A battle of wills...

[Moozillion]

My mud turtle, Jacques, and I are engaged in a battle of willpower.
HE is determined that he will only eat raw salmon, raw scallops or (cooked) pot roast. But I am determined that ONCE A WEEK he will eat his healthy, vitamin-enriched Hikari Sinking Carnivore Wafers. For the first 6 months I had him, he ate the carnivore wafers very happily. But then I decided to introduce him to "real" food and he hasn't been the same since. He has become very picky and I've let him. But that must change.
We are currently on Day 4 of the turtle kibble stand-off. For the last 4 days he has dashed up to the front of his tank, dancing and begging for food. I drop in the carnivore wafers, he grabs one but then drops it. He sniffs it, then turns his back, walks back to his cave and turns around STARING at me. He WILL.NOT.EAT. the turtle kibbles.

I know reptiles can go a whole lot longer without eating than we can, but I'm getting a little nervous. He can't possibly be starving if he turns up his nose at perfectly good food he used to eat, or so I tell myself.
There's a photo where he is staring back out of his cave with the sinking wafers in the foreground.
(((SIGH)))) Wish me luck! I'll need it- I'm such a wimp.

 

[Yelloweyed]

Hang in there...

 

[Tom]

Awe… I thought Will was going to fight another person named Will… Bummer.

Try rubbing his favorite foods all over the pellets, or try crumbling the pellets and putting some in and on his favorite foods.

Scallops??? Mmmmm… I want some scallops!!!

 

[cdmay]

Awe… I thought Will was going to fight another person named Will… Bummer.

Try rubbing his favorite foods all over the pellets, or try crumbling the pellets and putting some in and on his favorite foods.

Scallops??? Mmmmm… I want some scallops!!!

Ditto. Rub some salmon or scallops on his pellets. But don't worry, he won't starve to death if he doesn't get his way. Eventually he'll give in.
Think of a Palm Beacher in a fallout shelter...."What, no salmon tonight? No scallops either? Well then, Muffy and I shall simply starve ourselves to death!"
By the second day they'd be scarfing down cat food from the can.

 

[tglazie]

In his defense, scallops are good. I would probably refuse wafers if I knew there were scallops to be had.

T.G.

 

[wellington]

I was going to say the same as Tom. Rub the food on the waffer or crumble the waffer into small pieces and hide them inside his favorite food. Getting creative in food feeding wil get you the win much faster then a stand off.

 

[dmmj]

Scallops? Salmon? Pot roast? Tell me does he have any room for a roommate? Remember a healthy turtle will not starve itself.

 

[Moozillion]

In his defense, scallops are good. I would probably refuse wafers if I knew there were scallops to be had.

T.G.

DON'T TAKE HIS SIDE!!!!!!

 

[Moozillion]

Scallops? Salmon? Pot roast? Tell me does he have any room for a roommate? Remember a healthy turtle will not starve itself.

Hmmmm...since you say a healthy turtle with not starve itself, do you think there is something I should be concerned about?

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Don't think so, i think David was saying that torts or turtles may be fussy and hold out for a bit, but eventually will eat when they are hungry enough.
I also would mix the stuff together.
I think Jacques is gorgeous.

 

[Moozillion]

Ok, thanks!

 

[Moozillion]

SUCCESS!!!!!
On the suggestions from you guys, I broke up 2 wafers and smooshed them into some soft, gooey raw salmon. He gobbled it ALL down and never knew what hit him!!!! YAAAAAYYYYY!!!!

...and it only took me getting suggestions from 6 people to outfox a critter with a brain smaller than a peanut...
@Tom @Yelloweyed @cdmay @tglazie @wellington @dmmj @Tidgy's Dad

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

SUCCESS!!!!!
On the suggestions from you guys, I broke up 2 wafers and smooshed them into some soft, gooey raw salmon. He gobbled it ALL down and never knew what hit him!!!! YAAAAAYYYYY!!!!

...and it only took me getting suggestions from 6 people to outfox a critter with a brain smaller than a peanut...
@Tom @Yelloweyed @cdmay @tglazie @wellington @dmmj @Tidgy's Dad

Well it just goes to prove that eight peanuts are better than one.

 

[Tom]

...and it only took me getting suggestions from 6 people to outfox a critter with a brain smaller than a peanut...

Well there's your problem. You were trying to out-fox him, instead of out-turtle him.

Now you've out-turtled him…

 

[Moozillion]

Well there's your problem. You were trying to out-fox him, instead of out-turtle him.

Now you've out-turtled him…

Doh!!!!!

 

[dmmj]

Hmmmm...since you say a healthy turtle with not starve itself, do you think there is something I should be concerned about?

I misspoke sorry a healthy Turtle will not starve itself a healthy Turtle will eat sooner or later

 

[Moozillion]

I misspoke sorry a healthy Turtle will not starve itself a healthy Turtle will eat sooner or later

Thanks, David- I just misunderstood ( something that happens with annoying frequency!!! )

 

[Gillian M]

Hello @Moozillion . Glad that you WON the WAR!

 

[cdmay]

Mooz can you provide us with more photos of Jaques a day his enclosure?
Some of us are starved for mud turtle stuff!
They are what I stated catching when I was about 6 years old. Been keeping mud turtles of one kind or another pretty much ever since.
Yikes! That's 50 years of keeping muddies!

 

[Moozillion]

Mooz can you provide us with more photos of Jaques a day his enclosure?
Some of us are starved for mud turtle stuff!
They are what I stated catching when I was about 6 years old. Been keeping mud turtles of one kind or another pretty much ever since.
Yikes! That's 50 years of keeping muddies!

SO COOL!!!!
Muddies really are adorable: that little face! and he clearly has a personality!
I'll start a Jacques thread over in the Water Turtles section...Might not be today, though...got a lot going on.
But I'm glad to meet another "muddie person!!!!!"