Constantly hungry lately

[Angcious]

I have 2 meraukes. One is 1 1/2 yrs old, 1040 grms. The other is 1 yr old, 700 grms. They get fed twice a week but I give them treats in between...bits of the veggie mix that I give my bearded, any fresh fruit I have that I know they like, pieces of my dinner that I think would interest them, if I find a cheap pack of chicken or beef liver, etc.
The older one always looks overweight but at least is very active and curious. The younger one has a well rounded look at first but by next feeding, almost looks trim. They both get plenty of exercise. The older one doesn't really do much inside his cage but spends a good bit of time outside of it. The younger one is constantly rearranging and destroying the inside of her cage and begging to come out. She does get out of cage time but I limit her more because of her smaller size.
Here's the thing...lately the both of them, despite the exact same feeding schedule for months, seem to be absolutely ravenous lately!
I fed them 3 days ago, I even gave them a bigger serving than normal. By yesterday, with their bellies still well rounded, they were already showing the signs that they were ready to have a good meal again, and not just snacks!
My older one, when he's really hungry he'll keep giving you the cutest begging face and when I bring him out, he gets clingy and won't leave me...like he's afraid if he lets me out of his sight, he'll miss out on his food. The baby, when she's really hungry...you have to watch your fingers because she'll start grabbing at them like crazy! I made the mistake of forgetting about that a few times and had her latch onto my finger, fortunately for some reason so far, it hasn't hurt but it takes a minute for her to let go lol!
Why are they suddenly getting so hungry so fast? Temps are the same as they've always been, what's going on? Or should I try putting a little more dog food in their mix? I don't know, maybe they need more substance in their food? The last portion size I fed them was probably about 4 tbs, normally it's about 3 tbs. He ate it all at once. When I went to take it from her, she started grabbing for it so I put it back down and she finished it.
Would they feel more satisfied if I did something like a tablespoon portion every day instead?
I tried leaving a pellet food in there for them to have to free feed on when they got hungry but they kept eating it all up right away so I decided against doing that.
I do want to add that they have been negative parasite tested.

[Susann]

From the behavior you're describing, I'm almost thinking you may have their genders wrong...... Of course, every BTS is an individual and there is NO way to to say for sure, but the behavior of the older one sounds like most of my females, and the younger one sounds like most of my males.
....Just 5 cents you didn't ask for

It could be that they have gotten over their mating/winter slow-down/birthing seasons now and are working on "stocking up stores" for the next season. COULD be. Who knows.
Whatever the reason though, it's fine to let them eat more as long as you keep an eye on their build/weight. In my experience with my animals, males tend to burn off more in comparison to females because they tend to be more active throughout the year. My breeding females have tended to put on more weight in the summer months --I'm assuming in anticipation for going through upcoming possible gravidities. My males tend to be so focused on mating --some of them, many months past the mating time-- that they go through a noticeable slimming during fall, winter, and some even through a lot of spring. Then they gorge through summer, but never have put on enough to become anything even close to overweight. My females tend to have a noticeable weight-loss after birthing --OF COURSE!-- but then put weight back on a bit more slowly but steadily until they give birth again.

Let them eat more as long as you slow it down (if they don't do it themselves --sometimes eating more becomes a habit that's hard to break unless nature does it for you; this is true for humans and BTS alike ) if, or when, they start to get overweight.
I personally think it's healthier to feed smaller meals more often, than feeding more in each feeding. And if you feel that their weight is good and healthy already, then maybe add in more veggies when you're feeding more frequently. If you do that though, make sure to keep an eye on the goitrogens and calcium to phosphorus ratio in the veggies and greens that you're feeding, to avoid possible MBD problems. (The calcium to phosphorus ratio of the whole meal should stay within 1:1 to 1:2. There's no way to be sure on any amount or ratio in the particular foods you're feeding; I'm just saying, keep it in mind to vary the meals and try to add less of the foods where the ratio is far off...)

Keep us updated; interesting to follow.

[Angcious]

I knew there had to be some logic to this when it was going on with both of them at the same time. Thank you Susan! That all makes perfect sense and I decided what I'm going to do is start with 2 tbs portions every other day and see if that satisfies them.
You certainly could be right, I have no idea what sex they really are and am anticipating the day I find out for sure.