African soft furred rat (natal multimanmate mouse)

by **scaredymouse** on Mon Mar 13, 2017 3:12 am

Well, I finally got my hands on one of these things and I'm about to learn a lot about them. I've done a fair amount of research already and since they can live with fancy mice, I intend to place her with the OCD mouse that was surrendered to me. Placing female ASFs with male fancy mice is a common scenario, so wish me luck. I'm so nervous! She's really sweet though and was most certainly destined to be snake food, so I'm glad she's here and I'll do my best to make her happy.

Here she is! I have big plans for her and hope to learn a lot from her.

by September on Mon Mar 13, 2017 3:33 am

She looks so soft!! (Which I suppose is implied in the name) And goodness, those large eyes are killing me with cuteness. She is seriously adorable!!

Have you thought about names yet?

by **scaredymouse** on Mon Mar 13, 2017 4:23 am

She's very shy and hasn't told me her name yet. She's pretty much been hiding under the wheel since I got her home last night. She came from a feeder breeder, so she's going to need some time to settle in. I hate to get animals from feeder breeders but that's the only place you can get these things. He was very nice though and gave her to me for free. Not sure if it's because i drove so far, he was happy she was going to a good home or because he didn't need the $2.00 that bad to even deal with it. People don't usually buy just one "food". I didn't ask, I took my little princess and ran.

I just checked on her and put some food near her and offered some water. And she inched forward to smell my hand! Good girl. These animals aren't bred for temperament but the guy said she's pretty friendly and doesn't bite...so that's nice! And she also looks really healthy. Oh, and she does the cutest thing.... She blinks! Such a goofy thing to get excited about but it is adorable.

by stephlisa on Mon Mar 13, 2017 12:39 pm

She is so adorable. I love those eyes and those cute grey ears <3 **squee**

by CallaLily on Mon Mar 13, 2017 1:59 pm

She's so pretty! Those huge eyes definitely up the cuteness factor. I hope all goes well for them once they're introduced. I've seen it talked about a lot on a mouse Facebook group. Usually seems to work out well. Do they have the same dietary needs? I've always wondered but never bothered to ask or look it up.

by AnonymousMouseOwner on Mon Mar 13, 2017 2:55 pm

That's so cool! She's adorable! I've always wanted an ASF but they are illegal like everything else here. I hope all goes well! Good luck! Smile

by **scaredymouse** on Mon Mar 13, 2017 3:22 pm

As far as I know, their diet is the same and they really like bugs. One of the rescues I work with gets some from time to time and I trust what she tells me because she does the research. She's been keeping ASF's and mice together for a long time successfully and provides the same care to both. The also have similar lifespans and obviously, really similar social structures. I'm sure I'll continue to peruse the internet gathering tidbits of information in my spare time. If this whole experiment works... it kinda changes everything for some of our lonely boys. Goose would have done really well with a lady friend. I don't think ever male needs them by any stretch but for the OCD, depressed, lonely, and needy... these ladies could be a godsend. I've never felt good about neutering males and furthermore, I don't completely trust that it's a 100% pregnancy prevention. And from what I read... ASF intros seem to go smoother! Funny, right? I feel like such a pioneer!

by MesaMouse on Tue Mar 14, 2017 12:27 am

She's a beauty! Is she an adult or will she still be growing? How much larger than a mouse will she be?

by **scaredymouse** on Tue Mar 14, 2017 12:42 am

I believe she's full grown, but of course she can get fatter! They average 75g, i think. I've seen pictures of asf/fancy mice snuggled up and they look a lot bigger. So, I guess we'll see! One thing i found out is that they tend to have better intros and less fighting than fancy nice. I just can't wait to out them together! This is going to be the longest quarantine ever!

by DVirginiana on Tue Mar 14, 2017 1:56 am

Omg, so cute! I have always liked the temperament of my animals that were bred in a feeder environment better than those I've known bred to be pets... I wonder if it's because those animals are often in a colony instead of just their own litters, so they have more chance to learn how to rodent? That could be extra good for your OCD fellow.
Best of luck introducing them, I've always been interested in ASFs so I'll be looking forward to updates!

African soft furred rat (natal multimanmate mouse)

African soft furred rat (natal multimanmate mouse)

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Re: African soft furred rat (natal multimanmate mouse)

Re: African soft furred rat (natal multimanmate mouse)

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Re: African soft furred rat (natal multimanmate mouse)

Re: African soft furred rat (natal multimanmate mouse)

Re: African soft furred rat (natal multimanmate mouse)

Re: African soft furred rat (natal multimanmate mouse)

Re: African soft furred rat (natal multimanmate mouse)