ASF fact or fiction?

I have thought about starting a feeder colony of ASF rats.
Everyone that I mention this to says it is a bad idea because once a Ball Python eats asf rats there is no turning back and I should just raise regular rats.
Anyone have factual information and not just hearsay info?
thank you
Bill

with certain ball pythons its fact. ASF are natural food source to them in Africa, there for if one eats them you have a high possibility of never getting them off it.

I recommend ASF to WC OR CH snakes that can be picky feeders.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BILLB OKC

I have thought about starting a feeder colony of ASF rats.
Everyone that I mention this to says it is a bad idea because once a Ball Python eats asf rats there is no turning back and I should just raise regular rats.
Anyone have factual information and not just hearsay info?
thank you
Bill

---

Fact..I have 20+ adult females that will feed on rats live and F/T and have eaten ASF's and switched back with no problem..

I also have a female Mojave and a male spider and an adult that wont eat mice or rats they only eat ASF's have for the last two years..

I got snakes that that will eat both with no problem and some the once they got ASF's they haven't touched anything else since..

ASF Fact/Fiction

FACT:Asf's are Awesome
FACT:Ball pythons love Asf's
FICTION:Asf's can fly
FICTION:Asf's taste like chicken
FACT:Every snake is different and eats what it likes.
FACT:All my snakes eat Asf's,mice,rats.
FICTION:I eat Asf's.

I randomly switch up what my snakes eat. Mice and Asf's get pounded and regular rats the snakes are a little weary about. Rarely do any of my snakes skip a meal.
The reason i breed Asf's is because of more babies and less smell. If im short on feeders i hit the pet store. If the pet store is out i have hundreds of back ups in my freezer.

Quote:

---

FICTION:Asf's can fly

---

True but they can jump like no others ;)

Quote:

---

FICTION:I eat Asf's.

---

Than how do you know :8:

Quote:

---

FICTION:Asf's taste like chicken

---

Joke aside

I bred ASF for a short while just to try it and here are some pro and cons.

They do not outgrown the size I feed to my snakes, they however grow slowly compare to rats.

They are almost orderless amazingly you do not have to clean their enclosure as often.

The are definitely great for picky eater, snakes do not seems to have any problem switching from ASF to other rodents.

I no longer breed ASF not really having a need for them or the patience but they are definitely something I would recommend to anyone at least to try once.

Just remember they are illegal in some states.

I have some that only take ASFs,& some that want rats! go figure I love them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Darkice

ASF Fact/Fiction

FACT:Asf's are Awesome
FACT:Ball pythons love Asf's
FICTION:Asf's can fly
FICTION:Asf's taste like chicken
FACT:Every snake is different and eats what it likes.
FACT:All my snakes eat Asf's,mice,rats.
FICTION:I eat Asf's.

---

sorry to get off topic but for a second i thought i was reading something Dwight Schrute was saying.....LOL

Fact: ASF can be mean!

I have not found my snakes to get stuck on them. Picky feeders usually feed well on ASF's and may seem to get stuck on them but I think in reality they are not actually stuck on the ASFs. They just continue to be picky about taking regular rats so when you try to feed them regular rats it is still hit and miss. Normal feeding ball pythons will not get stuck on them IME. I have actually had most of my picky feeders on ASF's until after they lay there first clutch but after that they seem to be much more willing to take regular rats. I actually only have 3 snakes left that will only eat ASF's. One that I bought years ago as a WC adult, and two het pied females that will only take regular rats about 10% of the time.

ASF stands for??????????

Personally I would stick with regulars just because it seems like it couldn't hurt anything and that clearly works... but whatever you decide im sure will work

ASF = African Soft Fur rats

So do they give off a stronger odor? Or have a different taste? I'm assuming that as soon as you kill them and freeze them they loose all their differentiation from other rats? Sorry about this. I've heard about them, I just don't know very much about them. And why would they be illegal in some states?

so far I have lucked out and my snakes all will take them and or rats, and mice ( with no problem.s0 I mean it I got a pair of 15+ year old snakes ( native black rat and a butter corn that both will take them just as fast asthey do a small rat or a mouse.

They do take forever ( when compare to mice and reg rats) to grow up, I am wiping out a mouse colony and agoing to use that setup to house asf so I can start a 3rd colony here the next few days. I need to make one of those rodent racks so i can fit more into my limited space. but limited funds make thata future project only.

I have 24 bp's at the moment and only 2 are strictly asf's feeders everyone else eats whatever is available.

I love ASF's but they do grow sloooww. I would recomend giving them a try.

A.S.F.'s a great mom's.
They do smell less
They are evil incarnate

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CRAZY

So do they give off a stronger odor? Or have a different taste? I'm assuming that as soon as you kill them and freeze them they loose all their differentiation from other rats?

---

they have a different sent and killing them and freezing them only changes that fact that their not alive, other than that its just like when you put a steak and a piece of chicken in your freezer they don't come out smelling and tasting the same

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CRAZY

And why would they be illegal in some states?

---

because the government in those sates had nothing to do one day and had some extra paper to write out a bill