Kind of pellet?

[tortoishell]

I'm worried that the selection of greens here (lettuce, kale, darker greens, arugula, dandelion, clover) isn't enough for my tortoise to eat. I've read that pellets can supplement his diet to make sure he gets nutrients. However, he's a picky eater and I don't know if he'll eat them. So far, the ones I've found are Zoo Med grassland food, (he doesn't like hay, so that's probably not the best choice), Rep--Cal, Mazuri, Nature Zone moist food, Zilla Munchies, Zoo Med tropical fruit mix ins, and T rex. What brand do you guys think I should use?
He is a Russian Tortoise if that makes a difference.
Also, what do you guys think about the banquet block and/or cuttlebones?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I only use Mazuri.
Original. Not type "L.S."
And I love it.
My torts all do too.
I like having it around when I'm in a hurry or have little else to feed.
Cuttlefish bones are a separate issue. Not food. They can help with calcium and mineral intake. I always have them available to my torts. They don't always nibble on them.
But sometimes they will eat an entire one in a day...

 

[wellington]

I'm with Zeropilot. However, try the ones that are closet to what his diet should be. They don't all take to new foods right away, so give new foods a chance and also get creative in tricking him to eat them. Usually once they try them they end up liking them. Just picky up front.

 

[tortoishell]

What's mazuri made of? I'm afraid that if it contains mainly hay, my tortoise won't touch it. I'm leaning towards Zoo Med because, as Wellington said, it is closer to my tort's diet right now.

 

[jim taylor]

I use the zoomed grassland. My sulcata eats it plain or mixed with greens. A little goes a long way I soak it with water and it triples in size 5-6 pellets makes a nice pile. I bought the big container 2yr ago and got 1/4 left still I use couple times a week. Plus I can get it a my local pet store.

 

[tortoishell]

Thank you! I just ordered the zoomed grassland, as it includes much of my Russian's current diet but also more hay.

 

[Tom]

Your tortoise is not likely to want to eat any of them straight away. Any new food will have to be introduced slowly over time. Occasionally Mazuri is an exception and some tortoises will gobble it up the first time they see it, but that would not be the norm.

The ZooMed Grassland food is really good, but introduce it slowly. Soak a small broken piece of one pellet and thoroughly mix that in with your tortoise's favorite greens. Keep doing this until your tortoise eats all his food. To help you can even feed him light for a few days before attempting to introduce the new stuff. Generally, fall will be the most difficult time to do this since they are usually inclined to stop eating and hibernate. Spring time is the best time to introduce new stuff, since they are usually ravenous and can't seem to get enough food.

The ZooMed and regular Mazuri are the only pellets I use.

Also, if you must use grocery store foods, favor endive and escarole heavily. These are the best of the grocery store foods.

 

[tortoishell]

Endive and escarole are just about the only two greens I can't get on a regular basis... We have about ten different kinds of lettuce but no endive or escarole. I'll keep looking.

 

[sibi]

Endive and escarole are just about the only two greens I can't get on a regular basis... We have about ten different kinds of lettuce but no endive or escarole. I'll keep looking.

Ask the store manager to order it for you, or try growing some in the springtime.

 

[Diamond]

I'm going to try that trick Tom. My Russian will not eat the zoo med grassland. I've mixed it with her greens and flowers, but she manages to find it. Also does the same thing with TNT. I'm going to try the endive and escarole.thx

 

[tortoishell]

My Russian tortoise literally scooped the pellet food out of his mouth (how he did that with claws I'm not sure) but I think it was mostly because of the texture. He does sometimes allow it to be folded in with his lettuce. He's a very stubborn tort