Those guys generally don’t have any problem eating. In your shoes, I would.
•Use Selco, vitamins, or garlic with frozen food for several days. This should help familiarize them to the smell.
•Skip feeding the tank for 2-3 days.
•Then feed pellets soaked with the same vitamin/garlic.
Additionally, if you use a turkey baster or similar tool to feed fish; they will begin to associate the tool with food. Anything that comes out of it will be considered food. Some fish will even, humorously, attack the tool.