How to get my tortoise to eat healthy

[nicolieooo098]

Hi everyone, I was given Henry two months ago from my friends cousin. Unfortunately I believe that the previous owner only fed mixed greens from the supermarket. I have tried to feed him cactus, hibiscus leaves and petals, rose leaves, the Testudo seed mix from tortoise supply, and grass, but unfortunately he is so used to eating the mixed greens that he won't even touch the other things I offered to him. All of this confused me because I have a yearling sulcata who devours the different things I feed him. I am worried that this diet is not beneficial for Henry in the long run. Do you have any suggestions to try to get him off the mixed greens??
Thanks

 

[W Shaw]

Struggling with the same issue with my little Russian, but making changes gradually because he was so emaciated when I rescued him that I didn't want to play the, "He'll eat when he gets hungry," game with him. One thing I did a lot of at first was chopping his meals up pretty fine, which made it more difficult for him to pick out just his favorites. Also, he would eat a lot of things if i hand fed him that he wouldn't eat from his plate. That gave me some better indicators as well. If he lowered his head in a "No thank you" gesture, I knew he'd probably eat it if he got hungry, or if it was mixed in, while things he actively shoved away were things he genuinely didn't like, so I'd take those out of the mix. Having that control has made him willing to taste almost anything -- he knows I'll take it away if he hates it. I've also been mixing TNT and herb hay in. And some meals he just gets to have what he wants, completely untainted because I think it reduces his frustration with changes. It's a slow process but he's learning!

 

[Jodie]

Agree with the above. I chop a bunch of stuff real small and add small amounts of new food, or good foods that they won't willingly eat.

 

[wellington]

That's the way that we have always suggest on here. Chop up the stuff he doesn't want to eat along with the stuff he likes. Spray with some water, makes it stick together. He then has to eat all of it to get what he really wants. As he starts to get used to all the foods, slowly start removing the grocery greens altogether.
How old is your leopard? Most don't take to grass until older, so don't push that so much if he's still young.

 

[nicolieooo098]

That's the way that we have always suggest on here. Chop up the stuff he doesn't want to eat along with the stuff he likes. Spray with some water, makes it stick together. He then has to eat all of it to get what he really wants. As he starts to get used to all the foods, slowly start removing the grocery greens altogether.
How old is your leopard? Most don't take to grass until older, so don't push that so much if he's still young.

He is a little over a year.

 

[nicolieooo098]

Struggling with the same issue with my little Russian, but making changes gradually because he was so emaciated when I rescued him that I didn't want to play the, "He'll eat when he gets hungry," game with him. One thing I did a lot of at first was chopping his meals up pretty fine, which made it more difficult for him to pick out just his favorites. Also, he would eat a lot of things if i hand fed him that he wouldn't eat from his plate. That gave me some better indicators as well. If he lowered his head in a "No thank you" gesture, I knew he'd probably eat it if he got hungry, or if it was mixed in, while things he actively shoved away were things he genuinely didn't like, so I'd take those out of the mix. Having that control has made him willing to taste almost anything -- he knows I'll take it away if he hates it. I've also been mixing TNT and herb hay in. And some meals he just gets to have what he wants, completely untainted because I think it reduces his frustration with changes. It's a slow process but he's learning!

Thank you so much, I will give it a try

 

[wellington]

He is a little over a year.

Mine wouldn't eat grass until around 3. If you chop the grass up very fine and mix it in, then he would have to eat it. If you don't hide it, he probably won't eat it for a couple more years.