Should i breed ASF or Mice?

Hello i breed mice and i came across these ASFs... my snakes eat f/t(i euthanize than freeze the mice i get)

are ASFs easier to breed than mice? i heard they smell less but i need some better reasons..

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Originally Posted by bamf64

Hello i breed mice and i came across these ASFs... my snakes eat f/t(i euthanize than freeze the mice i get)

are ASFs easier to breed than mice? i heard they smell less but i need some better reasons..

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I think they breed a bit better and I never have any eaten babies like I do with mice. The smell factor alone is enough reason for me to breed them. The only reason I have any mice is for snakes that are going to be sold because people don't seem to like it if a snake has been fed ASF's even though I have never had a baby get "stuck" on ASF's.

When I had ASF's they were like Tribbles and at the time I only had a couple snakes so I split the colony up and let them die of old age. Now that the collection has grown I will probably get a new group of ASFs since they are very prolific and several times I have found good deals on snakes that the seller claims are 'stuck' on live or ASFs. While my animals all eat f/t except the lizard eating vine snake having a live food source available could prove beneficial.

ASF's hands down. They are easier to breed, get larger, the males don't fight as much and they don't have that rather pungent smell mice get.

As a side note; they are way cuter than mice :) . If you give them enough space and things to occupy them, they are actually very entertaining little creatures to watch.

ASF's are illegal in California.

Sorry.

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Originally Posted by Mike Cavanaugh

ASF's are illegal in California.

Sorry.

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i can probably smuggle some in :) whats the fine?

I hear that ASFs are a lot easier to breed rather than mice. When you keep mice for breeding you will notice they smell really bad. Even when I had a pet mouse it spelled bad. Also, these rats are a lot healthier for your snakes than mice. I read that rats are more nutricious for your snake rather than mice so your snake will usually be healthier if fed rats and will grow at a faster rate. So, IMO, I think your better off breeding ASFs, and as stated before they do not normally eat their young like the mice do. Though, I've never heard of ASFs eating their young.

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

I hear that ASFs are a lot easier to breed rather than mice. When you keep mice for breeding you will notice they smell really bad. Even when I had a pet mouse it spelled bad. Also, these rats are a lot healthier for your snakes than mice. I read that rats are more nutricious for your snake rather than mice so your snake will usually be healthier if fed rats and will grow at a faster rate. So, IMO, I think your better off breeding ASFs, and as stated before they do not normally eat their young like the mice do. Though, I've never heard of ASFs eating their young.

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i want to breed them soo bad, but i guess there illegal in cali :(

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Originally Posted by bamf64

i want to breed them soo bad, but i guess there illegal in cali :(

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Maybe you can try breeding rats instead of ASFs, but I think they'll just smell as bad as the mice do, but rats are more nutricious for snakes.

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

Maybe you can try breeding rats instead of ASFs, but I think they'll just smell as bad as the mice do, but rats are more nutricious for snakes.

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ya im gona try rats when pheobe gets big enough for them. im not sure if shel want to. il cross that bridge when i come to it lol.:)

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Originally Posted by bamf64

ya im gona try rats when pheobe gets big enough for them. im not sure if shel want to. il cross that bridge when i come to it lol.:)

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Well you could still feed her the rat pups and such, well depending on her size, but you can feed off the offspring to your snake if they are big enough.

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

Well you could still feed her the rat pups and such, well depending on her size, but you can feed off the offspring to your snake if they are big enough.

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ya ill prob do that

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Originally Posted by CoolioTiffany

I read that rats are more nutricious for your snake rather than mice so your snake will usually be healthier if fed rats and will grow at a faster rate.

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Do you have a source on this? I think we've all seen the nutritional profile on RodentPro on Rats v mice, but no one knows exactly what a bp's nutritional requirements are. Growing at a faster rate is not always healthier either. I have snakes that only eat mice and they are every bit as large and healthy as the ones who eat ASF's or rats.

OP, rats will very quickly outgrow your snake unless you euthanize and freeze them while they are still small and if she will take frozen you are probably better off ordering them in bulk. You can also order frozen ASF's if you are still interested in feeding them.

FWIW, I have a female who is 2150g who will only eat mice. She gets 2 large ones a week (her decision, I always offer her more) and she is perfectly healthy and is still slowly gaining weight.