9 little babies

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._5630973_n.jpg

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._4671164_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._4314777_n.jpgSo far no biting from mom or any other preggos, they are helping nurse, and dad is being sweet as well.

This is fun :)

yay! I love new babies!:gj:

The asf stork arrived!!!!! Thats great that they are really good with you. Have you tried picking one up yet with mom nearby ;)

Actually I have! a few times. To move them into a pile for them, even though they moved em to a different spot later lol. Mom nipped me a couple times when I gave her my finger WHILE preggo, but I put my finger in front of her mouth and it didn't even hurt, so I think she was tasting me. Anyway, no aggression. Lol. I'm so happy!

If you can't tell, headspot cinny is mom and the cinny is helping. The agouti is more preggo than the cinny and helps too, but for some reason the smallest, least preggo asf I have is doing most of the work lol.

Congrats Jess, soon you'll be knee them in them lol :D

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Originally Posted by Jessica Loesch

Actually I have! a few times. To move them into a pile for them, even though they moved em to a different spot later lol. Mom nipped me a couple times when I gave her my finger WHILE preggo, but I put my finger in front of her mouth and it didn't even hurt, so I think she was tasting me. Anyway, no aggression. Lol. I'm so happy!

If you can't tell, headspot cinny is mom and the cinny is helping. The agouti is more preggo than the cinny and helps too, but for some reason the smallest, least preggo asf I have is doing most of the work lol.

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lmao they are scared of the finger!

I have a colony where there is a preggo that is nursing more than the mom. Maybe it's some sort of nesting

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Originally Posted by llovelace

Congrats Jess, soon you'll be knee them in them lol :D

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Yup! What I found is that since they are such slow growers that as im waiting for them to get big enough the others just keep kicking them out. I loaded one 20l tank with about 10 from a few colonies till they are big enough and started another colony from a few babies for breeding from different parents, now they are all starting to breed.

Haha, oh joy. Looks like I'll be selling some off then. ^____^

By the way, this little girl had 9 little babies and she herself is sooo small. She was packed full, so I'm pretty proud! I think she'll have 1.5x that many next time.

Wow. I cant wait for my first pinkies. My 2.4 i hope will start soon. Gj

If the mom lets you go in there without biting. . .

Try giving her a cheek rub! Just rub circles on her cheek muscle on one side with one finger, she'll probably melt! :)
Mine love cheek rubs, something about rodents when they get a cheek rub they just forget about everything else and tilt their head and just go with it, lol.

Awe how cute :) I will try it :)

This is too funny...
Good luck with your future litters, and you will have lots of them!

sad day :( 7 babies eaten, one dead, one left. :(((((

Congrats on the babies. How are the remaining doing?

There is only one left alive :-/ I just found out, so ... meh :(

I did feed the dead one to my albino who is very picky thus far and I have had to assist feed her a mouse and she won't take the rat pup, but she loved the asf pink. I stuck it in her mouth and she swallowed. A bit small for a 70g snake but it's something until I have more asfs to give her that are of size.

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Originally Posted by Jessica Loesch

There is only one left alive :-/ I just found out, so ... meh :(

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Sorry to hear that:(

Good luck with that last one, hope he makes it.

me too... should have another litter soon ...

aww, sorry to hear about the babies. :(

Double check your adults to see if you accidentally left an extra male in there. If you have more than one male per colony, or if any adults were added after the colony was established, that's why your babies were eaten.

If you don't find the problem ASF and remove it, every baby born will continue to get eaten.

Well all the females are preggo with nipples so I know they are not males. All rats were added at the same time.

Don't know where to go from here. Hoping the next litter is better.

Have you looked at this sticky?

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=70212

If you're positive then just try to sit there and observe them from a distance once another litter is born to see who the culprit is.

Yes, believe me, its a 1.3 group. No doubts about it. Like I said, the others are preggo. I know you're trying to help. But I'm 100% sure.

I have read over and over that first time moms often eat the pups. This is slightly comforting yet unnerving all at once.

Additionally, they were okay for 2 days before this all happened :( I am definitely going to keep a close eye on them but don't want to disturb them too much.

None of mine ever have.

I haven't heard that at all. The only time I ever had a problem in any of of my colonies was when the colony was too old or there was an extra male in there.

My first time moms have huge litters of at least 15 and they've never eaten any. That's what mice do. Not ASF.

Just repeating things I have read about asf. Some people have had it happen.

That really sucks and their 2nd litter will tell you alot

I had a 1.2 colony that babies would disappear and could not figure out who was doing it until one morning I found the male stealing the babies and momma attacking him. He was pretty beat up, a bp had a tasty breakfast that morning! Even hoppers would disappear. The females would never accept another.

Not sure if this has anything to do with it but I have since started feeding them lab blocks and have not had any problems since. The litters have also gotten bigger, maybe it was their age or the food???? I am now waiting for my first hold backs to start breeding to see confirm that it is the food.

I'm going to try switching the food. I have been feeding lab block from the petstore and am switching over to native earth even though I think its very similar.

Which brand from the pet store? I wasnt using Mazuri because it was really expensive for a 5lb bag and ordering it was hardly better after shipping. I was using the other brands then I ordered a bag of the Native Earth and have it on auto ship every month even if I don't need it.

It's the Kaytee Fortidiet ... comes in a blue bag. I got it because I was trying to find Mazuri and couldn't find it locally for the life of me, then I found the 4.99 flat rate shipping on native earth and ordered a 40lb bag. So ... Hope it helps.

I found the last baby dead, but uneaten. So the first 7 disappeared (found one half eaten) and 2 were found dead but uneaten.

Sigh! This is depressing.

Not a big deal, I bet that once you switch over the food all will be good!!!!

Thats exactly the stuff, pet store always had it on sale and that is also the same place I ordered my native earth from. I wish I had the space to order the 5 pack.

Do have a feeder for them? Mine was chewing through the blocks like crazy before I made some

Not sure if it means anything with your group but I did notice a change with diet.

When I gave them dog food, which the rats do fine on and enjoy as a change, the ASF's were fighting and eating babies. I feed them Mazuri 6f now and they're all fine.

I was gonna say the same thing. A higher protein dog food works wonders with ASFs. The babies are bigger, litters are bigger, and they don't eat the babies. But supplemented along with the lab block. For some reason ASF play w the block and chew it up more than eat it. Give them variety.

Happy to say my norway rat had 8 beautiful babies. Yay ... takes some of the sadness away.

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

I was gonna say the same thing. A higher protein dog food works wonders with ASFs. The babies are bigger, litters are bigger, and they don't eat the babies. But supplemented along with the lab block. For some reason ASF play w the block and chew it up more than eat it. Give them variety.

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OK - I will give them some from my dog's bag then.

How long have you had your female norway? Im waiting for mine to pop and it should around wed. Im not sure if they are preggo or just fat lol I have 3 that are breeding size. I have tracked her weight from 8-2 she went from 220 to 299 tonight. The others I havent tracked that closely.


I can't find it now but I did read somewhere that if they are to be feeders do not feed them food or treats with red dye, so I just avoid the dye all together now.

I've heard that about the red dye too but I don't know why. Because of that I just checked the labels on my bags anyway to be sure the food I was buying didn't have any red dye in it.

oh true good point I better check, but its a natural dog food so I hope not.

The norway I have had for ... hmm... end of july I think. Yep, the 24th. I saw them mate on the 30th and then she had babies 22 days later! Yay!!!

Here is a pic :) They are like 3x the size of asf pinks.
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...2_852441_n.jpg

Blech, I wouldn't touch anything Kaytee makes with a 10 foot pole!

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Originally Posted by Rhasputin

Blech, I wouldn't touch anything Kaytee makes with a 10 foot pole!

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It was a temporary solution :) I won't touch it with any poles any more :)

:rofl:

Well the norway babies are growing and starting to show color. there are 5 males and 3 females, and IIRC, there are 2 black hooded and 1 beige hooded females (assuming since mom was beige hooded), and 1 beige hooded male and 4 black hooded males.

Mom is being wonderful and the babies are sooo squeaky and cute.

Cool!!! I am waiting

I was looking through your pics on fb and flicker and I saw the pregnant asf you were holding up, but do you have any of the Norway? And I want a baby Pied when you have them ;) I love the way your female has the perfect amount of white! How old is she?

I actually do not have a pic of the female norway because honestly she looked the same, but had a little bulging on her sides that wasn't even really noticable. I think my other norway may pop Friday according to breeding records and I think my agouti asf will pop today or tomorrow. Posting more pics on facebook now of the babies and the snakys.

Deborah makes some great pieds that's for sure :) She was born on july 3.

Here is a pic of my preggo rat ....
As requested....

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._8311420_n.jpg

thinking friday for this one.