I have always offered no matter what on feeding day sometimes they ate sometimes they didn't. But here is some food for thought..... I did have one of my girls that is always a hearty eater, I mean never misses a meal, and one feeding when she was in blue she had a bad strike and the mouse, thank god it was a mouse and not a rat, bit her close to her eye. She did not bleed but she did retain her eye cap when she shed. The eye cap came off with the next shed and her eye looks fine. Just be aware things can happen.