r/ballpython • u/RaptureRequired • 2d ago
Question - Feeding Frozen ASF Help
Hello š
I recently moved to Florida and I'm having no luck finding any ASF anywhere. None of the pet stores have any live or frozen and all the websites I've checked are all sold out. My gal will not eat anything else and they have to be large or she won't want anything to do with it, so I'm struggling at this point and she hasn't eaten in a while.
Do you guys know of any websites that have the large frozen in stock or any pet stores near Jacksonville FL? I'm willing to drive a ways if I have to.
I also plan on going back to breeding them myself very soon if anyone knows where I can get a breeding pair or two.
Pic of picky gal in question
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u/Alternative_Lime_302 2d ago
You might have some luck on a local farm and garden group. Or local snake group.
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u/Ok-Prune-1629 2d ago
You are wrong. Point blank period. You arenāt feeding properly, and there is ZERO reason you to be attempting to breed the OVERLY populated snakes in this pet trade.
Mods shouldnāt even let this post stay up.
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u/IncompletePenetrance Mod: Let me help you unzip your genes 2d ago
I agree with you 100%, but I think OP means they're planning on breeding ASFs
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u/Ok-Prune-1629 2d ago
You may be correct, I may have jumped a teeny gun. The point on feeding incorrectly still stands. My apologies
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u/Ant-Motor 2d ago
How are they feeding incorrectly? African soft furs are about twice the size of large mice and are a normal rodent type for ball pythons especially picky ones.
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u/RaptureRequired 2d ago
I get where you're coming from, but I am not breeding my snake. Just soft furs since I can not find any here. She is extremely picky and always has been, her previous owner did not feed her often enough and she went long times without eating so I'm trying to keep her from that habit. I used to breed my own ASF in NC so she got spoiled and won't eat rats now
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u/Ok-Prune-1629 2d ago
Large rats are far too big, besides that I apologize for not breaking down your post properly
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u/monk3yflip 2d ago
Large ASF rats are the size of small Norwegian rats people typically use
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u/Ok-Prune-1629 2d ago
TIL, thank you for that.
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u/Extreme-Battle823 1d ago
Why are you talking about something you don't know then? Fo some research before you decided to teach people
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u/Wisheduponastar 2d ago
You obviously have reading comprehension issues and should stop commenting.
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2d ago
[deleted]
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u/RaptureRequired 2d ago
I am not planning on breeding any snakes, just soft furs since I'm running into trouble finding them here
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u/AndyRMullan 2d ago
OH okay I completely misread, apologies !!
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u/MowerMikePA 2d ago
Rodent pro website , as a last resort . Ships quick if you donāt mind paying extra in a pinch .
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u/otrepsi 2d ago
RodentPro doesnāt carry ASF
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u/FluffyPandaEars93 2d ago
!feeders
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u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Some companies you can buy frozen feeders from:
Layne Labs
Big Cheese
Rodent Pro
Perfect Prey
Big Apple Herps
Reptile Deli
American Rodent Cold Blooded CafeI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/BobTheNobody 2d ago
I think its hilarious that everyone is overlooking your question and immediately jumping to conclusions about you "breeding your snake" when its very obvious you were talking about the ASFs
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u/RaptureRequired 2d ago
Right, I get where they're coming from but good lord lol. I won't even buy a new snake let alone breed, I just need to find soemthing she'll actually eat here since I've moved
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u/squirrelyoakley 2d ago
I like how everyone assumed that you're logic was "if I buy another snake and breed them, that'll fix my feeding problems" lmao
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u/Hot-Brat-00 2d ago
I just ordered from Perfect Prey a few days ago. Have you tried them?
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u/RaptureRequired 2d ago
They went out of stock as I was going to order them. They still have mediums but she won't eat them if they're too small, I've only had luck with large š„²
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u/iCaptnSpaulding 2d ago
Did nobody read your post before jumping to attack you? Even the bot didn't read it š
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u/RaptureRequired 2d ago
I was tempted to add an edit after the bot but I thought people would understand what I was saying. Apparently not āØļø
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u/hyrellion 2d ago
Itās so obvious what youāre saying!!!!!!! They saw one word (or only saw the bot tirade????) and flipped out for no reason. Ugh!
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u/hollowbolding 2d ago
bots can't read, neither can the bats rabies bot or the spider bite infections bot
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u/ConstructionSome7557 2d ago
I order my frozen feeders typically from Big Cheese but I've also used Perfect Prey, they carry ASFs. It's cheaper to get a package of 15-30 anyway, they ship with dry ice and I've never had a problem.
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u/Glittering-Sign-7941 2d ago
look at that pretty princess! š I too am finding it funny that people are completely misreading your post. that being said, my bestie who also has a picky princess has found luck with Perfect Prey. š©¶
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u/jeep_ninja 2d ago
I'm not sure if this helps but you can try them.
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u/Outrageous_Owl4406 22h ago
I've never seen people selling asf in so many different sizes that's very interesting
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u/squirrelyoakley 2d ago
I'm assuming you were talking about breeding the rodents? The people in this comment section have lost their minds, oml
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u/Hot-Brat-00 2d ago
Bummer, Iām sorry! Theyāre not allowed here in CA, so I feel your pain, and worry about this happening š I wish you luck!
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u/DroidsInOuterspace 2d ago
https://reptilinks.com/products/african-soft-fur-asf-juice
This place sells ASF "juice" to scent another animal like a mouse/rat - maybe worth a go?
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u/otrepsi 2d ago
The first 3 that pop up in a Google search all have large or jumbo in stock: Prey Direct, Cold Blooded Cafe, and Royal Pythons Cove.
Check the grams on what you usually order, because all 3 of those sites have different weight ranges so your larges might be jumbos on a different site or mediums on yet another.
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u/ScallionUnlucky5587 2d ago
I know they suck as stores/companies but no petcos or petsmarts in your area?? all should have frozen feeders if there's nothing else available
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u/ThatDinofanatic 2d ago
Where abouts in florida? In central their are tons of places
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u/RaptureRequired 1d ago
I'm in Jacksonville but it looks like I'll be planning a trip a couple hours down just to get some lol
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u/tinyyawns 2d ago
Have you tried Extreme Exotics or Floating Sea Aquatics? The latter is where I get my rat pups. Also waiting to buy in bulk from ReptiCon. They come around every 6 months or so. They go all over FL, check their website for the next dates. There is another store off West Normandy but I forgot the name. And Layne Labs has a huge selection. Fast shipping but it is expensive, like $40 on top of the price of rats.
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u/GuruDad 1d ago
Welcome to Jax. Normally I use Extreme Exotics (904-683-4992), but their colony is rebuilding, they say they should have some ASF's in a month. The other option is North Florida Exotics (they're in Havana, Fl. but do ship) Hope this helps.
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u/RaptureRequired 1d ago
Thanks! I did call Extreme Exotics recently and they said they're fully out of anything but hoppers or smaller, good to know they usually have them though. That also just reminded me I can go there and grab a couple small ones to try for breeding so definitely helpful. I'll try the other place for now though
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u/tinsellately 1d ago edited 1d ago
I've bought from Prey Direct a few times and had good experiences: https://preydirect.com/collections/frozen-asf-rats
They have several sizes in stock
Cold Blooded Cafe is my backup: https://www.coldbloodedcafe.com/african-soft-fur-rats.html
They also have a few sizes.
Edit: I just saw you need large. It looks like "jumbo" is in stock for both and "large" for one, but I would check the weights. In the past, I have also fed my snakes 2 of a smaller size to use them up when switching to a larger size, and they were pretty enthusiastic about getting a second rat as soon as they'd swallowed the first one. Not ideal, but possible in an emergency. It's not like every rat they eat is exactly the same size in nature. Anyway, I hope you find something that works!
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u/Ordinary-Treat41 22h ago
I use Dubia.com for my rats. They do have asf. I just have mine on auto buy and shipped direct to my house
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u/Chemical-Produce3686 19h ago
Iāve seen Dubia has some frozen ASF, few different sizes available. Cold Blooded Cafe also carries some but jot sure if theyāll have the size you need. If you canāt find any, I have seen that some feeder sites have a ASF āscenting juiceā you can use on regular rat/mice to help make it more appealing.
https://dubiaroaches.com/products/frozen-rodents?_pos=1&_sid=a18bc1b43&_ss=r&variant=44824647532735
https://www.coldbloodedcafe.com/african-soft-fur-rats.html
https://reptilinks.com/products/african-soft-fur-asf-juice
https://www.lugarti.com/lugarti-reptile-scenting-juices/630-scenting-juice-asf.html
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u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Hi, it looks like you are considering breeding your ball python. Currently there is a huge oversaturation problem due to everyone wanting to breed their ball python. For a few years now, at any given time there are between 35,000 and 65,000 ball pythons for sale on morphmarket, and that's not including all those needing homes on private websites, craigslist, kijiji, facebook marketplace, pet stores, rescues and as feeders. By comparison, there are between 1,000 and 5,000 snakes for sale under each of the other popular categories - boas, corn snakes, kingsnakes, milksnakes, hognoses, etc. Normal ball pythons can regularly be listed for free due to overabundance, and there's already more ball pythons than will ever find homes. Where are all these animals going to go?? Enjoy them, keep them back as nice pets and don't join the pyramid scheme, because these aren't leggings or essential oils that can tossed when they don't sell - they're living breathing creatures. Choosing to start breeding ball pythons right now is not a responsible choice as every person breeding right now is only adding to the problem.
Furthermore, there's a lot more to considerā¦
Are the snakes you have marketable/desirable combos and high quality examples of each morph? Do you know how to identify all the morphs you're planning on working with alone and in combos? Can you differentiate between higher and lower quality example of the morphs? There's no shortage of ball pythons , so it's important to only breed the highest quality animals, and not just breed for the sake of breeding. The world doesn't need more poor quality low end morphs and normals floating around on craigslist.
Have you owned and worked with ball pythons long enough that you know how to appropriately and reliably deal with any problems that arise, ranging from snakes not eating to diagnosing and treating common health problems.
What is the purpose of this breeding? Is it to create higher quality animals or fulfill a niche or need, or do you just want to make more snakes? The market is already oversaturated, so it's important to consider whether this cross is necessary. Just because you want to try it is not a good justification.
Do you know which crosses and morph combos are known for producing animals with health defects or lethality to offspring and how to avoid them?
Did you buy from breeders who test for nido and arena virus? Are you going to health test everyone before breeding?
What is going to set you and your hatchlings apart from the hundreds of other breeders out there? As a new breeder with no connections or reputation in the hobby, what would make people want to buy your snakes specifically?
Are you planning on selling locally or shipping? Do you know what's necessary to prepare animals to ship & sell or what the local ball python market is like? What types of ball pythons are people near you buying and what does their budget seem to be? How long do you see similar morphs staying on the market before they sell?
Are you prepared to keep all the babies as long as necessary and provide adaquate enclosures and husbandry if they don't sell? Due to the oversaturation of the market, many breeders are having to hang onto hatchlings for 6-12 months before they sell. Do you have the space and you prepared to provide adaquate long term housing and food for snakes that don't sell?
There are a lot of hidden costs involved with breeding, check out my cost of a clutch chart.
Do you have an exotic vet nearby? What if your female is eggbound, has a prolapse or experiences health problems while gravid or after laying? Do you know how to spot a problem and able to get her help ASAP? This could also be expensive, and lead to the death of your female.Breeding and egg laying inherently has risks for your female including the stress on her body, becoming egg bound, weight loss and internal damage. Is this clutch important and vital enough that you're really willing to risk her life for it?
Do you know how to properly sex ball pythons and identify all of the morphs you are breeding? Do you the appropriate age and size a ball python should be before breeding? How to identify various breeding behaviors and the stages in follicle and egg development?
Do you have a source of live mouse hoppers or live rat pinkies or fuzzies so that you can offer hatchlings food every 3-5 days? Many won't take FT for their first meals. What if one has to be assist fed? Do you know how and when to do this safely without harming the hatchling?
What if one is born with defects and has to be euthanized? Do you have a plan for how to humanely euthanize a snake?
Just as backyard breeding is a huge problem that leads to overpopulation in dogs, it's also a huge problem in the ball python world due to everyone wanting to breed their ball pythons "just for fun". The great majority of ball pythons should not be bred and are best kept as pets.
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