ASF randomly died

[Praomys]

So i acquired a 1.2 last night of ASF's and i woke up this morning to find one just dead. Did I do some thing wrong? I have gave them water, food, a chew toy. It doesn't look like it was an act of cannibalism so...

Uploaded photo depicts a relatively healthy looking ASF to the left and sickly one to the right. Yes I get that the one to the right is dead, but still, it looks shabby. Does it? and did it before it got dead? There's only so much we can infer from a photo, but in my experience (I've produced 83 ASF's so far as of this morning) unhealthier specimens get dead one way or another - and no I'm not talking about feeding them off. There's a reason why they have Hugenormous litters = only the stronger ones are designed to survive.

Judging by the size of the lab blocks, the cage in the photo = a mouse sized breeder cage. Go with a ten gallon tank sized surface area or larger for a trio. We use these for trios: http://www.reptilebasics.com/R10

Also, you wrote that you, "acquired a 1.2 last night." So, you did not produce this trio yourself, and you have no idea of the background of this trio? or do you? I can tell you that they are not like Norway rats. No way. If I were to take 2 unrelated adult females and 1 adult male and toss them together overnight... the morning is gonna = 1 dead female, no doubt. I'm not saying it's like this all the time and for everybody, I'm just saying that I learned my lesson the hard way. I don't mix adults anymore, not even in a feeder grow-out tank. I only mix ASF's that are ~1month old, not any older than that. I'm not saying that's the only way it can be done, but I certainly do believe it is the safest, and I always like to err on the side of caution to play it safe.

Lastly, who got dead? a female? do you have a pair? if so you can still get on with breeding.

Personally I find that my African Soft Fur rats don't like to eat blocks from above. ... They should be able to go days without food and water. I also found that my rats die from regular pine bedding. It's very toxic to rodents, I would switch to shredded paper.

Guys (and gals) try this: put blocks on one side and a high protein dog food on the other and watch which one gets gobbled up. ASF's are much more carnivorous than Norways. Just look at their daggers for teeth LOL - and when (not if but WHEN) you get bitten you will know their dental equipment is way sharper than Norways = carnivorous.

Days without water? Really? You're pushing your luck. They have been known to kill each other just to drink the blood. See the archives on this forum, particularly threads where Mikey Cavanaugh has chimed in. He is without a doubt the most learned & knowledgeable ASF breeder to have posted on this forum, or on any other forum for that matter. I wish he were still with us.

Finally, I can't comment on pine shavings, but pine pellets are the bee's knees. We use this stuff: http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pro...-bedding-40-lb
dirt cheap and with ASF's being nearly odor-free and consolidating their poop & piss to corners of the enclosures (they CAN control their bowels/piss, unlike Norways & mice which are disgusting filthy animals) a 1" layer is good for 1month on trios.

... I used it with my rats with extreme success. ...

Are you treating Praomys natalensis aka Mastomys natalensis the same as Rattus norvegicus ? Would you treat Python regius as you would Boa constrictor ? asking for trouble. They are very, VERY different.

... put the food directly on the bedding.

You don't have to put it directly on the bedding, but it's gonna wind up (and under) there anyway. These guys remind me of chipmunks stashing away grub for Winter.

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Any ASF breeders going to the Hamburg, PA, show on the 25th of this month? if so pls PM me let's swap some trios pls i wanna add some new blood to my line.