ASF Price gouging?

[cassandra]

Speaking of availability of ASFs, any Southern Californians found a source for ASFs? I haven't really looked much, just curious as I've been thinking of downsizing my mouse colony and mebbe trying some ASFs for miss finicky bp. =)

[frog_newbie]

ASF's will only be worth $5 each until they are more common in the market. If you want to get them for $1 each then wait a year or two. It is the same as balls, how much were people paying for Pastels a couple of years ago, how much now? Supply and demand, and yeah low supply means that seller can and will charge a higher price that some people will consider gouging.

[mweippert]

if i could find some within driving distance i would pay 5 for each for them.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

ASF are hard to find which explain their price, also most people that will go in Pet store and buy ASF will be more than likely start their own breeding colony in my opinion rather than feed them off.

I paid $0.00 for my 4 ASF however I was willing to pay the only problem as stated earlier they are hard to come across in GA I tried to find some for months, I was lucky to get mine from Ed .

I paid $6.99 per regular rats to start my colony but when someone need future breeders I give them away for free because I know how hard it is to get a healthy colony started.

Now when it comes to feeders if I had to buy from the pet store it would cost me

$2.50 per small rats
$1.50 per mice

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Speaking of availability of ASFs, any Southern Californians found a source for ASFs? I haven't really looked much, just curious as I've been thinking of downsizing my mouse colony and mebbe trying some ASFs for miss finicky bp. =)

Aren't they illigal in California? (If I am not mistaken someone mentioned that before)

[Freakie_frog]

I paid $0.00 for my 4 ASF however I was willing to pay the only problem as stated earlier they are hard to come across in GA I tried to find some for months, I was lucky to get mine from Ed .

How are the little demons.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

How are the little demons.

Cute and sweet as the day they got here, hopefully they'll stay sweet even after they breed!

Hopefully once they start breeding I can switch my mousers BP to ASF and keep the mice colony exclusively for the colubrids.

[frankykeno]

My original ASF's came from that breeder out of Toledo via the Taylor show and we paid $5.00 per ASF and were quite happy to see them come down that much in price compared to what they were only a couple of years ago. It's because of that kind of breeder making room for them in their rodent breeding operation, seeing a market developing a couple of years back, that you can get that at that far more reasonable price today.

As far as I'm aware that particular supplier does a much larger portion of his business in mice and regular rats. If he gives X amount of floor space to breeding and housing a rodent that's not as well known, therefore, sells doesn't yet sell as much monthly volume, then it makes perfect business sense that he would have to charge a higher price. Nobody is in business to waste their time or space for anyone's convenience.

A rare sports car takes the same lot space as a family sedan. A fancy bp morph takes the same tub space as a normal. Price is driven by factors that I don't think you are perhaps taking into consideration here.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

As much as mcavana touts they dont eat very much, well they eat just as much as a small rat. They drink that much in water too from what I can tell. (Maybe I just have piggy ASF? LOL)

Don't say that too loud... you don't want to give your little fatties a complex!

I have done rats, and currently have lots of ASF's. There is no doubt that my ASF's eat and drink far less then the rats did. at least half as much. Small rats are the biggest pigs of all!

I think 5 dollars is a fantastic price for ASF's. A large rat is 8 bucks here. And that is the common rat that everyone (petco, petsmart, local shops) carries. So, in my opinion ASF's should be worth at least that... if not more. I honestly don't think they will ever drop below 5 bucks on average.

Mike

[rabernet]

I guess the rarity would be a profit upper, but at the same time, I live in the middle of no where (town of 2000 people), and I have found 3 people/companies that breed their own ASF's within driving distance. They are not THAT rare. And while yes, a large+ feeder rat is 5 dollars here too, but that is much bigger than a 5 dollar ASF.

Consider yourself lucky. There are none to be had in metro Atlanta that "I" know of. I had to have mine "imported" from Mississippi last month (met Ed at the B'ham show) to get my trio (well, actually foursome 2.2).

Just last year a trio was going for $50 and up.