ASF Pros & Cons

[Aes_Sidhe]

I know that African Soft Fured Rats getting more and more popular as ball python feeders
I would like to know your experiences with them and opinion about them
Thanks
Rafal

[pavlovk1025]

Getting more and more popular? ASFs are a BPs natural food source. I think they're great for starting problem feeders and fasting females back on a normal schedule. I use 1, they eat it and the following week they eat anything. Cons? BPs imprint, and you might get a snake with a taste for rodent delicacies, taking a couple extra dollars out of your pocket.

[Jsh]

This is a good question. I've herd ASF's are escape artists but thats to be expected with a rat. I'm at the point where I'm not too fond of un-thawing 15-20 rats/mice a week and want to start a rat rack but I'm not sure if I should go ASF or not.

[matt71915]

another pro is that they dont outgrow a ball

[Corvid]

Pros -
- Less odor than 'regular' rats
- They breed, and breed, and breed very easy to keep enough on hand

Cons -
- Imprinting. I personally would never start a hatchling on ASFs
- They are fast, some BP's have a hard time catching them if they are live (say a spinning spider...)

There are a TON more of each, but my brain doesn't work right now...

[kc261]

Everything in this post is "regurgitated" info that I read from someone else posting it, because I've never owned an ASF nor fed one to one of my snakes. However, I have been thinking about starting an ASF colony, so I have researched it quite a lot.

You didn't state if you are thinking of breeding your own ASFs, or just purchasing them as feeders. There is a somewhat different list of pros & cons for both situations.

As feeders:
Pros:
- like mice & rats, they are perfect nutritionally for BPs (at least as far as we know, since BP nutritional requirements haven't been scientifically researched)
- most BPs will readily take ASFs, even if they are used to feeding on something else
- many problem feeders (WCs, hatchlings, snakes that are fasting, or snakes that are just picky) will take ASFs even when they won't take a mouse or rat
- it appears that ASFs can be used to "jump start" problem feeders, then they usually can easily be switched to other types of food
Cons:
- possibility of imprinting, then you'd have to feed that snake ASFs forever (I see lots of people concerned about this, but I'm not sure I've seen even one post of someone that has actually experienced it)
- reduction of saleability of the snake: people who don't have ASFs available to them may be reluctant to purchase a snake that has been feeding on ASFs
- possibly more dangerous to feed live, because they are more aggressive than mice or rats
- lack of availability, unless you breed your own, you may have trouble finding them

As breeders:
Pros:
- once established, they breed prolifically
- unlike rats, they never get too big for BPs
- unlike mice, you won't have to feed multiples all the time (I would guess some situations like maybe a female that just laid and is trying to gain back the weight, but most of the time a single full grown ASF should do it)
- less odor than mice or rats
Cons:
- they grow slowly compared to rats
- some breeders report problems with them chewing out of plastic tubs or chewing up water bottles, so you may need to use glass tanks & bottles
- some breeders report problems getting a colony started, but it doesn't seem to be as bad as getting mice started
- they can be aggressive, especially when defending babies, so you are more likely to get bitten than with mice or rats

[Freakie_frog]

I've been breeding ASF's for the last year or better.
I'll try to put some I didn't see up there.

Pro's.
- Never out grow a Ball
- big litters
- they make a latrine an all use it
- can stand warmer temps than rats or mice

Cons:
- Take for ever to get big enough to be a meal for a Ball
- Fast if you drop one forget it get a pellet gun.
- they bite....hard

[LadyOhh]

They are evil...

[mainbutter]

To anyone tired of thawing feeders but don't want to feed live, I just want to say that it might be worth your time to learn to perform cervical dislocation so you can just fresh kill and feed P/K. You have the benefit of feeding safely that you get from f/t, with convenience of offering live feeders you raise yourself.

[matt71915]

i just thought of one that would go into the cons for the breeder is that some chew up their food

another pro for breeders is that they require less maintinence because you dont have to change their bedding as often as mice and rats and you dont have to remove the male when there is a litter