Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My snakes seem to go crazy for them.. Anyone have experience breeding them, I noticed they seem not to smell as bad as normal rats?? How is their production compared to normal rats? Do they breed easy?
JBugg

They tend to have large litters(15-18), but grow slower than rats or mice. Start with 1.2 or 1.3. When they get crowded, like 25 or 30 in a ten gallon tank production drops dramaticly. My concern is that some snakes like them enough that after just one or two the snake dosen't want reg rats any more. I think when they are more redily available it won't be such a big deal, but for now ASFs are more expensive to buy than reg rats. I breed some ASFs for myself, but in MO you need an exotic animale beeders license to sell them.

Claude

I breed my own ASF's
They breed so much I euthanize and freeze 1/2 of each lot when they get to 25-30g each so I can have back up food for my 200-300g balls.
My balls have been on them for 9 months, out of 16 that I have had them. I tried a mouse a few months ago, the snakes would not have it.

I find clutches are often between 10-15, 30grams in a month or so.
For my biggest female(3000 grams) I need to feed 2 adult ASF's, so for bigger balls, they are not the best, but it works for me.
I keep them in a 50gallon tank,
They drag crap into their water bowl constantly, I made a wire platform about 4inches high, and I put the water bowl raised away from the substrate to help keep it crap and substrate free.

I find it interesting that these rats are terrified of the snakes, second they go in the cage they begin shaking in fear. When regular rats/mice, I find go and sniff up the snake and all.
Interesting...
I love em, barely stink at all!

I am working on a small colony right now. It took them a while to get going, but they are starting to breed like guppies right now. Babies are a little larger than mouse pinkies and already have some fuzz on them. And they're nicer than mice because they raise young through the Nanny system, so even females who haven't had a litter yet lactate to feed the babies.
I found they started to smell when the two males were working out a pecking order, but after that they have been quiet, less smelly than rats, and productive.
And as for feeding, I have had two snakes who will feed on mice off and on, but will take these guys every time.
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2.4 ball pythons
1.1 kingsnakes
0.1 crazy cat
?.? ASFs
1.0 husband

Here is a link to my ASF room tour and care video. They are AWESOME!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-ceSiVZB8k