Anyone do an induced fast?

[Shadera]

All my strong feeders are hit and miss the last couple weeks. Parameters are normal, so I know it isn't illness. It hasn't bothered me the last few years, because if they didn't want what was offered I had another animal that would take the food. Now with many fewer animals, I am loathe to toss out an FT rat and looking to perhaps give this a try.

I remember reading about the folks at VPI doing an induced fast, where for a certain period, they don't offer the snakes any food at all. I'll have to get out my book and look, but I believe it was several months. This theoretically gives the animals time to shut down. I guess this could be something the animals are doing for themselves when they go off feed for a while, who knows.

Anyone else do an induced fast? I'm seriously thinking about not offering at all for a couple months to anything over 500 grams, but even some of my littler ones are sluggish with feeding responses lately.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I don't do an induced fast however I do skip one week every other month and have done so for several years. And I also feed smaller preys.

Aside from breeding season which translate in some females going of feed as early as the first pairings or as late as the day they ovulate, the females eat with consistency and so do the males, is it related, does it helps? maybe, maybe not.

I only have 2 bad feeders (which I call the true picky eaters) and one of them came around this year since she was bred and laid her eggs.

[KatStoverReptiles]

Hhmm...this is an interesting topic! Unfortunately I have nothing to contribute except to say I don't think it could HURT...especially what Deborah does, skipping one week every other month/feeding smaller prey items.

I have a male who bred this year who's been off feed for 6 months. He's driving me bonkers. I will admit in the past month or so I've noticed some sluggishness from some of my best eaters. I'll be interested in keep an eye on this thread.

[ChrisS]

I've heard of people doing this with condros but not bps. We all know that they aren't eating every week on a schedule in the wild, and bps are notorious for going on fasts so I don't think it would hurt. I may actually be beneficial. I've felt for a while now that as a community we overfeed our animals and force them into sexual maturity too soon.