ASFs: The worse chewers ever.

[Kaorte]

So I've been breeding ASFs for almost a year and a half and as my colonies have grown I have made some observations about their behavior.

Most notably... their chewing habits. When I only had 3-4 colonies, the chewing was never too bad. I have chew blocks, cardboard and paper for them to chew on but for certain groups, that just isn't enough.

What I have found to be the most helpful item to deter chewing is the running wheel. Here are some comparison shots. Sunday I cleaned out all the tubs and left my other 3 wheels to soak overnight (they were nasty). I left this pair for ONE NIGHT without a wheel and this is what I wake up to.


They chewed through nearly all their food in ONE NIGHT.


Here is what the group next door looked like after one night.


Conclusion: the wheel helps IMMENSELY.

[OctagonGecko729]

Did this same group have a wood block or something to chew on all night? Or was everything removed?

[Kaorte]

I gave them a bunch of cardboard, but other then that..no. Even if I give them wood they chew the food anyway. Grr!

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[MootWorm]

Haha they're destructive little buggers. I've never left mine without a wheek though, so it's never been that bad. Now I know to never take it out!! Thanks for sharing

[MrLang]

These guys freak me out the way mice freak me out. Norways are so calm and nice.

[RoseyReps]

Funny you should post this topic today Steffe...woke up to a hole in one of the tubs in our rack this morning.
Darn ASFs...spent all morning chasing them down. Thankfully, my cats helped wrangle them. They also tipped me off that something was amiss...note, when both cats are staring intently underneath something...CHECK.

[Kaorte]

Haha ouch! I had a couple rats escape a few weeks ago. I fixed the issue since then.. but UGH. Luckily they are all in the snake room which is impossible to get out of. There is nowhere to hide!!

[OctagonGecko729]

Hmm, has anyone thought of doubling up their bins? Like maybe putting a 56QT inside a 90QT or something? I dont have ASFs yet but I am very conscious about my feeders abilities to escape, we dont need any more invasives being blammed on reptile keepers.

[Kaorte]

I think they only really start chewing like this when they are bored. If you give them enough things to chew on/a wheel, the escape attempts and chewing of the tub go down dramatically.

I don't know if its worth it to double up the bins, I feel like it would just be more annoying to clean/maintain.

[satomi325]

I think my asfs are freaks.
I haven't had any chew outs or wasted food . I don't keep a wheel with them. They have a food hopper and a hide.

I have hardware cloth on the top lid and front of the tub for extra ventilation because it was my old Norway breeding tub. All the female asfs shove all the poo out of the front. Maybe cleaning keeps them occupied???

Or perhaps they know its a death sentence to leave the tub since there are rat eating ferrets roaming about?

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