also try to avoid feeding to a set time, this is mostly because I have a young family too, but mainly because I have found over the years that when the dogs don't know exactly when they are getting their meal they generally clean up with gusto at each and every feed!!

Good Luck!!