1/2'' hardwire cloth too big for ASF!!!!

[Larry Suttles]

I've had several weanling Asf's escape through the rat racks I have where I use 1/2'' hardwire cloth. I've since switched to 1/4'' which is commonly used on homemade mouse racks. That solved the problem.

Don't house them in your rat racks unless their grown and not producing babies because they will escape.

Just a my
larry

[Larry Suttles]

Another observation I've noticed with Asf's. I've had a litter or two where the mother Asf died so I orphaned the babies off to rat mommies each time the Asf's turned out tame as a kitten in adulthood.

Dunno rats moms must be a strong influence on aggressiveness because all the offspring have been calm and very tame.

[lord jackel]

I've had several weanling Asf's escape through the rat racks I have where I use 1/2'' hardwire cloth. I've since switched to 1/4'' which is commonly used on homemade mouse racks. That solved the problem.

Don't house them in your rat racks unless their grown and not producing babies because they will escape.

Just a my
larry

Larry...I figure I am going to have the same issue very soon. Have you had any issues with your adult ASF being able to eat from the 1/4". Did you just end up cutting a hole for the water bottle somewhere?

[Larry Suttles]

Lj, Yup I just cut a small hole for the bottles and feed with bowls b/c I've noticed the Asf's don't seem to do well from food hoppers.

make the switch soon b/c you'll start loosing them

[lord jackel]

Well I guess I know what I am doing tomorrow. Thanks for the info.

Lj, Yup I just cut a small hole for the bottles and feed with bowls b/c I've noticed the Asf's don't seem to do well from food hoppers.

make the switch soon b/c you'll start loosing them

[Larry Suttles]

You'll be glad you did..lol at least 1/4'' is a lot easier to work with. Good luck Sean

[ECLARK]

Seems like theres a different problem every week with these rats. yep, the big litters that these young mothers have will kill them, seems like all the babies just suck the mother dry. I pull the mothers to raise their babies alone and when you try to put the mother back into the breeding group she came from....trouble. the mothers will deciede to kill the babies when they are half grown for no obvious reason. gonna just feed off all these ASF rats and focus on the regular rats.

Another observation I've noticed with Asf's. I've had a litter or two where the mother Asf died so I orphaned the babies off to rat mommies each time the Asf's turned out tame as a kitten in adulthood.

Dunno rats moms must be a strong influence on aggressiveness because all the offspring have been calm and very tame.

[lord jackel]

Seems like theres a different problem every week with these rats. yep, the big litters that these young mothers have will kill them, seems like all the babies just suck the mother dry. I pull the mothers to raise their babies alone and when you try to put the mother back into the breeding group she came from....trouble. the mothers will deciede to kill the babies when they are half grown for no obvious reason. gonna just feed off all these ASF rats and focus on the regular rats.

Ed...have you had all these problems or just heard of them? So far I haven't had any issues...outside the potential that they are smaller so I need to adjust their caging requirements...but this would be the case of any new animal. My first 2 litters seem to be going just fine with no issues.

[Flagg]

I thought it was fairly well known that ASF enclosures have to be mouse proof.

As for the rat foster idea, I'll have to give that a shot next time I have a rat litter. I've thought about going the other way, fostering rats with ASF just because they have so many extra teats, but for some reason never considered putting an ASF with a rat mother.

Mine seem to feed okay from mouse bar spacing on wire top lab cages, but that';s not the same as 1/4" mesh.

[Larry Suttles]

Hey Ed I noticed that too so just started putting them in groups of 1.2 and stopped pulling the pregos since then I haven't had too many issues.