Feeding and Nutrition :: Turle will not eat

[guitarplayer97]

I have a baby RES turtle and recently i fed him shrimp and blood worms everyday, until i found this site and found out that it is unhealthy for them to eat those kinds of things everyday. I went to feed him the sticks, but he refuses to eat them. He wants his shrimp. I bought him 2 different kinds of sticks and he wont eat either of them, he just takes a bite and then leaves them alone. I thought of doing the tough love method but im afraid of starving him. How long can turtles go without food, and how do i do this safely?
thanks alot

[jenaero]

Personally, I'd keep offering the pellets until he eats them. When he gets hungry enough, he'll eat what you give him. You could try to trick him by offering 1/2 pellets 1/2 shrimp the first couple of times.

[jozzep]

Well it's like this,
If someone drops off cases of lobsters and fillet mignon to your door every day for weeks,then one day you get a box of oatmeal, it's like "what the hell is this crap?!"lol
Same concept...Your turtle is eating his favorite foods right now, so if you offer pellets, he may not like them cause you spoiled him.
I would eliminate the "good stuff" totally for the time being, until he eats his pellets.If after a week he still does not eat,then offer "some" of the goodies so he doesn't starve.He will eventually eat the pellets.

[tammi]

I had the same problem so I mixed the pellets with tuna and would gradually reduce the amout of tuna and increase the pellets. Then eventually just pellets. Might try that.