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Two trials were conducted with different durations and intensities of food deprivation to investigate the compensatory growth, food utilization and body composition of the ricefield eel, Monopterus albus. The different feeding protocols were tested for 64 days in two stages: experiment 1 comprised four levels of feed deprivation (1‐day starvation and one‐day refeeding (S1F1), 2‐day starvation and 2‐day‐ refeeding (S2F2), 4‐day starvation and 4‐day refeeding (S4F4), 8‐day starvation and 8‐day refeeding (S8F8)) and a control level (daily feeding). Experiment 2 comprised three levels of deprivation (1‐day starvation and 2‐day refeeding [S1F2], 1‐day starvation and 3‐day refeeding [S1F3], and 1‐day starvation and 4‐day refeeding [S1F4]). In experiment 1, the final body weight and specific growth rate (SGR) of the fish in all feed deprivation groups were significantly lower than those of the control; however, the feeding rate (FR) in all feed deprivation groups was significantly higher than that of the control. The feed efficiency (FE) in the feed deprivation groups was significantly lower than those of the control. In experiment 2, the final body weight and SGR in S1F3 and S1F4 approached the mean weight of the control. FR increased in S1F3 and S1F4, but FE did not differ among groups and was higher than in experiment 1, indicating that feed utilization efficiency increased with prolonged refeeding time. Overall, under the experimental conditions, feed restriction for 1 day followed by longer refeeding might represent an adequate management strategy in M. albus rearing.