Quote Originally Posted by Mrr View Post
I'm a bit hesitant because I've heard that ball pythons can often take to them SO well that they'll refuse normal rats after this. Is this true?
No. Gerbils can definitely be a problem, ASF's not so much.

I used ASFs to supplement my mice/rats and never had any unexpected refusals switching in between (I would cross-scent prey items if I suspected there was a hold-out). Hypothetically if you fed nothing but ASF's to a ball python for months of course it would be reluctant to change food sources, but, this is to be expected of any rodent food item.

I bred ASF's for years before coming to the final conclusion that they are more trouble than they are worth--their proclivity for eating their own offspring makes Syrian hamsters look mild in comparison. My examination of their food consumption vs. viable edible weight production ratio (cannibalism excluded) showed them to be metabolically less efficient than either Norway rats or Domestic mice. Plus given their poor behavior: I would not recommend them as a reliable food source for a collection of any significant size.

If this is all you have available in your area though--it might be worth consideration vs. buying bulk frozen.