african rats - and back to normal rats?

[lord jackel]

my original questions was... will the asf eating snakes eat regular ratties once they are rehomed?

anyone have any experience with this?

Aleesha I think Tek has answered your question

No one can give you a clear cut YES or NO...or even tell you that you shouldn't try it. Every snake is going to be different, in how it reacts to a different prey item. Some may take asf rats with gusto like you have never seen before, others may take time to transition, and still some may not accept them at all.

This is the same as asking if you feed rats for a long time will your snake eat a mouse. Every snake is unique in what it will/won't eat so I agree no one can answer your question...if they could the answer would only be valid for that one snake.

[recycling goddess]

i was wondering... if anyone had rehomed/sold asf eating snakes and how they did when they no longer had the food item. i wasn't asking how they transferred to asf ratties... but rather how they did when the asf ratties were no longer available to them.

it's pretty well known that in most cases an older ball won't change it's prey item... it's rather rare from what i've read here and learned from adam directly (in email conversations) - whereas young balls will change their prey item easier.

from the knowledge i've gathered, it seems you are more likely to get a mouse eating ball to take ratties and less likely to get a rattie eating ball to take mice.

so, from this knowledge i was pondering... would an asf eating ball transfer over to regular ratties with no problems or are experienced people (with asf) finding that *insert percentage here* will not transfer over thereby creating a problem for the new owner. this new owner does not have the option of purchasing live or frozen prey from their local pet store... instead they have to breed their own food for their snake.

perhaps asf is too new on the scene for me to find the answers i'm seeking.

[TekWarren]

I think you are exactly correct. Now that I understand your specific question. I can't personally answer or know anyone who has been feeding asf rats for much more than a year...but that doesn't mean that no one has. If I could easily get rats I would be more apt to buy them once and a while yet but the show near me makes me nervous sometimes and there are no reasonably priced pet shops around. Not that that would really give you even the slightest idea of a percentage. In the end it really does still come down to the individual animal things like age definitely add to the equation. I still suggest you post on the asf forum there are a number of folks wondering over some outside the US that may have run into the type of situation your inquiring about.

[TekWarren]

I just had another thought. To me its obvious if I where selling to be completely honest in what the reptiles are feeding on. This is the responsibility of any seller. I think it would take some careful consideration and alot of communication as to if someone was dead set on purchasing a certain animal that had been raised on or currently feeding on asf rats...but could not get them to continue with that prey item. *Insert anti-asf comment here* Again there is no guarantee young or old a snake will switch back. At this stage in the game if it where me and I was producing clutches that I knew I was going to be selling I would probably start them on mice however I know that asf rats are available in MI and the availability is spreading. This to me is the only draw back but it will not be the case forever.

[Flagg]

Every ASF breeder I know of that also breeds and/or sells snakes has told me they do NOT feed ASF to the snakes to be sold. So as far as I know, nobody has experienced your scenario.
It would be sort of stupid to knowingly feed a rare prey item to a snake that you are planning on selling.

[lord jackel]

Logic would suggest that on the whole the snakes would switch back. Consider the vast numbers of adult WC animals that come into the country every year. They have been raised their entire life on some sort of African rat. Yet we are able to convert them to our domestic rat or mouse. Why would a CB be any different?

[recycling goddess]

true... but how many of those wild caughts never do eat. how many die instead?

[lord jackel]

true... but how many of those wild caughts never do eat. how many die instead?

The world may never know. But we do know that 1000's perhaps 10's or even 100's of 1000's do survive and are switched over.

So your question is has anyone every feed exclusively an African rat to their ball python and then got them to switch over and the answer would be yes....1000's have they just didn't realize it.

Reading your mind...the next question is what is an acceptable success/failure rate of this conversion? Now this comes back to the new owner.

Just my small brain logic trying to work

[recycling goddess]

hey, your small brain is working well today. perhaps tomorrow we'll work on your big brain




hahahahahahahahahaha i crack myself up hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[lord jackel]

hey, your small brain is working well today. perhaps tomorrow we'll work on your big brain




hahahahahahahahahaha i crack myself up hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

I had a witty comback buy your dancing chicken is hypnotic and I....................................................................

Yes Mistress Aleesha.....