ASF vs. Rats (live)

Hi there, I am wondering how dangerous are ASFs compared to Rats to a BP. My bps only eat live, so thats why Im wondering all this. I think live rats will eventuly get too big and dangerous for my BPs to eat live. I dont wanna do f/t.

How many ASF could/should a sub-adult BP eat?

How many ASF could/should an Adult BP eat?

How many ASF could/should a Big breeding female BP eat?

Take into consideration I dont realy know anything about ASFs. Thanx!! :bow:

an asf is not more dangerous than a domestic when its being struck at and constricted a bigger rat will have a stronger bite than a smaller one

it all depends on how much your snake weighs
i just went brain dead, i think its 15% of its body weight for one weekly meal

I think when you are dealing with unknown prey, that being unknown to you and to the snake, you should always err on the side of caution and feed smaller than normal. I like to make absolutely sure I know the prey's likely reactions and the snake's ability to handle a new type of live prey before I move up to the size I would want that snake to be eating every week. In other words I never drop a live adult ASF in with one of our snakes, even if they could easily eat that size, if they've never seen an ASF before. I'd start with a weanling ASF and work up over the course of a few feedings.

As far as what size ASF for what size snake and how many it's just the same as any rodent. Go with total volume required. If you needed 50 grams of regular rat for that snake and you had 25 gram ASF's you'd feed 2 ASF's instead of 1 regular rat (just an example).

We have a sticky on ASF's that will give you approximate sizes for each developmental stage so that should help you be able to decide what is best for the snake(s) you are feeding.

Thanks for the warnings but, That wasnt exactly what I was refering too. I meant more compared to a mouse or a rat, how dangerous is an asf for a snake?

Say the snake is already used to eating ASF but still growing up, so it will need bigger prey/asf down the road. Example, I wouldnt drop a rat with big teeth to feed my BPs when they get much bigger.

You cant realy tell teeth and and dangerousity (lol new word?) of an ASF from the posted pictures. I dont see any teeth realy.

By the way I forgot to ask if they smell as much as a mouse or closer to a rat?

Chickens. They smell, taste and fight back like chickens. BuckAWWWW

side note.
My ASFs dont fight back, they're all frozen and what not. I hear theyre more vicious but some people say otherwise.

in my experience, asf's are better at survival in a tank with a snake than a rat is. they are usually more alert, and judo kick the snake for getting too close. the rats i use are on the.... dumb... side, to put it nicely, and pose very little threat to the snakes. i stopped feeding asf's live to avoid injury to my animals.

I don't think ASF's are more dangerous then normal rats. Remember, ASF's are a natural food for BP's. They are what BP's are supposed to eat! Just like I am supposed to eat pizza, chicken wings, and mexican food!

i found in my experience that asf were actually less dangerous to my snake during live feedings then Norwegians. Norwegians tend to try to bite snakes a lot, asf's tend to bite the handler more.however be prepared to have the asf jump out if your not careful. they can jump incredibly high and will jump out of most feeding bins. iv'e seen them jump higher then 3 feet straight up. but your ball pythons will love you for switching to asf's.

I've been feeding ASFs for over a year and its been my experience that they fight back less than rats. The rats actively try to bite the snake while the snake is constricting it. Most of the ASF feedings I've witnessed don't seem to do that. Of course, there are always exceptions and you should carefully monitor any live feedings.

Kool! thanx for the info everyone. But by the way no one said how bad they smell compared to mouse or rat.

Where would I get a ASF trio to get started?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Danounet

Where would I get a ASF trio to get started?

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post an add in the for sale / wanted section of this forum. Be sure to list your exact location for the best results (closest intersection)

in my experience asfs dont fight back as much too. they just sit there and take it without struggling

asfs do smell better than rats and smell a million times better than mice. they have a unique smell, its not like your average rodent smell

I posted a wanted ad on CL in the pets section for asfs i found like 5 people in my area who offered to sell some

asf generally don't have much of a smell. odorless compared to a norweigen rat.

Thanx!

Oh, oh oh oh trust me ASF's are not odorless! I have about anywhere from 100 - 150 ASF's at all times, and I have never once NOT smelled them. They have a different odor that may not be as offensive to most people, but it's there, and I apparently find it quite offensive. Enough to gag.

In my experience feeding the 2, I would agree with others saying they are less dangerous than a regualr rat. Once placed in the snakes tub they dont go running around crazy like most rats, they usually just sit in a corner and wait for the snake to come and get them. This is why I like them, espically for the more skiddish snake.

As far as smell, I agree ASFs do stink...just a little less than a regular rat. The most I had in a rack at once was close to 80 and after a few days I could definately smell them. When people say they dont smell they must only have a trio or two.

Well thats a good thing then, I want just a trio since ive never breed rodents before lol. And I only have 3 juvi BPs, maybe 4 soon. :gj:

My experience is similar to most.

I've been feeding ASFs for about 6 mo. My snakes that are on ASFs are very shy feeders and I have noticed that the ASFs can avoid them for a longer time but when they are constricted they don't fight as much. I've had Norway rats fight like MAD when being constricted, biting and kicking. You wouldn't think it but their hind legs can cause a lot of damage too. Plus to help avoid injury in either case I keep an eye on them and if I notice a rat biting I use the forceps to move their head.

After keeping/breeding ASFs I will never keep mice again. They stunk up my whole house! I would say out of mice and rats, ASFs smell the least. But with weekly cleaning I NEVER smell them outside the snake room which is more than I could ever hope for.

Hope this helps :P

I've been feeding ASFs for a little over a month and have had over 50 in my room and I've never smelled them. I don't even clean weekly, I just changed substrate and I figure I'll just clean when it smells or starts looking kinda gross (gotta keep the snake food clean and tasty).

I smell snake poop a thousand times more than my asfs.