ASF will this ever pan out???

I do put in fresh apple tree twigs for them to chew on but I don’t keep chew toys in the cage all of the time. I will add some chewable items, I believe they are about a week out from another litter being born. I also fed off the smallest female just in case she was causing a problem.

Can't wait to hear how this litter comes out!

I have Ben feeding only dye free dog food at 22 percent protein with limited greens and fruit pieces. I covered the front of the aquarium with a towel and fed off the small female that was not bred( seemed like she might have been overly possessive) . Pinkies were born last night sometime in a wooden strawberry basket. I peeked behind the towel this evening and it appears that there are still live pinkies so I left them Undisturbed .

Congrats! Fingers crossed for you (them)...:gj:

Awww congrats!! Crossin my fingers for ya!

Update, the asf’s are acting much calmer, the pinkies are starting to look a little more like fuzzies. I notice that if I do have to disturb them to feed the females start to do some OCD grooming. That seems to be how the pinkies were eaten the first time. They would start grooming them and end up eating one. I was probably just not giving them enough privacy. My regular mice seem much less sensitive to disturbances. I’m sure the diet suggestions also played a factor. Thank you everyone for the input

So glad it's working out for you!

I continued to have issues with the females eating their young. I fostered all of the pinkies out with mice. Then the biggest female killed the smaller one. I fed all of the adults off. I kept four females and a male and started over. They now all have pinkies and fuzzies and no infanticide, knock on wood.

Definitely try a feed with less protein this go round, and make sure they aren't too hot. I've tried setting up 3 colonies so far, and only 1 has been successful. That colony I didn't have to do anything, they just produced beautifully from the beginning. Both of the failed colonies had biters, so I'm wondering if their more skittish nature is why they failed so badly.

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Originally Posted by 303_enfield

Sell? No, I'd give you a set or two. Google or Yahoo African Soft Furs for sale. You'll find somebody near you with them. Hit some rat forums an you'll find people that ship.

If your wearing a glove to handle them they have to go. Handle the ones with the mice so if they make it they will be calmer. When I started with ASF I went three generations before you could handle them like mice. Yes, it takes time. Gas the male if nasty right before the females drop. Feed off the females at 21 days (meanest first, next day or two the other an repeat). All while handling the pinks.

If you have a TSC near you, look for their dog food called Doggy Food. At under $14 a 40# bag it is the cheapest/best rat/ASF feed I use. It's dye free an for some reason that's important to ASF.

Good luck with the little demons!

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What was your regimen for selective breeding? I'm having a real hard time setting up a second colony without biters (and that will produce well). The first (and so far only) second gen colony I started the babies picking them up by hand from fuzzies, and from there I picked them up by hand for as long as they would let me. Once around 60-70 grams, I chose the 6 least skittish and most tolerant adults, for a 1:5 colony. I had to cull a couple due to biting, and then I had a couple drop dead on me soon after babies started coming, so that colony is going to have to be scrapped. The other failed colony I had was picked out from the stock I got from the breeder, which I used to try to start two 1:5 colonies. One of those two colonies I scrapped due to biting and lack of production.

I use gloves atm for test handling as my stock's temperament definitely needs work. I can tail them for quick removal, but prefer to try holding them to test their reactions. I also immediately cull biters from the weanling stock. But, even with all of my temperament testing and regular handling, nearly all of my second gen holdbacks in that colony have turned to biters once babies are born. None of their parents are biters, though they still won't let me pick them up. With how long it takes ASF to start producing, and the way they completely change attitude with babies, it's making this really hard.

I have another group of growouts I'm going to attempt to replace my other second gen group (which is down to 1:1 now from 1:5), and some of them I can pick up in a glove without them struggling at all, so I'm hoping those individuals will be good candidates.

"What was your regimen for selective breeding?"

Simple, if my kids say this one is mean... it gets gassed. I run a 1/3 colony otherwise it can get crowded.
I handle them from pinks up. I won't gas a mom for biting while I'm stealing babies. That's moms job. I do gas if I put my hand in a cage an the little demon runs up an bites me. By handling from day one the little guys get calm as anything.

To start a new colony just leave them in with the old one. Once they are bred an ready to drop you have three options.

1) Just pull your new 1/3 colony out.
2) Make the new colony a mix of the old one.
3) Leave them in. The old moms will help raise them. But at three weeks take the new colony to the new cage.

Now, when I have too many (I just get more snakes :O) I put them in a six foot empty metal water trough. I've had 100 in it once. Then it's gas or buy/make more racks.

Small rack that got too big here:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...izes-(gas-day)
I should have pulled more out before they got to 30g.


What should always be in a healthy rack:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...4-Snake-crack!

Good luck!
An the offer stands for a colony or two if you ever get up North.