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BPnet Veteran
African Soft Furs
Well, I am picking up a couple ASFs this week and was looking for any tips from those who already breed them. Are they pretty much the same care-wise as Hoodeds, anything I need to know before I bring them home?
1.1 crazy dogs
4.3 even crazier cats
2.2 bps
2.0 Off Track Thoroughbreds
0.3 human kids
1.0 Boyfriend who puts up with the craziness
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Re: African Soft Furs
Check with Heath... TekWarren. He has a link in his sig... and I believe he breeds them as well.
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BPnet Veteran
Re: African Soft Furs
Ummm after reading a bit there, maybe I will stick to rats only They may be cute, but my daughter wants a couple for pets and they don't seem to be the pet "type". Or explain to her that they really aren't the hold in your lap type like she is used to.
1.1 crazy dogs
4.3 even crazier cats
2.2 bps
2.0 Off Track Thoroughbreds
0.3 human kids
1.0 Boyfriend who puts up with the craziness
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Re: African Soft Furs
Thats true. Thats why we decided against the ASF. Normals make awesome pets
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BPnet Veteran
Re: African Soft Furs
I have a pretty decent breeding colony going and have been able to study them for almost a year now (October). I don't handle mine as if they where pets and I have NEVER been bitten by a single one of them. Really the only time I physically disturb them is to clean or remove one as a prey item. That said these rodents do seem use their mouths as a form or exploration rather than aggression...from what I have seen. More often than not mine would use their the mouths to pull something closer to them if it was out of their reach to further inspect it. I have not heard to much of anyone really concentrating on bonding with an asf rat but I don't think its out of the question. I am very happy with my decision to not only study and breed them but also use them as a prey item for my snakes.
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Re: African Soft Furs
I breed them as well (not as long as Tek but still for about 6-8 months now). In NO way do they make good pets
Bad Side - They Bite/nibble/chew - I have had them draw blood on numerous occasions before I learned to be like Tek and just let them be, they constantly chew. The babies jump like grasshoppers and once down they are gone. They fight back - so no missing allowed by the snake
Good side - they are very curious so you can pet them but only if one is willing to come away from the group (so you won't get bit). They smell even less then rats do (I could pry go a full month without cleaning them and never notice - FYI I clean them weekly). Finally they are small (full grown they are larger than a mouse about the size of a rat weanling). They are excellent breeders - very hardy and breed constantly with large litters (in fact I had to pull all the males as I was getting over run)
The Best Side - I had 2 balls that went off feed (1 for 9 months and 1 for a year) and ASF finally got them both to eat and eat consistently.
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Registered User
Re: African Soft Furs
We have had them for about 10 months. I agree with everything above. They are great feeders for balls. I too have a few balls that would not eat on a reg basis that eat weekly for me now. I found, you need to feed them live to your snakes. If you kill them before feeding the snakes could care less about them.
They are fun to watch, we have one that has short ears and we found his children have short ears and stubby tails. We are playing with this morph to see what else we can get.
BTW, we use long tongs to take the pinks and fuzzes to feed our smaller snakes. The adult rats will attack you if you don't.
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BPnet Veteran
Re: African Soft Furs
I'm playing with their genetics a tiny bit also but just for colors. I've got to where I am producing solid browns and solid beige's (or whatever the correct color terms may be LOL). Nothing to exciting really a solid brown popped up and I kept him for a breeder later a solid beige female came along so she was held back also. Pics on my site album, would love to see the ones your describing!
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Registered User
Re: African Soft Furs
I agree with the others here. I've een breeding them since November. NOT good for pets. Mine can and do bite, and I give them very little opportunity to do so, but they still tag me fairly often. Draw blood every time. Maybe I have a meaner strain than others here =) I don't mind, as it makes it that much easier to kill them off.
All of my snakes, corn snakes and 1 ball python, are now eating them frozen/thawed, and all are growing quite well on them.
My BP was on live ASF rats since I got her at 75g back in early March, but I tried fresh killed and then frozen/thawed and she ate all of them easily. She is now on frozen thawed only and eats them just fine, either mice or ASF.
As for their care, pretty much the same as normal rats, though you need to be more careful because of the biting. They also jump VERY well and seem to have no fear of heights so if given the opportunity they will jump to escape from any height.
Food, they can eat the same good quality lab blocks as rats and mice.
Housing, they need more space than mice, 10 gal minimum for maybe a trio, 15 gal or larger is better. Since I'm now on all FT I've reduced my colonies to just a 15 gal with 1.4 breeders and they produce often and in decent numbers.
Give them some kind of a hide or nesting box, 3" PVC T connectors seem to be preferred by mine.
I also gave them a good safe and quiet wodent wheel attached to the screen top and they use it almost constantly.
Very important, for screen tops use 1/4" mesh, as the young ones can easily escape through 1/2" mesh and they move around earlier and faster than mice.
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