Feeding breeders

[jglass38]

I just separated my breeding pair of BPs to give them a rest for a couple days. The male refused food (as he has since the shorter days began) but the female took food right away. Shouldnt it be reversed?

Jamie

[BoidKeeper]

Nope, they do what they want. If either wants to eat feed them. Just feed them smaller meals due to the lack of heat at night. The tendancy is for males to go off food not females. But I've found that there is no tendency in balls except for that you never which sex will stop eating and when. The only thing you can count on is that some balls will stop eating.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Jeff_Favelle]

Females are the ones that need the body weight and fat reserves to produce the eggs for reproduction, so I'm not sure why you thought it was the males that need to eat.

???

[jglass38]

Not that I thought the males need to eat, but I figured the females would be the first to refuse food because they produce the eggs. Not sure where my thinking came from. You learn something new every day.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Males begin to refuse in September (good thing. you want them lean and mean, not fat and lazy). Females eat all the way up to ovulation, which can be in November, but all the way to the following July or August. So yeah, if they stopped eating, it wouldn't be good or productive.

[jglass38]

So far so good then. They locked up every night this past week, she ate this morning and now they are separated and sleeping. Back together again on Monday AM! Thanks for all the assistance folks.