Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,

I have a normal ball, Jumanji. She will be 9 years old in August and I have had her since she was 6 months old. She has always had a healthy appetite and eats everything I put in front of her. Since we moved to Florida when she was 3, she has eaten year round. I have her on a feeding schedule of one large rat every 7-10 days. She has never had a health problem and sheds in one full piece every couple of months.

In the last 6 months or so, it doesn't seem as though the large rat is enough for her. She is looking for more food immediately after she is finished the rat and when I check on her the next day, she is peeking out of her hidey hole but when she sees me she starts looking to the top of her tank for food. Her tongue is going crazy and she is in the S-position for striking. She is not aggressive at all. She has never bitten me or anyone else, for that matter. I am in her enclosure all the time changing water and cleaning up after her. She never mistakes me for food. I don't want to feed her too much but at the same time it just seems odd to me that she seems hungry all the time. Or maybe I am reading her wrong? Any advice or experience? Like I said before, this has only started happening within the last 6 months.

Thanks!
Sheri

How big is she? I have a fairly sizeable female that will gladly put away 2 large rats a week when she is putting weight back on after laying.

She is just under 5 ft. I'm not sure how much she weighs but she does have good body girth. I tried to post a picture but it didn't work. I don't want her to become obese but she seems to want to eat all the time.

Assuming she isn't putting weight back on after laying eggs, you should be ok sticking to one rat per week. Though, when it comes to balls, I generally feed when they want to eat, as you never know when the next hunger strike is coming.