I recently switched our Normal female yearlings to f/t small rats. They take them well and have eaten them for at least the past 3 feedings which occur every two weeks. However, my mother in law went to buy the food this time and came home with several f/t mice and one small rat...I asked why and she said she was not comfortable with my feeding her snake a larger prey item.
Keep in mind we are both first time snake owners. I have done lots of research, plus I work at a pet store with a reptile expert and am also close friends with a reptile rescuer AND a wildlife sanctuary that specializes in reptiles. I alerted everyone to the food size change and everyone thought it was awesome except her. Now, I can't feed my own snake without being lectured that I am powerfeeding and over stressing her. My manager, who has dealt in herpetology for quite a while, said she is one of the best looking snakes she's ever seen from a first time handler and to keep doing what I was doing and that yes they were ready for rats.
My worries are that Cleo, mom's snake, likes her rats. When I fed her the mice, it took much coaxing and she seemed hesitant. She slurped them down within minutes and sat there looking at me like 'really?'. I'm worried she is underfeeding her snake. When I expressed this, she said well I will just keep underfeeding my snake and you do what you want with yours. I have invested a lot of time and love in these girls and don't want to see her snake suffer. Could anyone help me figure this out? I think she's only scared because our snakes hit some major growth spurts after starting on rats and she said she doesn't want her snake to get big...yet. She wants her snake to stay relatively small.

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