I fed mine last year throughout breeding. None of them went off feed.. I used rats that were on the smaller side of Medium sized. Ginger in particular seemed to actually have a better appetite when she started being bred. I could probably have offered her a rat while she was locked up with my male, and she'd eat it! Oddly, she never ate as good for me, as she does since being bred last year. She has not refused a single meal (offered every 7-10 days) since then.