# African Soft Furred Rats Living Alone



## catato (Nov 3, 2021)

Hello, so I have had 2 brother soft furred rats for about a year. They lived together initially but a few months ago they began fighting and drew blood before they were separated. We attempted to reintroduce them but it didnt work. They are now living in their own enclosures but I'm not sure if they will be okay like this. 
I can't really get more soft furred rats because I don't have the space and they might not get along. I've heard about getting mice but I'm scared they might get killed. Is it best to leave them as is?


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## ratbusters (Aug 28, 2020)

Hi there. Edit* Initally I was going to say don't put rats in with mice, as the mice will be killed by the rats. But I have just clicked that you are not talking about regular rats, but ASF rats, which I understand are little 40g rodents quite different to regular rats. 
Are there any ASF Rat fancier clubs on facebook or similar that might be able to help with info? I guess you don't want to take any risks in case someone gets hurt.
Anyway, all the best and hope you find a solution for your little guys.
By the way, its not a good idea to put male mice together in a cage, as they usually get aggressive. 🐭🐭


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## catato (Nov 3, 2021)

ratbusters said:


> Hi there. Edit* Initally I was going to say don't put rats in with mice, as the mice will be killed by the rats. But I have just clicked that you are not talking about regular rats, but ASF rats, which I understand are little 40g rodents quite different to regular rats.
> Are there any ASF Rat fancier clubs on facebook or similar that might be able to help with info? I guess you don't want to take any risks in case someone gets hurt.
> Anyway, all the best and hope you find a solution for your little guys.
> By the way, its not a good idea to put male mice together in a cage, as they usually get aggressive. 🐭🐭


I've read threads on here about similar issues with soft furred rats so that's why I'm posting here. They aren't commonly kept as pets so the care info about them is very sparse


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

Where did you get your ASF's? If it was a breeder, have you reached out to them with questions?

I only have personal experience keeping Norway rats but I've read a little about mice and ASF's. I've read that male mice are often too territorial to be housed with other male mice but they still do better with companionship so some people keep 1 male mouse with a small group of female ASF's. Because they're a different species, you don't need to worry about accidental litters. Perhaps a similar situation would work in your case, getting a few female mice to live with each of your male ASF's. I don't know for sure that it's a good idea but it might be worth investigating. 

ASF's aren't really popular as pets so information can be hard to come by. The people who know the most about them are actually feeder rodent breeders for reptiles. As bad as it sounds, you could bring your questions to a snake forum and perhaps chat with the people who are actually breeding ASF's.


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## catato (Nov 3, 2021)

CorbinDallasMyMan said:


> Where did you get your ASF's? If it was a breeder, have you reached out to them with questions?
> 
> I only have personal experience keeping Norway rats but I've read a little about mice and ASF's. I've read that male mice are often too territorial to be housed with other male mice but they still do better with companionship so some people keep 1 male mouse with a small group of female ASF's. Because they're a different species, you don't need to worry about accidental litters. Perhaps a similar situation would work in your case, getting a few female mice to live with each of your male ASF's. I don't know for sure that it's a good idea but it might be worth investigating.
> 
> ASF's aren't really popular as pets so information can be hard to come by. The people who know the most about them are actually feeder rodent breeders for reptiles. As bad as it sounds, you could bring your questions to a snake forum and perhaps chat with the people who are actually breeding ASF's.


I got them from someone who could no longer keep them. I dont know where they came from before then


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