When i got my 17-18 incher, I gave it feeders to ensure that it eats well first, then afterwards, I starved it for a week or two and he started to eat beef heart with a lot of hesitation at first, but then he started to like it, I then started to power feed it by feeding it twice a day, he ate and ate. I was power feeding it for it to grow big and mighty enough to hold its own weight against the other monsters he will be in, in my 1,000G pond.
