How do I get him to start eating pellets?

[StarShell]

Hello! I recently have been trying really hard to get Yuno to eat pellets he'll only eat romaine lettuce. Even if I mix greens with his lettuce he'll notice the color difference( or smell) and just search around for something else and I can't make up an excuse in my head anymore that he doesn't know that that's his food bowl because he goes over looks around then goes back to sleep. And whenever he sees me when he's hungry he'll walk up to me and lift up his arm trying to walk up towards me but I just gave him a huge piece of lettuce should I give that much or just leave him alone when I give him that much, but now that he's finished all his lettuce and I can't go to the store because I went last week and I only have collard greens and pellets, so now I'm in a pickle. Please help me( I have Zoo med Grassland Tortoise diet, and Mazuri)?

 

[queen koopa]

Hello! I recently have been trying really hard to get Yuno to eat pellets he'll only eat romaine lettuce. Even if I mix greens with his lettuce he'll notice the color difference( or smell) and just search around for something else and I can't make up an excuse in my head anymore that he doesn't know that that's his food bowl because he goes over looks around then goes back to sleep. And whenever he sees me when he's hungry he'll walk up to me and lift up his arm trying to walk up towards me but I just gave him a huge piece of lettuce should I give that much or just leave him alone when I give him that much, but now that he's finished all his lettuce I only have pellets and I can't go to the store because I went last week and I only have collard greens and pellets, so now I'm in a pickle. Please help me( I have Zoo med Grassland Tortoise diet, and Mazuri)?

What kind of tortoise and how old?
Soak the pellets, then add some tiny chopped romaine, and mix it up. Eventually stop with the romain, it has no real nutrients just water. Once the tortoise is regularly eating a better well rounded diet, you can give them romaine every so often. This is a common issue with lots of animals. Some examples: I adopted my Sulcata (at age 5) and she would only eat spring mix and romaine, so she often had liquid butt (if you know what I mean). It took me a good 8 months to get her to forget her lettuce addiction. Also the same with horses (they are far less stubborn than tortoise though). If we feed an Orchard/Alfalfa hat mix, then the next day give them straight Orchard (good quality too) they will walk away from it and rummage through it and barely eat until hours later they realize that’s what they are getting!

 

[StarShell]

I have an Indian star tortoise and he/ she is about 4 months but I've had him for three months and I'll be sure to try it

 

[Lyn W]

This is the caresheet for star torts which will give you a good idea of what the diet should be.
Torts need variety and romaine alone is not good.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Plus www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to tort safe foods including weeds which should be starting to grow now and are free!

Do any of your stores sell dandelions?

To introduce new foods, chop it up and mix it in with the food he likes then gradually reduce the old food. If you wet the leaves first they will stick together so he can't eat one without the other.
Pellets are OK as a supplement but shouldn't be the main food.
If you soak it so that its mushy and spread some on the romaine he can't avoid it. Just a little to start.
Torts seem to love cucumber and while it's not good to feed regularly as it has little nutritional value and has a laxative effect, if you use the juice from it to mask the smell of the other foods he may be tricked into eating it.

 

[ZenHerper]

Tortoises are evolutionarily programmed to avoid eating things that are New. Even if they are healthful. They don't have moms to help them understand what is safe or toxic, so they get attached to what they first during their first few weeks.

When we want to adjust their diet, we have to be patient but persistent. Learning about new safe foods just takes time.

For a tort that will eat from your hand, try rolling the New food inside their Favorite leaf. This gives them a chance to taste the New Stuff slowly, but to also get the point that you are offering it to them as Food.

 

[StarShell]

This is the caresheet for star torts which will give you a good idea of what the diet should be.
Torts need variety and romaine alone is not good.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Plus www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to tort safe foods including weeds which should be starting to grow now and are free!

Do any of your stores sell dandelions?

To introduce new foods, chop it up and mix it in with the food he likes then gradually reduce the old food. If you wet the leaves first they will stick together so he can't eat one without the other.
Pellets are OK as a supplement but shouldn't be the main food.
If you soak it so that its mushy and spread some on the romaine he can't avoid it. Just a little to start.
Torts seem to love cucumber and while it's not good to feed regularly as it has little nutritional value and has a laxative effect, if you use the juice from it to mask the smell of the other foods he may be tricked into eating it.

I'll try going to the store and buy some cucumber

 

[Lyn W]

I'll try going to the store and buy some cucumber

It may work - just the juice though - because it could give your tort diarrhoea.

 

[Tom]

Hello! I recently have been trying really hard to get Yuno to eat pellets he'll only eat romaine lettuce. Even if I mix greens with his lettuce he'll notice the color difference( or smell) and just search around for something else and I can't make up an excuse in my head anymore that he doesn't know that that's his food bowl because he goes over looks around then goes back to sleep. And whenever he sees me when he's hungry he'll walk up to me and lift up his arm trying to walk up towards me but I just gave him a huge piece of lettuce should I give that much or just leave him alone when I give him that much, but now that he's finished all his lettuce and I can't go to the store because I went last week and I only have collard greens and pellets, so now I'm in a pickle. Please help me( I have Zoo med Grassland Tortoise diet, and Mazuri)?

Mince up the romaine super fine. Make it into almost a mush. Soak a tiny broken piece of a single pellet of either the ZooMed or the Mazuri. I mean like a crumb. Hardly any. Once the pellet is soaked and mushy, thoroughly mix up the two. Keep doing this for days until the tortoise eats it. Understand that with the daily soaks you should be doing, your tortoise can go two weeks with no food at all and be totally fine. A hungry tortoise is not a picky tortoise. Give him at least 3 or 4 days of this before giving in. You aren't starving your tortoise. There is a big pile of food right there in front of it, and it can eat any time it wants. Don't let the tortoise train you.

Over time, gradually add in more and more of the pelleted stuff. Once it gets going, you can also begin adding in tiny amounts of other good foods. It will take months, but eventually, your tortoise will eat every thing for you. Don't give up. Its worth the effort and you will succeed.

Think of it this way: If you gave the tortoise to me, do you think it would only be eating romaine?

 

[StarShell]

Ok will do I will resit the urge to feed him for 4 days then do what you said hopefully this works!
Thank you for advice?

 

[Tom]

Ok will do I will resit the urge to feed him for 4 days then do what you said hopefully this works!
Thank you for advice?

Don't skip feeding. Feed him every day. Just don't worry about it if he chooses to not eat because there is a tiny little bit of something new added.

 

[StarShell]

Ok!

 

[Tom]

Ok!

Good luck! Keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[StarShell]

UPDATE:We are on day 2 and he has gone insane and is trying to eat me should I just give in now or keep going(He still won't eat pellets)

 

[Tom]

UPDATE:We are on day 2 and he has gone insane and is trying to eat me should I just give in now or keep going(He still won't eat pellets)View attachment 321200

You shouldn't be trying to feed him pellets. You should be feeding him his favorite foods all finely minced with tiny tiny amounts of soaked pellets all mixed in to it.

Did you follow the instructions in post number 8? Show us a pic of what you are offering.

You should also remove all moss. He will eat it and it can cause impaction.