Tub size affecting feeding

[BaierBalls]

I have a very picky eater. She is about 3 years old and about 1300 grams. She was moved to a 41qt tub about 4 months ago and has gone from eating maybe every other week to hardly eating at all. Was wondering if moving her back to a smaller tub might help her to start eating again.

Any thoughts on this?

[carlisleishere]

It's possible. My female was like that and I moved her to an smaller opaque tub and she eats a little more consistantly now.

[Daybreaker]

I would move her back to her older, smaller tub and see how she does. Also moving her to a very quiet room/one with not a lot of traffic and covering the front of the tub with a towel to make it darker and more burrow-like might help as well.

[heathers*bps]

I would say moving her back to the smaller tub would be a good idea.

[Kinra]

Moving her might get her back on food, but it might not. One of mine was about 300g and I had her in 41qt (with hides) and she ate 3-4 times for before going off food, so I moved her to a 15qt and she still wouldn't eat for another 2 months after I moved her. I would try giving her a hide too if she doesn't have one.

[Jonas@Balls2TheWall]

I have noticed better feeding responses when using smaller and more enclosed tubs. Could also be bad timing and she might have slowed down her eating whether you moved her or not.

[WingedWolfPsion]

What jball said. She is at 'that weight'. Between 1200 and 1500 grams, females OFTEN take the winter off from eating. If that's what she's up to, it's probably hormonal, and she will start up eating in the late spring around the time females are laying eggs.

I've had picky eater mouser girls go through this adolescent fast, and then pick up on the other side eating rats like they've never refused a meal.
If that's what it is, she should eat heartily for you next summer, and be ready to breed the following fall.

[Homegrownscales]

I've noticed with the girls especially that if I keep them in smaller quarters and feed smaller more frequent meals.... I don't hit the 1000 gram wall. I generally will keep girls in smaller tubs until they are around 1500. No one goes in a 41qt until they are above 2000g.


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