Tortoise being picky

[starsong96]

So my little sulcata, Waffle, doesn't want to eat whats good for her!
I've offered her a strawberry, and she eagerly chomped down on that, but when I offer her grasses and weeds, she turns her nose up. I've tried cutting them so they are in small little bits, I've tried putting the grasses in the blender to make a yummy mash, I've tried letting her graze outside, and she just won't eat! Well, she will eat what she WANTS to eat, and obviously I can't let her live on strawberries.(For the record, she only had a strawberry once, haven't offered it since.) What I've been trying to do is be a bit tough, like with a toddler. If you don't eat what I offer, it will wait for you until you are hungry enough. I just worry, will she let herself starve? She's just a little bitty hatchling, my first tortoise.
For the time being she is in a 20 gal. (long) tank since it provides a way for me to keep it humid. Hot spot at 105, cool side at 85 (day) and 80 at night with a UVB lamp. She doesn't have a ceramic heater since she is in the reptile room which is kept at 80 degrees year round, despite the cold Virginia winters. Her humidity is maintained at 65%, and she has a humid hide. The top is mostly covered with a small square for her lamp so it keeps in humidity. Her substrate is potting soil (unfertilized)/mulch chip mix.
Any suggestions?

 

[Yvonne G]

Most young sulcatas won't eat grass (or hay) until they get a bit bigger. If you have access to some good, edible weeds, then chop up a bit of romaine lettuce along with the chopped weeds and mix it up good. I only add a tiny bit of grass (cut in small pieces with scissors) to the mixture. If the tortoise will eat that, then next time use endive instead, then you can use escarole, turnip greens, dandelion, etc.

 

[Tom]

What was she eating before you got her? Feed her that for a couple of days, and then gradually start adding very small amounts of the new good stuff. It will work best if you mince it all up together and toss that salad well. Gradually over a period of weeks, begin to ad more and more of the good stuff, and less of the old stuff, if the old stuff was not good.

Tortoises are creatures of habit and they eat what they have eaten before and what is familiar.

Also, many breeders don't do a good job of introducing a wide variety of foods to hatchlings. In these cases, the burden falls upon the new owner. YOU!

 

[starsong96]

Her previous diet was Mazuri Tortoise Diet, I'll get some tomorrow. Is it something I can keep her on in addition to greens or should I keep her on it just to transition into greens?

 

[Tom]

Her previous diet was Mazuri Tortoise Diet, I'll get some tomorrow. Is it something I can keep her on in addition to greens or should I keep her on it just to transition into greens?

Chop up the greens super fine and mix them in with the Mazuri. Just use a little bit at first, and gradually add more week by week. I'm talking about 5% or less to start with.

 

[Yvonne G]

Mazuri is a good manufactured diet. I use it once a week as a supplement.