Feeding and Nutrition :: Spoiled?

[AHull5]

When I was on vacation my mother took care of my turtle and she bought him the Tetrefauna ReptoMin Select a Food. Well in doing this my turtle has really taken to the dried shrimp and the dried Krill. Unfortunately, he will not even touch his pellets anymore. Is there anything I can do to get him to eat them? He just leaves them in the tank, even if that's all I put in there for a week. I tried to give him a bit of lettuce today, and he only ate a little. Is there anything I can try to be a staple in his diet that he might actually enjoy?

Thanks
<3

[mikee]

A-Hull --Yes! There is something you can do. Do not feed him until he eats. If you don't want to feed him by hand, take the numbered pellets out after a few minutes. After a few days he will eat. You just have to not give in. Just make sure he is not sick and is only being picky. If you are not careful they will have you going out for boiled lobster and shrimp. There are some on this forum that practically beg them to eat and go so far as to soak the pellets in tuna juice and such.

[erinemcgreevy]

Be strong, keep giving him pellets and veggies eventually he will eat it.

[mikee]

The only problem I have with leaving the food in the tank for an extended period of time is that it disolves and makes a bigger mess. The pellets that I use will not last long sitting in the water.

[steve]

Considering that the shrimp and krill should be treats at minimum, I think your turtle has had enough of it. You can leave lettuce in there for most of the day (or some aquatic plants which can stay in the tank) and offer the pellets. As mikee said, it can get messy if uneaten, so I would scoop them out after a few minutes.

[AHull5]

This wont make him sick will it? How long should I go on feeding him pellets that he's not going to eat before he gets sick? I have strong willpower to not give into the spoiled little brat, but I want to make sure that I don't hurt him.
<3

[TheComputerGremlin]

You shouldn't hurt him. Eventually his survival instinct will kick in and he'll give in. Sometimes it just takes awhile. I'd imagine if he's going on two weeks not eating, you might have to try alternate plans, like soaking the food in tuna juice, or buying a different pellet brand. He'll come around!

[SpotsMama]

If it were my turtle I'd transition him to the good pellets gradually. At the first, soak all the pellets in tuna juice, then in a couple of days just barely dip them in tuna juice, then a couple of days later just dip a few of them in tuna juice and leave the rest dry, then finally give him nothing but plain vanilla pellets.