Training your pet to use the SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder

28th June 2018

If you have more than one pet you may have found yourself in the same position as many owners; with pets that like to steal each other’s food. The SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder may be the solution that you need because it will keep your pets’ food separate.

The SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder has a lid that will only open for a registered cat’s microchip or RFID collar. Introducing this new way of feeding into your home might be an alien concept to your pet if they have been used to using an open bowl up until now. As all cat owners know, cats can be wary of new objects in their territory.

Some pets will take to the feeder quickly, within days or even hours, but if your pet is a little timid, take a look at our tips to help them become accustomed to their new feeder. Using these techniques will mean that your other pets will have access to their food in the short term, but the training will be worth it in the long run.

SureFeed training mode

The feeder has an inbuilt training mode that will help your pet adjust to their new feeder. This mode has four stages, and each stage partially closes the lid by different amounts. While the feeder is in the training mode, the lid will not close fully, helping your pet adapt gradually. As your pet becomes confident in using the feeder, you can start working your way through the different stages of the training mode until the lid can be closed fully.

Advice for cautious pets

Particularly cautious pets might be reluctant to use the feeder, even if it’s set to the first stage of the training mode. To reassure your pet, take the bowl out of the feeder and serve your pet’s food in their normal place in just the bowl move the feeder away from them. Over time, gradually move the feeder closer to the bowl until you can put the bowl onto the mat and then finally into the feeder itself.

Another technique you could try is keeping the feeder lid open, removing the feeder bowl and replacing it with your pet’s existing food bowl. You can then work towards replacing their bowl with the feeder bowl using some of the tips above.

Progress in stages

At each stage of the training process, you should only move onto the next stage once your pet appears comfortable. It can take some cats a little while to get used to using the feeder, so you may need to persevere. Not all pets will take to the feeder at the same rate and it will take some pets longer than others, but once the training is complete, you will be able to use the feeder for its intended purpose and keep your pet’s food separate from other pets in your home.