Hi I have 13 ball pythons, of which 6 are 1000g and one 2400g. Ok I started breeding ASF last summer. I got 3 girls and 1 boy. Great start. Once I figured out that they will not breed if they get too hot ( i was keeping them outside in FL) they started breeding like crazy. 13-18 babies at a time. I then kept a 1/3 ratio and started another colony. Long story short I have a 5 tub rack for ASFs with 3 permant adult colonies 1/3 ratio, a tub for weaners, and a tub to hold larger rats that I have to buy for my super large 2400g+ female. As of last month except for buying 2 rats a month I am completely self sufficent. I keep my ASF in the same room as my snake rack with no problems. They don't smell. And no my snakes don't seem to smell them either. I fed all my snakes (except big girl) every 4 days. You only have to clean the tubs every 2 weeks and I feed them cat food, bird seed, and astored veggies when I remember to get some! I hope this helps...It has completely worked for me.