I wanted to share a practice of mine. I like to feed my females a rat just prior to removing the eggs from their tubs. Well actually here is how I do it. I remove the eggs, set the female aside in a holding tub, and completely strip the tub. New bedding, no more smells of eggs. I then replace her, let her settle for a half hour or so.. and then I offer a rat. (I use medium-sized ones.. nothing huge.) Last year, all of my egglayers immediately grabbed and ate the rats offered this soon. I figure, it is my way of getting the ladies back to pre-breeding condition as soon as possible. And, if they want the prey item, and are willing to grab it, then they know what is best. IMO this also gets her out of Mommy Mode, where she is so defensive and thinks that the eggs are still with her.
My one female that laid so far this year, immediately took the offered rat and is now well on her way back to normal. Your thoughts?