Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it true that it's hard to get ball pythons to switch from asf to rats looking to breed these but would like some insight thanks for all responces

I've never had a problem getting my Ball Pythons to switch between ASFs and Rats. I have a few mousers, but I am hoping to get them converted over to Rats using ASFs.

There was another thread on this as well. It will come up if you search for it.
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25 year old 0.1 from Lincoln, NE
Ball Pythons - 0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly, 2.1 Normals
Kingsnakes - 1.0 L. m. thayeri, 0.1 L. m. thayeri X L. alterna, 1.0 L. g. californiae
Other - 0.1 Whitesided P. catenifer sayi, 1.0 H. nascicus, ?.? Chrysemys picta, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

I agree i have lots that will switch back anf forth rats and ASF's and i have a few that are mouse only.
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Jason Amos

Ball Pythons
6.40
Dogs
1.1 Staffordshire Bull Terriers

I had hundreds of balls....some ate JUST africans, soame ate JUST mice, some rats, some gerbils etc etc etc...some get hooked due to MY letting them get hooked....some...alot actually...will eat anything you give them.....always....here.,..they didn't like anything frozen....I fed live for 20 years....do what you gotta do...

africans.....average...17 babies every 23 days...they need protein....they like a varied diet....they will bite if you are in THEIR house.....you would too....they grow ok , not real fast....I had a couple 20 gallon long tanks with like 100 pulled weaned ones in each for growing ....they do not stink like rats or mice...BUT if you have hundreds of them...they do stink...fecal matter is fecal matter.....they chew anything...and will use a bottle or anything they can climb on as a toilet......sometimes...you can give them a bowl and they will use it ....usually they go anywhere....

......good luck.....I loved them....
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........JY

My keepers/breeders have switched back and forth from ASF’s to Norway rats many times no problem. I do currently have one girl who will not eat Norway rats but she turned that way before ASF's. I think it was RDR who once posted about a ball he thought was allergic to regular/Norway rats. He worked really hard to get it to eat one and then it had some sort of reaction. Over the years I’ve had several swear off regular rats so it’s nice I now have an alternative to mice for those and my eat everything balls seem to like ASF’s too.
I’ve personally never had a ball that wouldn’t eat ASF’s but I heard of someone who claimed to have a collection stop eating ASF’s but he also fed dog food so maybe something was building up in their systems that made them smell really funky to the snakes.
I do still get mice for my for sale hatchlings just because there is still some prejudice against anything fed ASF’s. I don’t really think it’s justified but I respect a buyer’s right to pick what they want and some still want animals that have never seen an ASF so that’s what I do. Incidentally I’m learning that some don’t want them to have seen a mouse either but I’m still struggling with shelling out the extra for rat pups when mice are so much more economical for hatchlings and all keepers for years have switched over to rats fine when they get big enough for mediums (including the few that then later stopped taking rats, perhaps due to allergies?).
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Randy Remington
anyone@snakemorphs.com
www.SnakeMorphs.com
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