I have a pair of ten year old ball pythons (one male and one female) who were given to me by a friend a year ago. Their situation is different than any I have encountered so far because they have been raised in one enclosure their entire lives. Also, they are on a feeding schedule of one medium-large live rat per month (always out of their enclosure in separate tubs). The female has laid eggs every year for the last 3+ years. She laid a healthy clutch of 7 eggs on June 23rd and they are now incubating.
I got on this forum to research feeding schedules because the female is looking quite thin since laying eggs and I was wondering if I should feed her more often. They each missed one meal while she was very pregnant, and were fed immediately after she laid her eggs and again in early August. For reference, the male is 41" long and 6" around and the female is 52" long and 7" around. I know you will all ask questions about their habitat so here goes. They live in a 40 gallon glass tank with forest floor bedding. They have an extra large water bowl and two hides (a large flower pot with an enlarged opening on the cool side and a large "turtle shell" on the warm side). I use an under the tank heater attached the side of the glass because I was having issues with it coming unpeeled from the bottom. Humidity stays between 50-70% and temps stay around 82F. Both snakes have never bitten or struck at anyone.
I'm hoping some of you more experienced snake owners can let me know if they are being adequately fed. I'm considering switching to frozen thawed rats and would appreciate any advice you have!
Also, I know that it is not recommended to have two snakes in one enclosure, however I didn't think it would be a good idea to split these two up as they have spent their entire lives together. Thoughts?