Baby Yellow Foot Not Eating Pellets

[RockyBalboa]

Hello,

I am a new owner of a baby yellow foot tortoise (it weighs 65 grams). I believe it might be a male because it bobs it's head a lot but I know that it's too smal to sex. So for now I named "him" Rocky because I'm from Philadelphia and currently living in San Antonio, TX.

In any case I read that they are supposed to be eating a variey of fresh vegetables, fruit, pellet food. My little guy doesn't like pellets but I'm scared to not feed him what he's been eating.

We got him 12/31/2013

Here is what I have been feeding my tortoise:

fresh Kale
fresh dandelion greens
fresh carrot greens
rehydrated Zilla Vegetable mix (he seems to only pick out the carrots)
moistened and dry Mazuri Tortoise Diet

He has a pretty healthy appetite and likes eating Kale and dandelion greens and his carrots out of his vegetable mix but he doesn't eat his pellet food at all. I have tried crushing the Mazuri pellets because they are very big. I have tried giving them dry. I have tried wetting them. I was thinking of moistening them with fresh strawberry juice to entice him to eat them? I read that they can be finicky eaters and to withhold his favorite foods to make sure that he eats his pellets but I'm scared to do something to a creatute this small.

I have sprinkled his food with calcium supplement and I have a cuttlebone in his terrarium. (I also have a question about my setup in a different thread)

I just want to be sure I am giving him the best care possible. I have done a lot of reading but I read conflcting things, outdated stories, etc.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Rich

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Rich, and welcome to the Forum!

A tortoise doesn't HAVE to eat pellets. It just makes it easier to feed him if he'll eat them when the fresh stuff isn't readily available.

Please take a look at the Redfoot/Yellofoot section of the Tortoise Library There is a section there about the different types of foods you can feed your new tortoise. Variety is key.

 

[wellington]

I don't really know,the care of a YF. But the strawberry juice on the moistened pellets is a good trick too try. You can also chop up his favorite pretty small and mix it into some moistened pellets. He will have to eat the pellet food to get his fave.

 

[FLINTUS]

Don't worry about the pellets. As Yvonne said, they aren't necessary. In fact, if greens and fruit are abundant enough it is better not to include pellets. You need to get more fruit in there, as well as more varied greens. And every fortnight feed some form of protein(animal, mushrooms can be given more frequently).

 

[RockyBalboa]

Thank you for the replies. I will make sure to give him more fruit. I was scared that it wouldn't be as nutritious as the greens so that's why I held back. I make sure to shop at Whole Foods so all of his fruits and vegetables are certified organic.

As far as protein goes is it really ok to feed him low-fat cat food? Or would it be better to feed him a hard boiled egg? If I feed him the egg should I try to give him all parts of the egg including the shell crushed up. Or just the white?

I'm sorry for all the questions.