Fed off my first ASF I produced

Tonight I fed some snakes some of the ASF that I have produced and raised.I gotta be honest with you, It was a little difficult feeding these little guys off. I put over 2 or 3 months getting the colony going. It is alot easier feeding them rodents from the pet store. I know this is why I raise them , hopefully next time it will be easier....

You are now officially a bad person! No I'm just kidding it's hard I know, but it must be done once you get to the point where mutilple females are preggo it will get easier.

It definitely gets easier... I've produced 5 litters now and I've been feeding them for about a month. I feed them when they're smaller so that I can feed multiple per snake to keep the colony under control. I remember feeling sad for the first couple ASFs that I tossed in with my pastel, but now it's better. Circle of Life..

I know. I have over 100 and I fed the first round off tonight. I didnt want to run out and have to go back to regular rats. So ive been watching these guys every day, kinda got attached to the little boogers.

Jeff:

From your sig, it looks like you have only one snake. Is this correct?

What are you going to do with 100 ASF's? Just curious.

JohnNJ

No I cant figure out how to change that. I have 10 with plans for some more in a month..If you know how to change it John, Let me know Thanks

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Originally Posted by Jeff Krupa

No I cant figure out how to change that. I have 10 with plans for some more in a month..If you know how to change it John, Let me know Thanks

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That makes more sense.

Go to User CP on the blue menu bar at the top and then to Edit Signature on the left side of the page.

Or go to Quick Links on the same menu bar and then to Edit Signature.

thanks

what are the benefits of feeding ASF over pet store rats or even just a normal feeder rat bred at home... Are ASF's more nutritional or do the provoke better feeding responses? whats the deal

They are the native prey item of Ball pythons. They are, from my experience, very easy to produce.They are great breeders. Another plus is they have little to no smell. Asf have large litters as well. Their downside is they take a bit of time to get up to feeding size.

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Originally Posted by Jeff Krupa

They are the native prey item of Ball pythons. They are, from my experience, very easy to produce.They are great breeders. Another plus is they have little to no smell. Asf have large litters as well. Their downside is they take a bit of time to get up to feeding size.

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Jeff:

What are the pro's and con's to ASF's vs. Gerbils?

JohnNJ

Not really sure about gerbils... I have heard that once on Gerbils always on gerbils.. I could be wrong though. I have no experience with gerbils, so Its hard for me to comment.

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Originally Posted by skaplan86

what are the benefits of feeding ASF over pet store rats or even just a normal feeder rat bred at home... Are ASF's more nutritional or do the provoke better feeding responses? whats the deal

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Originally Posted by JohnNJ

Jeff:

What are the pro's and con's to ASF's vs. Gerbils?

JohnNJ

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In my opinion, they do provoke better feeding responses than normal mice and rats, and they get the perfect size for ball pythons in particular.
When breeding them, a HUGE pro is that they DO NOT smell in the least. I have one bin of mice and hate them for their smell.

They jump more, and are more difficult to tame/handle. Don't usually bite, but can. Gerbils have always been more bitey imo.

I was thinking more about nutrition. Are the ASF's better as food or is the gerbil just as good, or maybe better? Would a regular mouse or rat be better as food?