Tips for Fixing a Bad Diet?

[GreenFire719]

Hey guys! So Zonder is already starting to look much better from when I first got him, but the biggest issue I need to address is putting him on a proper diet now. He has been fed pellets his whole life and doesn’t seem to want to eat the real stuff I get him. I don’t really know the brand of pellets he was eating but it was like some kind of refrigerated tortoise pellet that was basically a fat and protein nugget (yuck!)

I’m not gonna worry too much if he doesn’t accept anything for the next few days cause I know he won’t starve himself, but if there are any tips I’d appreciate it.

I have been offering a variety of things for him to get him interested. I have tried endive, radicchio and dandelions greens with radish tops, carrots, cucumber, squash and zucchini mixed in. He will take a couple of quick bites of hand offers but if he doesn’t get it in his mouth on the first bite he almost gets flustered and walks away from it.

I have also already tried giving him a warm soak for 20 minutes before offering food as well as offering at different times of the day. As far as I can tell he isn’t really eating things left in his tub and just likes to drag it around in the dirt.

Let me know about tips I can use to get him to eat. Thanks guys! [emoji4]

 

[Yvonne G]

Try to find out the pellet brand. . . it was probably the ones we refer to as "fruity pebbles." . . . small, flat, round pellets of several colors, but lots of red ones. Moisten them until you can mash them to a pulp with a fork. Chop up the good greens into tiny pieces and mix a small amount of greens into the fruity pebble mush until all the greens are incorporated. If he goes for it, you can slowly, over time, add more greens and less pellets. But don't be in a hurry. Take your time.

 

[Tom]

I agree with Yvonne. Tortoises don't do well with the "cold turkey" routine. Wean him on to better stuff slowly.

 

[RosemaryDW]

He won’t starve himself, we promise. But it’s hard when a tortoise has been on one food for a long time; they are very stubborn, much more stubborn the humans that worry about them. Give yourself some breathing room.

Getting the right setup and lighting is much more important to health than getting the diet corrected, but food takes longer to “fix” than lighting and a little harder for us humans to deal with.