I was lurking on that forum (linked above) for a long time tonight and it looks like quite a few people are breeding for mroe color variety as well, but none seem interested in breeding for sweet pets.  A few people mentioned they tried handling the babies from day 1, but it did no good once they opened their eyes.

From what I've seen, most feeder breeders treat their animals that way.  There is a picture on the forum of a lady from Japan who has 3 males that she's able to hold and even play with, and I found a few other threads of people keeping them as pets.

Sorry to hear about the little girl and boy    I wonder what happened with them, if maybe it was a genetic defect or something. 

Yep, I don't understand it either.  The only live feedings I do are crickets and meal worms, and even with those I feel like a hypocrite with my pet rats 

I adore snakes and other carnivorous animals, but I just could never bring myself to feed baby animals to a larger animal while it's still alive and scared out of its wits. 

This is why I don't have pet snakes. hehe.

I'm hoping to go to the Grayslake reptile show next month to get my ASFRs.  I told my mom to bring a blind fold and cover my eyes so as not to see all the other animals (feeders and reptiles,) 'cause I don't need more. 

MiMi is my Guardian Rat, thanks for all the help. I'll probably go down and check out House of Scales. I've been meaning to anyway, just haven't gotten around to it. I mapquested and it doesn't even look as far as Parkville. There's also supposed to be a petstore in Parkville to, which I intend to visit as well. By any chance did you see the ASFs? I'd still like to get ones that look different from the ones I have (to save my fingers). Sorry to hear that Mimi still isn't doing well. But she's still hanging on and that's a good sign.

Topaz: If I liked snakes, I would have them, just feed frozen. I have no problems with feeding frozen. My lizard occasionally takes frozen pinkies. Good luck with getting those ASFs. I'm glad their reputation isn't deterring you; mine really aren't that aggressive. I can handle both of them and have never been bitten.

Hey eve,
  Just wondering how your ASFRs are doing.  I might actually be getting some soon.  A friend of mine and I are even discussing and researching ideas on possible breeding for pets in the future.  We'll see.  It's doubtful, but there's lots of research still needed.

According to this: http://goto.glocalnet.net/natal/ they say that natal rats are easier to intro than domestic rats.

Coincidentally, I just saw my first of these rats at a pet shop last week in Bolingbrook, IL.   Since they don't know how to sex and separate guinea pigs, I'm sure these rats are all inter-mingled as well.

I have read that they're no longer called Multimammate, and there's lots of confusion of where they really belong.

I finally got my three girls.  Two are quite scared of me, while one seems to love getting scritches.

I got one cinnie pied, one agouti pied and one agouti spotted.  They came from a pet store in NC, and were transported up to me by another forum member.  They're about 2 months old now (I think,) and in a 20 gallon long tank.  I'm working on taming them down.  So far all I can do is pet them in the tank, and they will sometimes take food from my hand (they eat millet spray while I hold it when they're feeling brave.)  I'm already wanting more.

I don't think that Natal rats are illgeal (though maybe it depends on each state.)  There are many breeders in the area who breed them for food only, so surely they're not illegal around here.

Pic!

Okay, so I looked up the banned animals due to Monkeypox, and here's what I found:

On June 11, 2003,
the Director of CDC and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, under 42
CFR 70.2 and 21 CFR 1240.30 respectively, issued a joint order (Ref.
12) prohibiting, until further notice, the transportation or offering
for transportation in interstate commerce, or the sale, offering for
sale, or offering for any other type of commercial or public
distribution, including release into the environment, of:
    [sbull] Prairie dogs (Cynomys sp.);
    [sbull] Tree squirrels (Heliosciurus sp.);
    [sbull] Rope squirrels (Funisciurus sp.);
    [sbull] Dormice (Graphiurus sp.);
    [sbull] Gambian giant pouched rats (Cricetomys sp.);
    [sbull] Brush-tailed porcupines (Atherurus sp.), and
    [sbull] Striped mice (Hybomys sp.).
    The June 11, 2003, order did not apply to the transport of these
animals to veterinarians or animal control officials or other entities
under guidance or instructions issued by Federal, State, or local
government authorities. In addition, under 42 CFR 71.32(b), CDC
implemented an immediate embargo on the importation of all rodents from
Africa (order Rodentia).

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2003/03-27557.htm

These guys were bred in the US from imported Natal rats from a long time ago, so unless I'm reading it wrong, they look legal to me.

I have not been bitten at all as of yet.  The person who brought them up to me was bitten, though, when he tried to pick one up.

Somehow Afrika is ridiculously adoreable  I think it's the eyebrows/cheek spots.

Their ears are huge! Even my adults have huge ears. They could fly on those ears 

I have silent spinners and I'm going back to mesh. They are awful about pooping in their wheel. I'm spoilt by my mice and rats I guess, because they jump off to use the restroom. With the amount of running the ASFs do combined with the amount of pooping they do, you'll be cleaning the wheels about every other day just to keep the cage from smelling.

I've never had any problem with chewing in either of my cages. And they have plastic houses and wood houses and live in plastic bins. Now I just jixned myself