MERRY XMAS 2 ALL... SANTA BROUGHT ME MANY MANY ASF'S !!

[FelixatRI]

there is boom in my asf colony for december !!!

[Matt2979]

Congrats on the "boom"! It's just hard to believe that something that darn cute can be so :censored: MEAN!!!

[FelixatRI]

oh yeah ... i have some that can be petted & picked up for short brief moments before
they jump off !

[Matt2979]

oh yeah ... i have some that can be petted & picked up for short brief moments before
they jump off !

Oh yeah?? They're illegal here so I've had very limited access, but a buddy of mine used to breed them. He always talked about how mean they were and I didn't really believe it....'til I tried to handle a couple like normal rats. You would'a thought I had cheese on my fingertips!!!! :eek:

[Subdriven]

OMG.. that is a ton of little ones!!

Are ASF's that much better for the BP's then normal rats?? They don't get as big right??

[Matt2979]

ASF's are their natural food in Africa. Normally, if you can't get it eating with other tricks, the smell of an ASF seems to entice the ball to eat like nothing else. Again, I'm talking with limited personal experience (since I can't have them in GA), but other breeders have told me that they are like crack for BP's.

And no, they don't get quite as big as rats. They take a long time to mature, but eventually get a little bigger than mice. (I've seen plenty in person, outside of GA.)

Felix, from your reply to my original comment...did I just have a different experience than what you're used to?? The buddy of mine that used to breed them ALWAYS referred to them as "Devil Mice" and I only believed that comment to be true after having my fingertip used as a sharpening stone for one's teeth!

[FelixatRI]

well what me and friend tend to do is pet & sometimes pick up the younger ones ... the adults are not as friendly but with time have become tolerant of us cleaning the tank ... they wont hesitate to bite & do give a nasty bite !!! but they only get real defensive around cleaning time ! the original colony i keep in 150 gallon tank , i use a dust pan to scoop the shavings out of the tank , the parents which are 1 male & about 15 females(i held back 2 many daughters) will follow my hand & dust pan with there tails raised almost like a meerkat very funny ! but will not attack ! almost as if they are watching me ! i clean around the hide spots that have pinkys & clean under the ones that have adults ... the original male will allow himself to be petted & pick up by tail for very brief momments .... i have to other 2 other colonys from 2 different bloodlines & they are very scarysh & flee & hide at slightest sound they have gotten better with time as those are young & only 1 1/2 months old! they do take longer to grow but i cant stand the smell of mice & rats !! i only have a pair of normal rats & thats it ! ball pythons do love them though ! i think if u get them used to you from a young age they will become tolerant of its keeper, but i wouldnt say completely tame ... :)

[FelixatRI]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPDoImbbOmg

here is vid of there set up

[bradleymoore]

cool. he told the other female to bring me several asfs yesterday morning as well. most hidden under the bigger ones.

http://i585.photobucket.com/albums/ss294/bradleymoore/DSC00554640x480.jpg

[Subdriven]

So i guess you just feed more of them to bigger balls. They dont stink?? might have to look to see if I can get a set going in FL.. anyone know?

[FelixatRI]

i clean there tanks once every 2 weeks ! they hardly smell !
as far as feeding i usually feed them 1-3 med or adult sized asf's per feeding depending on size of BP's . but if i recall they are illegal in FL ? if someone knows for sure & care to elaborate more ... ?

[darkbloodwyvern]

wow, maybe you could selectively semi-domesticate the little buggers XD that would be the only way i could deal with them. For now, I have to settle for buying snakes that think they are garbage disposals... So far we are doing alright, lol.

[snakesRkewl]

So i guess you just feed more of them to bigger balls.That's what I do.
My spider yellow belly will only eat asf's and she get 3 or 4 a week.
Each one weighs about 20 grams which makes the total pretty close to 10% of her body weight weekly.
She's 18 months old and just under 1000 grams, growing slower than the rat eaters but she eats and gains weight at a decent rate.

I would never change to asf's from regular rats but I do prefer them to mice for those picky eaters.