ASF's vs. Domestic Rats

ive had a few baby bp's that would not start on mice or rats and got them going on asf hoping they wouldnt stick to them as the myth says and after a few meals they all switched easily. ive noticed that my bps that have had asfs tend to go back and forth more easily. When i am low on mice ill feed and asf or rat pink/fuzz. if im out of small rats ill feed a nice sized asf. they go back and forth really easily.

Although asf's dont grow as fast as rats from my experience. i can have two litters of rats before a litter of asf's lol.

oops double post

The "crack" thing is a myth.. They are in fact an excellent way to quickly start hatchling BPs because they are re perfect size, they move a lot, and have fur. Baby BPs will quickly switch to mice and rats from ASFs since they are so young. Once that feeding response kicks in, there is usually nothing stopping a hatchling.

Some adult BPs could get stuck on them but these are usually only the BPs that are already going to be picky. The ones that would have been mousers anyway.

Pros:
Huge litters.
Prolific breeders.
Prefect size for BPs through all life stages.
Low odor.
They choose one side of the tub for their "bathroom".

Cons:
Chew everything in sight! Need chew logs & a wheel to curb this.
Protective of babies/may bite.
Skittish/jump very high.
Usually need to be "tailed" to be handled. With work they can be tamed. Aggression can be bred out if aggressive ones are fed off.
Breeding slows within a matter of months. You must learn when to switch out your male/females to keep producing.

On the whole, I love them. I only produce them for one picky adult BP and to start babies but I still keep more than one colony. I just enjoy having them around.