Star Tortoise doesnt want to eat mazuri and zoomed grassland diet.

[leno]

How can i get my star tort to eat the diets?

the only thing it eats is iceberg lettuce.

when i mix it with the pellets and mashed, it will totally ignore and walk away.

pls help!

 

[Yvonne G]

Well, you should stop offering lettuce. There's not much nutrition in it. If you don't offer it, he can't eat it. Find other more healthful greens to feed your tortoise. Tortoises don't need to eat the manufactured foods. They can live just fine on greens, weeds and grasses.

 

[Tom]

Tortoises are creatures of habit. Introducing new foods is a long process and takes time. Start by using a tiny amount of the new food mixed in thoroughly with the old favorites. Keep offering this mix day after day until it is eaten. Then gradually up the ratio of new to old. Let him ignore it. A picky tortoise will soon be a hungry tortoise. Keep reducing the amount of new food until the tortoise accepts and eats it.

This process may take weeks or months. Its worth the effort for a tortoise that will eat most anything when you are done.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Tortoises will become spoiled. However, when they get very hungry, they will eat.
It's not being mean. It really does work.

 

[Abingdon Giant]

Hey, Leno and tortie! I, too, have experienced this with my Stars. They do trust their sense of smell a lot that when they smell something they don't like with the food, they won't bother taking a bite of it. They won't even bother going near it.

As to my experience, they don't like the smell of tortoise pellets. My Stars don't even like the smell of the powdered calcium supplements that they won't eat even their favorite food when sprinkled with it.

 

[Abingdon Giant]

Regarding your precious one's current diet, lettuce is a plant very rich in oxalates. Oxalates are the most common cause of kidney stone formation, of course, other than dehydration. I suggest you immediately remove this plant from your choices. Grasses would be a whole lot better.

Good luck.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Regarding your precious one's current diet, lettuce is a plant very rich in oxalates. Oxalates are the most common cause of kidney stone formation, of course, other than dehydration. I suggest you immediately remove this plant from your choices. Grasses would be a whole lot better.

Lettuce is not a high oxalate plant. Most varieties of lettuce are lower in nutrients and fiber than many other greens and that is why they aren't suitable as a primary food source.

 

[Abingdon Giant]

Hi! I am terribly, terribly sorry for the mistake. I was thinking of another plant which is spinach. I am so sorry for the confusion.

 

[leno]

hi all! thanks for all the very helpful information. I will try to get her better veg. Really appreciated for all ur guidance.

 

[muakmuak]

please allow me to ride onto this thread for advice - my little baby tort is also really picky with her food - she loves romaine lettuce and has rejected most other greens. do your advices on leaving her to go a little hungry so as to get her to eat what's better for her apply to babies as well? she's really light on most days but she poops all right...on the occasion, she eats a little of cucumber, carrots, kale and that's about it. I've tried introducing her to hibiscus and some form of dried food but she rejected them all...

 

[majxmom]

I bought a bag of mazuri and made the mush that was recommended on this forum. Barstow said WTF is this crap, bring on the lettuce. I tried several times but he never tried a gram of it. We went back to spring mix, iceberg, spinach, a little fruit, dandelions and rose petals. He said thank god the processed food fad was over.

 

[Tom]

I bought a bag of mazuri and made the mush that was recommended on this forum. Barstow said WTF is this crap, bring on the lettuce. I tried several times but he never tried a gram of it. We went back to spring mix, iceberg, spinach, a little fruit, dandelions and rose petals. He said thank god the processed food fad was over.

Well I guess we know who the boss is in your yard.

The first four items you mentioned are not great food items. It would be much better for your tortoise if you took the time to slowly introduce better foods into his/her diet. You don't need Mazuri or any other prepared food, but fruit and grocery store greens will eventually lead to problems.