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Look what I am getting!!!!

Velvet

Velvet

Totally corn crazy!!!!
Hey Guys!

Look what I am getting in March! 1.2 of these cute little chaps! They are "Multimammary/mammate" mice or also sometimes called "Super mice".

They are fantastic, they don't smell at all (if you keep their tub clean) and breed very well apparently. They are inbetween mice and rats in size and if they do well, I am hoping to phase out my rat colonies entirely and replace them with these...

I am HORRIBLY allergic to rats and I am kind of hoping that I won't have allergic reactions to these...

Apparently hesistant and difficult feeders like these as well...
 
Pics usually help....lol

Here they are!!! Look! A pinkie! lol
 

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They are freaking adorable !!
I could just eat them.

mmmm.. mice.
^this is my snake thinking =)
 
these look like the african soft fur rats that were discussed in a previous forum. do you know are they one and the same?? Cute regardless
Scott
 
Meg, Those look really interesting. I'd like to try and raise them. I wonder if you can get them in the US. Do you know the scientific name for them?
 
If Supermice are the same as African Soft-furreds, they should be everywhere soon if not already. They are cute! Gotta get some!
 
Also called African soft furred rats or multimammate mice or Natal rats.

I've been breeding them for over a year now for feeders for my corns and BPs.

Hopefully yours are more tame, but here in the US most of them are quite aggressive and like to bite and draw blood. They make great feeders though.

They need more space than mice, closer to rat requirements. But any cage bars or mesh have to be 1/4" or 3/8", as the juveniles can squeeze easily through 1/2" bars or mesh.

They should do well and you should be able to phase out your rats, but ASFs do grow a bit slower than regular domestic rats. Early on they grow at about the same rate as mice.

They eventually grow to a max of about 80g, but it seems like only the retired breeders get that big. Adult size is around 50g so good for large adult corns or BPs.



try asfrats.info
 
Cute... they look like little opposums! I might have to get some... even though I don't like keeping rodents but I do it every year during hatchling season to have live pinkys on hand.
 
I've been reading about them today and they may not be for me. They are apparently prone to bite and knaw through cages, and fight amoung them selves.

Rodents that bite me a called snake poop.
 
asfrats.info is a pretty good forum for these, reccomended for anyone interested in these to browse that site.
From reading, there's many ppl with colonies in the US. A friend of mine just started a group in Medina, so I'll get a trio to work with soon.
There's some concern about inbreeding, so some ppl are swapping groups to have better lines going.
The biteyness - pretty sure you could weed those more aggressive ones out, might only be from adults when babies are present...
They'd need less room than rats and grow bigger than mice, so ASF's might be a good alternative to those.
paperwork/permits? better ditch your hamsters and gerbils... those aren't native to U.S. either lol but check your local laws to be sure... they might already be in petstores, just not here yet(Canton=small city, gotta get outta the house n get up to Cleveland sometime :))
 
No paperwork needed to keep them in the US, although some southwestern states may have a ban on them.

Due to the monkeypox scare a few years back it is illegal to IMPORT them, but any here already are ok.

Also, their pinkies are a little too big, even newborn, to feed small corn hatchlings. I had to start breeding mice again to feed my new hatchlings this past summer, as the ASF newborns are around 2.5g while newborn mouse pinks are about 1.5g.

I haven't ever seen any in pet stores, but they are readily available from feeder breeders at the local reptile show twice a month.
 
I have a pretty decent collection of them, the only problem I have had with them is fighting among themselves. The other slightly difficult thing with them is for the untrained eye they can be a little difficult to sex, but after being shown the difference they can be easy. Great for BPs they are difficult to feed.
 
Got some of these and I haven't had any problems with them. I have the male of the original colony that will nip if I have my hands in there and not paying attention, but other than that I can reach in and pet them, holding doesn't seem to be liked too much. The only ones I have had fight are two of the females in original colony and that just started this past week. Apparently they both gave birth the same night (or possible morning) and they combined litters as usual. Every once in a while, they fight over who is going to nurse them. Actual bite tail till bleed fights. It appears to be a dominance thing, but it is kinda funny. One will be on nursing and the other comes in and wiggles underneath the other mom and knocks the babies off of that one and lets them latch on to her. I really like this guys especially since there is no to very little smell.
 
Thanks guys! I have heard them called "African soft furred rats" but never by anyone who actually lives in South Africa like I do...lol

I have read that the wilder strains can be biters etc etc but apparently these are fine, no worse than any other rodent...lol

The colony in the pics is a mixed colony of a few males and females and so far, they haven't had any problems with them fighting at all. The guy my friend got them from keeps his all mixed up like that and has never had problems...

I will be keeping one male to a few females regardless.
 
Theres Pleanty of ASF Rats In Florida you dont need any Paper Work But There Mean As Hell id Not feed any Live ones to your Snakes or they may eat the snakes paul
 
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