Whats the difference?

[saber2th]

I do not know much about ASF's and I was wondering what is the difference between ASF's and regular rats. Why do some prefer them over reg. rats and vise versa?
I built a rat rack and getting ready to stock it and was wondering about ASF's. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Dave

[jasbus]

ASF's look like giant mice.
Some ball pythons(ok, most ball pythons) are finnicky eaters. ASF's are their natural prey...
If you can avoid it, avoid it...
You could get lucky and never have to see a ASF.
Me, not so much. I'm the lucky guy that had a pied and a lesser platinum that will eat nothing but ASF....

[suzuki4life]

A rat is a norway rat..

an african soft furred rat is related to a mouse (although both are rodents and share that relationship)

[JLC]

I wouldn't say that "most" ball pythons are so picky that they'll only eat ASF's. The vast majority are quite happy with domestic rats and mice.

To me, one of the primary advantages to ASFs (and I don't use them...this is just based on observing others) is that they get a little bigger than mice, but they don't get nearly a big as rats...so you don't ever have to worry about your rodents outgrowing your snake's ability to eat them.

That's my biggest concern about someday breeding rats...is that you end up with a bunch of retired breeders that are way too big for ball pythons to eat. Of course, my plan by then is to have at least a couple of boas or similar size snakes to take care of those for me.

[kellysballs]

We bred ASF's only for 2 years. I love them. They have lots of babies at once you can feed off your retired breeders to normal sized balls, they stink, eat and drink less than normal rats. However we now only have 2 tubs of asfs for hard to start babies and the occasional stubborn male that comes out of breeding season and doesn't want to start eating again. We have had hundreds of ball pythons and not had a single one get "stuck" on ASF's. We certainly have had 2 or 3 that where more difficult to switch but for the vast majority of our babies, holdbacks and adults they will switch back and forth with no problems what so ever. Even now when we get over run with grow ups we will feed off the excess to our collection.

Only after reading how many people are afraid to buy animals that where started on them did we switch our breeding operation over to regular rats. If it was up to us that is all we would feed and breed. They are just so much easier. The only draw back we have seen is they take along time to get to small rat size vs 5-6wks for regular rats. So you hold your grow ups longer with asf's.

[saber2th]

Ok, but why do people not want to feed ASF's to snakes? Are they harder to find?

[JLC]

Ok, but why do people not want to feed ASF's to snakes? Are they harder to find?

For your average keeper...yes, they are much harder to find..and if you do find them in pet stores, they tend to be much more expensive than domestic rats or mice.

[jasbus]

Personally, I would avoid them as much as possible.
They chew to no end, can escape alot easier than mice or rats, and if by chance, you happen to run out for a while, and your snake has become accustom to eating only ASF, you're screwed.
You can always find rats or mice, ASF's, unless you happen to know someone, or are willing to pay out the arse for them, you're screwed.
I breed them, have way to many of them, and out of everything I breed, which is alot, I hate them more than anything else. They waste more food than any other rodent, they eat themselves, they escape, i hate them.
did I mention i hate them?

[saber2th]

Thanks for all the replies, I will stay with my original plan and go with rats!