ASF's vs. Domestic Rats

I'm breeding rats, thinking about switching to ASFs. Hoping Rhasputin sees this. What are the benefits of ASF's over domestic rats? List the pros and cons of each? Where can I find live ASF's near Knoxville, TN? There we go. Short, simple and to the point.

Only problem with ASFs is that they are like crack to BPs and can be hard to switch off of them. So it can make trades hard or selling babies if you've started them with ASFs. Maybe somebody that keeps them could tell you how they get around this.

From my understanding that's kind of a wives tale type thing. Where it does happen but it's not as common as people think. I have read threads where someone with 50 balls on ASFs will only have 1 that won't take rats. I don't know from experience but that's what I've gathered in my thread reading recently.

I have over 20 BP and I fed exclusively on ASFs for two years and I just had to move to CA (where they are illegal) and ALL of my guys are eating rats and mice no problem...just FYI

Pros
Way less smell
Full grown adults can still be eaten by a BP
bigger litters
1.3 ratio per tub so more babies in less space

Cons
big chewers!!
Bite the hand that fed them often


Thats just my two sense!!!!
I love ASFs and in two years one tub chewed out so I fed them off and I was bit once cleaning their tubs.

yes that is a myth about "crack" but it is to SOME snakes, problem is you won't know who until its too late. Usually the pickiest eaters though.

My con to ASF? They take forever to get bigger.

I have a couple of asf only snakes, switch them? haha, not a chance.
Sure most will take either, but just try putting asf eater in your ads and see how that goes for you...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

I have a couple of asf only snakes, switch them? haha, not a chance.
Sure most will take either, but just try putting asf eater in your ads and see how that goes for you...

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Yea that would be my concern. Even if it only happens every once in a while, that's a big problem no matter how many clutches you are putting out per season.

The whole thing about switching from ASFs to other rodents, is sort of a myth.
If an animal is picky, it is picky, it's not the fact that you're feeding them ASFs that makes the change, it's the animal's personality. So there's some myth in the statement that 'it's hard to switch a snake from ASFs back to any other feed source'.

Pros of ASFs over rats, large litters, never outgrow your snake, low smell, less prone to upper respiratory infections and myco, do extremely well in large colonies

Cons of ASFs compared to rats, they chew everything (take extra precautions when housing), are sometimes nippy, and almost all are jumpy.

The nippiness though, is something that you can easily fix by just buying your ASFs from handleable stock. I've had ASFs for a while, and I've only been bitten once maliciously, and 3 times in total. The other 2 were just 'hey, are you food?' nips.

Hint for buying. . . Don't buy from anyone who says you have to use tongs or gloves to handle them. If their ASFs are THAT aggressive, you don't want them.

The only con to me is they grow very slowly. I feed my snakes ASFs but ones I sell I feed frozen thawed or live mice then rats (because of that stupid persistent myth of imprinting). None of my ball pythons refuse to switch. I know there are some that are picky, but it is the exception.

Rhasputin hit it on the head. If ASF's are handled alot which ours are we have no agression issues. My snakes also go back and forth between asfs and rats all the time

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.