Feeding / Breeding worries

Hi, my 26 year old ball python has laid parthenogenesis eggs the last 2 years (never been with a male).

Following the last clutch of eggs, she has had 18 rats without missing a single meal, and has gained all her weight back, and a bit more.

The data is shown here:

3 Apr 2020 Swollen/Ovulating
21 Apr 2020 Prelay Shed
3 Jun 2020 6 eggs laid (43 days from Prelay Shed)
WEIGHT 1900g
13 Jun 2020 RAT 1
24 Jun 2020 Shed
24 Jun 2020 RAT 2
2 Jul 2020 RAT 3
12 Jul 2020 RAT 4
25 Jul 2020 RAT 5
3 Aug 2020 Shed
4 Aug 2020 RAT 6
13 Aug 2020 RAT 7
26 Aug 2020 RAT 8
4 Sep 2020 RAT 9
16 Sep 2020 Shed
18 Sep 2020 RAT 10
28 Sep 2020 RAT 11
11 Oct 2020 RAT 12
28 Oct 2020 RAT 13
6 Nov 2020 RAT 14
21 Nov 2020 RAT 15
5 Dec 2020 RAT 16
19 Dec 2020 Shed
17 Jan 2021 RAT 17
14 Feb 2021 RAT 18
WEIGHT 3500g

Its funny, she has never eaten through the winter months for many years, but this winter she's eaten in Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb.
I don't know if this is a sign she is gonna produce eggs or not produce eggs.

I'm just a bit worried about the last two rats, they haven't come out the other end yet and I don't want it to cause issues with (potential) egg production / laying.

I'm not gonna feed her anything for at least a couple of months now, she is a bit overweight as it is, I prefer her to be nearer 3000g.

Any thoughts would be great, thanks.

What size rat are you feeding her? My non-breeders get a small every two weeks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bcr229

What size rat are you feeding her? My non-breeders get a small every two weeks.

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I feed roughly 200g rats, I don't go any wider than thickest part of snake and I'll throw away any that I think are too big.

That's a large/XL depending on the vendor's descriptions. She could likely go months without eating by now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bcr229

That's a large/XL depending on the vendor's descriptions. She could likely go months without eating by now.

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In the uk its typically regular/medium.
Then above that its large, extra large, jumbo etc.

Not sure how you could call it large or XL to be honest when there are much bigger rats sized 450g available.

LOL we call them "jumbo" or "colossal" over here.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by colin-java

I feed roughly 200g rats, I don't go any wider than thickest part of snake and I'll throw away any that I think are too big.

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That's a huge meal for a ball python, especially as often as you are feeding, why such big meals or so frequently? My males get smalls (60-80grams) every 2-4 weeks. I could see feeding mediums on occasion but nothing that large on the regular ever.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GoingPostal

That's a huge meal for a ball python, especially as often as you are feeding, why such big meals or so frequently? My males get smalls (60-80grams) every 2-4 weeks. I could see feeding mediums on occasion but nothing that large on the regular ever.

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Are your males 1.3m long, 3000g?

She was very thin after laying eggs last year, so I was trying to get her weight back up, hence the more frequent feeding, they weren't all 200g, some were 150g.

Apart from being slightly overweight, I think her shape is good, she can bend easily and there's a little bit of spine showing.

The last 3 have been about monthly as she was back to 3000g again, but she's gone over 3000g so I'm not gonna feed for a while now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by colin-java

Are your males 1.3m long, 3000g?

She was very thin after laying eggs last year, so I was trying to get her weight back up, hence the more frequent feeding, they weren't all 200g, some were 150g.

Apart from being slightly overweight, I think her shape is good, she can bend easily and there's a little bit of spine showing.

The last 3 have been about monthly as she was back to 3000g again, but she's gone over 3000g so I'm not gonna feed for a while now.

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I agree with some of the other comments, I think you might be over feeding. Adults have a slower metabolism so you have to figure 150-200g rat at the frequency you were feeding, you’re gonna see some weight gain.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by colin-java

Are your males 1.3m long, 3000g?

She was very thin after laying eggs last year, so I was trying to get her weight back up, hence the more frequent feeding, they weren't all 200g, some were 150g.

Apart from being slightly overweight, I think her shape is good, she can bend easily and there's a little bit of spine showing.

The last 3 have been about monthly as she was back to 3000g again, but she's gone over 3000g so I'm not gonna feed for a while now.

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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...a54e29513c.jpg

That's a 4' cage he's up against and he's about 5 pounds, the other is a young male only a couple years old.


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