# Mice or African Soft Furred Rats?



## Calico (Feb 20, 2016)

My local shelter has three "mice" up for adoption. I've never seen mice of this color so I thought maybe they could possibly be African Soft Furs. 

https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/34707944
What do you guys think?? ???


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

Yes, they are African soft fur rats


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## Calico (Feb 20, 2016)

Interesting! I've never seen any in this area before. I might stop by the shelter today and check them out ;D


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## Calico (Feb 20, 2016)

I went to the shelter today and they were aware that they were ASF and not mice. If my landlord approves it, I might be bringing these little ones home! ;D


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## artgecko (Nov 26, 2013)

You aren't planning on moving out of state anytime soon are you (or it isn't a likely possibility)? I ask, because ASF are on the lacey act and illegal to cross state lines... it is a felony charge, just FYI. They are also illegal to own in many states (like in GA where I live). 

If you end up adopting them, be careful if they haven't been socialized, as I've heard ASFs can bite extremely hard. They are also known to chew through a lot of tough materials, even more so than rats, so I'd keep them in a very solid cage or glass tank / metal topper with lots of chew toys. 

They can also be very aggressive to outsiders, so try to avoid removing any of them from the "colony" for any length of time and also avoid introducing any newcomers. The people i know that keep ASFs raise them for food, but the traits I mentioned have been noticed by people that raise them for pets as well. and, just as a disclaimer, the people i know live in a state where it is legal to own / breed ASF.


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## Gribouilli (Dec 25, 2015)

The reason they are mostly raised as food is that they smell less than regular rat. However, here stop their only advantage over our rats. They aren't docile, loving, social creatures like our rats. Also them being used for food mostly means that they aren't bred for docility (or any other trait you would want in a pet); they are still pretty "wild". But if that's ok with you, go ahead and adopt them. They are super cute and fascinating to watch, not so much to handle.


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## Calico (Feb 20, 2016)

Gribouilli said:


> The reason they are mostly raised as food is that they smell less than regular rat. However, here stop their only advantage over our rats. They aren't docile, loving, social creatures like our rats. Also them being used for food mostly means that they aren't bred for docility (or any other trait you would want in a pet); they are still pretty "wild". But if that's ok with you, go ahead and adopt them. They are super cute and fascinating to watch, not so much to handle.





artgecko said:


> You aren't planning on moving out of state anytime soon are you (or it isn't a likely possibility)? I ask, because ASF are on the lacey act and illegal to cross state lines... it is a felony charge, just FYI. They are also illegal to own in many states (like in GA where I live).
> 
> If you end up adopting them, be careful if they haven't been socialized, as I've heard ASFs can bite extremely hard. They are also known to chew through a lot of tough materials, even more so than rats, so I'd keep them in a very solid cage or glass tank / metal topper with lots of chew toys.
> 
> They can also be very aggressive to outsiders, so try to avoid removing any of them from the "colony" for any length of time and also avoid introducing any newcomers. The people i know that keep ASFs raise them for food, but the traits I mentioned have been noticed by people that raise them for pets as well. and, just as a disclaimer, the people i know live in a state where it is legal to own / breed ASF.


I appreciate your concerns. I've done my research and I am aware that they are illegal in some states and aren't the most social animals towards people. The shelter told me they are friendly, but I won't really know until I get them home. I'm not opposed to having something just to look at and care for. I haven't heard back from my landlord yet, so nothing is set in stone.


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