An interesting write up, but still sort of misses the point in my opinion. Please read the forum rules before posting.
African soft-furred rats are small exotic rodents and the possible evolutionary link between mice and rats, possessing characteristics of each. Sexual maturity: They're not like mice.
But that's definitely something to read and know a lot about before doing so. Adult size: About two times the size of an adult mouse. I will not adopt to you if you have obviously not done research on your new pet, so please use this page to help you do just that! Basically, what are they? African Soft Furred Rats or Natal Rats are from Africa. The African Soft Fur Rat though new to the pet trade is a unique little rodent with unusual qualities. Both are perfectly acceptable food items, if fed in quantity.
Most of us do not have access to African Soft Furred rats locally and thus we defer to the common rat. Not only is this little rat a great step up for people who feed reptiles it is virtually odorless and that is definately a plus for those who would like to have a pet rat or mouse they can keep inside the house and not spend a fortune in bedding or spend a lot of time cleaning to keep the rodent odor down. Do you have a lot of time on your hands lately? I have fed female balls exclusively mice and they take a LONG time to get to size (years longer than rat-fed females). The growth of ball python after four months would still show a huge difference in size. The same rules apply with intros and there is no guarantee that they will get along but in my experience, it goes well.I personally still don't know what to think about them, like whether they're rats or mice.
2 Comments Average litter (in number): About a dozen. Do you have sources for your information, or is this from personal experience and calculations? Be careful while handling them, they're less domesticated than mice or rats and tend to bite more.They seem to be out later in the mornings and earlier in the evenings than mice too, so you might see them more, depends on the softie though I suppose.I've read about people keeping their softies with mice, too! This is by far the best bang for your buck, but if you only have a few pets may be way too much food (you can purchase smaller quantities from us at 50 cents/pound if you’d like). People call them both Natal multimammate mice and African soft furred rats, but truth is they aren't a mouse or a rat.
Great Lakes Rodent has supplied high quality feeders to private breeders, distributors, pet shops, nature centers, hobbyists and private collectors for over fifteen years. Jump to Latest Follow 1 - 9 of 9 Posts. ... Rat Related Articles. People call them both Natal multimammate mice and African soft furred rats, but truth is they aren't a mouse or a rat. Food: We use Mazuri mouse and rat food. Males benefit greatly from the companionship of female ASFs and the female ASFs are social, so they also enjoy the company. I've raised ASF's for years and they actually seem more of a social animal to me than rats and mice. They do well housed with mice (but never rats!) They love to explore new toys in their cage but eventually will all pile into one hide/corner to sleep.Also known as soft fur rats, these guys are really neither rat nor mouse. It has almost the exact same ingredients as Mazuri, at a fraction of the cost and without BHA. 2. They should at least be in a 20g tank. Are they rats or mice (I heard somewhere that they were actually mice but I'm not sure :/)? What makes it safe?
Largely the african soft furred rat (looks more like a Gerbil) and depending on local and availability sometimes a shrew or stripped mouse. African Soft-Furred Rats.