Asfs

Hey everyone, just wanted to see what you all thought about african softed furred rats for my ball pythons. I have 2 that can be very picky eats. Would switching them over to asfs or just feeding them to my whole collection be a bad idea or what? Also, if anyone has any for sale somewhere near the Northern Virginia area let me know. Thanks

I keep ASF's rats and mice just incase. With that the majority of my collection is on ASF's and I have no issues. The two major factors for me were smell (they smell much less than rats) and size (they will not out grow your BP's). The reproduce very fast but do grow slower than a rat.

If you need some let me know I have a small surplus at the moment.

Ok thanks. How big do the asfs get as adults?

I would say around the size of a hamster. They can get "wide" but not very long like a Norway rat. They are also the bp's natural diet. I'm a fan of them as you can see but some will argue different I'm sure. They can be agressive words you just as an fyi. Mine are tolerant of me and I don't have much of a problem but some have said theirs are down right agressive.

Another pro is that once they get going they are very prolific.

Do you know if I would be able to get my snakes back on the normals rats I breed if I gave them an asf to get them eating again?

I commonly go from asf's to rats and back based off of what I have a surplus in. Have had no issues so far doing this personally.

I have not had a problem switching back and forth, though some breeders tell me that they would never feed ASFs.

I don't breed ASF but my supplier has them. I have a few BP's that are "stuck" on ASF, though the females will take a rat when they are building follicles; I guess hunger is a good motivator!

If/when they refuse I flip the ASF to a rat eater, and they seem to go back and forth without any problems. I do make sure that leftover ASF's get distributed among my other BP's so that they're not seeing an ASF every week for several months though.

Oh and my BCI's and BRB's will eat them too... but I haven't found anything they won't eat.

Do you think it would be a bad idea to just feed all of my ball pythons ASF or not?

Your going to get differing opinions on that. I for one think ASF's are a great choice. I base this off of the facts that they are very prolific, perfect size even as an adult and smell far less than a rat.

Arguments can be made for rats as well. How big is your collection?

I could be wrong on this, but aren't live ASFR's illegal in Va.? I could have sworn that the possession of most, if not all, live African rodents was prohibited. I'Ve always wanted a colony of Pygmy Mice, so I'd love to hear from anyone who knows the legal status without a doubt.

My understanding is that it is not enforced. Pet shops in Richmond actually sell them.

neeckow123 wrote:

Do you think it would be a bad idea to just feed all of my ball pythons ASF or not?

I wouldn't do it regularly for any I planned to sell, as many buyers are wary of getting a BP that is stuck on ASF since they are hard to find in many areas.

Ok thanks everyone.