Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering if you have to be USDA certified to sale them???

I do not believe so, no.

The only limitation on them is you cannot IMPORT them, or sell imported ASF rats. Some western states I have heard do not allow them to be owned or sold at all, though I don't know which states.

hehe see learning that they're still legal for sale in the US is a BAD thing. I went looking for them and found a bunch of breeders...mainly for food but stiii. And OMG they are so cute hehe. Something to look into down the line lol
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~Meg~
~~(XX)8:> Have you hugged a rat today?

I breed ASF rats for feeders, and they DO NOT make good pets. Nothing like loyal, friendly domestic rats. ASF rats bite hard and are very aggressive and DO NOT like handling.

I've tried taming them, handling them daily from birth, they are fine until they reach hopper stage then they want nothing to do with handling and will jump away no matter at what height or danger.

I've heard that people in other countries have very tame ASF rats that they can handle and never bite, but none in the US that I've heard of. Perhaps in other countries where they have been around longer, they are bred for temperament. Here in the US they are only bred for feeders and so no selective breeding is ever done. And since we can't import any new blood, we are pretty much stuck with what is here already.

I would also suggest avoiding rodents without a history of domestication. They get very stressed.