African Soft-Furred Rats
Praomys natalensis
Proliferation: Seems to be between that of gerbils but well behind mice and other rat varieties.
Sexual maturity: They're not like mice. Our observations see breeding starting about four months of age.
Adult size: About two times the size of an adult mouse.
Average litter (in number): About a dozen.
Food: We use Mazuri mouse and rat food. They eat seeds and vegetables in the wild.
Value as feeding snakes: The ball pythons are most receptive to eating soft furs, an African native food source and a higher nutritional food value.
**Big positive difference in stink factor versus other rat varieties.**
Temperament: Nippy, but not so much mean as just testing environment and establishing that you're putting your hands in their home. The parents do not like it when you pull "weaner" rats or taking other babies and become defensive.
Ball python breeders like these guys because they are a native food source for ball pythons. They are a little nippy, but the behavior seems to stem more from a curiosity and to let the handler know that his hand is in their
territory.
Their hair is extremely soft, and they are very unusual but good-looking rodents. Breeders are trending towards cross-breeding the soft-furred rats with the common feeder rat especially for great pets and also for the Ball Pythons, as these rodents smell like home to wild-caught snakes and make a higher nutritional food value. Although they smell like home to the snakes, they don’t make your home smell like other rats do.
These softy crosses are harder to breed and grow more slowly than other rodents, which is their big disadvantage, and makes them a bit more costly. They don’t burrow, either, and, unlike gerbils, they don’t rip paper products to shreds as soon as it hits the bottom of the enclosure.
A cage cover is a must for soft-furred rats, they are very adept climbers. They are also chewers, shredding the plastic cap piece on their water bottles frequently. This needs closely monitored, or else you get wet cages, which, of course, need changed.
Like rats, mom have an “auntie” system. If one set of pinkies loses a mom, or if the mom neglects them, another mom will take over.
Please take a good look at their ears. They are so intricate and delicate. They’re quite beautiful.
They are extremely curious and, like all rats, very, very protective of their young. They are a community. Like mice, rats, and gerbils, they all participate in the rearing of the young. If you have many rodents, sometimes it’s hard to tell who actually gave birth, because with many of the females lactating, it doesn’t matter who’s doing the feeding as long as they get fed. It’s not at all unusual to see two or three different-sized young feeding on the same mom.
Keeping ASFs as pets.
I recently had an e-mail interview with ASF breeder: Here are the details from that:
I breed Natals and have no problem with them being aggresive, nasty or timid. All my adults are handled daily and love to come out of the cage for some one-on-one attention. I sell the babies at 4 - 6 weeks old for $18.00 US Currency each, many people are buying them as pets. I Have never had anyone say they were unhappy with their purchase, but get lots of “I just love them, they are so cute, I am so glad I got them, etc..” With daily handling from a early age they do make gentle, sweet pets. I sell them as pets and also to many Ball Python owners as they are the Ball's native food.
