I am have no trouble sleeping tonight, so I'm kinda sketchy (still can't believe I'm still up), but I thought I would mention one more reason to breed ASFs vs mice or rats: NO SMELL. Seriously, I have them in the walk-in closet of our spare bedroom and I have had guests stay who he ever knew ey were in the closet.
More importantly, for colubrids, there isn't any danger of a snake becoming fixated on ASFs as feeders any more than one becoming fixated on mice. It is pythons that they say become fixated on ASFs because they are their food source in the wild. I don't keep pythons, so I can't say one way or another, but I have been told by a python keeper that her snakes switch back and forth from ASFs to rats with out a problem.
There is a bit of a stigma though, so any hatchlings I plan to sell get mice, just to avoid the worry. My snakes, though, get a pretty varied diet. I alternate between the ASFs, day old chicks, and the occasional rat or mouse. Occasionally, I feed baby quail (but not often, because of the expense.
Raising ASFs has really been a God-send. I started raising mice, but the smell was AWFUL. It was about to cause a divorce! I tried ordering from Rodent Pro, but had a bad experience (among other problems, some of the rats were fighting when the died and were frozen that way). It left me questioning how the feeders were raised and treated, and it also got me thinking about what the feeders were fed too. Most importantly, it makes it SO much more affordable to keep a large collection.
I spend more on feed than most breeders. I feed my ASFs fresh vegetables, a 13 grain mix, alfalfa pellets, and lab block. I spend right at $30 a month to feed 6 groups of 1.4 and have around 360 babies a month.
Yes, let me say that again -- $30 for 360 ASFs & NO SMELL.
The only thing, is I HATE having to euthanize them. I doubt I will ever not hate having to do it, but that's just one of the commitments you make when you keep snakes. I use a CO2 gas canister that I got from a soda fountain machine, and they pass away very peacefully. They aren't scared, they don't run around upset. They just get sleepy and once they are asleep, I turn the gas up to full blast and they die....but I had to kill almost 400 of them yesterday, and it just wears on my soul
~Beau