I would think it would be pretty similar to regular rats since they're similar anyway and I would think ultimately it would come down to what you feed them. I'm sure you would feed them the same diet, ASF are usually for problem feeder ball pythons though, aren't they?

If you don't have a reason to breed ASF, don't do it.

They breed HEAVILY and can chew through just about anything. The asker only has 2 snakes. Unless he has a way to unload them he's going to be overun with ASF's before he can say "ASF". Just MHO.

The only reason for ASF is as a last resort for those picky eaters or wild caught ball pythons.  Being that ASF can be hard to come by (practically non-existant in some areas) and hard to get a snake off of, you would severly limit your options of who to sell to should you breed and sell.  People want regular rat eaters, and would even take a mouse eater over an ASF eater.  Or if something were to happen to your own colony of ASF, you may have a hard time finding any to restock with.  They really aren't worth it, stick to what's common and easy to get.

I love my ASF colonies. They produce way better than my rats or mice, and are a good middle-size rodent so are useful for hatchlings up to snakes around 800g or so. I've never had any issues with them chewing out and I raise them in the same racks as my mice and rats. A lot of people think if you feed them to a snake that the snake will start to only accept ASF but I feed ASF to most of my snakes occassionally and I've never had any issues with snakes getting hooked on them. I've fed some snakes ASF for months, then offered regular rats again and they took them as if they'd never seen an ASF before. That's not to say there aren't snakes out there who only accept ASF, but I'd guess they were picky beforehand, not a result of feeding ASF.

I do think the one con to them is that some states they are illegal to keep, so people may be hesitant to buy a snake you are feeding ASF based on the idea that they wouldn't switch over and that person wouldn't be able to get ASF in their area. If you can prove the snake will still accept other feeders I don't think it's that big of a deal. I'm open about feeding my snakes ASF and I've never had issues with selling them all over the country. 

Well I found this but it doesn't have ASF's. My issue with them is they are wayyyy more viscious fighters, if you feed live the risk is a lot higher for bites. They will also attack if the snake doesn't strike right away. The other concern is if you get a ball python that gets "hooked" on them and won't take regular rats. If something happened to your ASF colony, would you have a source for more. 

I do agree with Abi in the issue of size and being prolific. I keep a colony for my WC girl who luckily takes F/T.

I actually only have one Snake right at the moment, that number will change in the near future.  I breed rats for my snake currently and I breed differently then feeder breeders do.  My rats are pets and I only breed enough to sell some as pets and feeders and to keep my snake fed and healthy.  If I did start a colony, I'd be the only breeder of asf within 60 miles.  And of course the sexes would be seperated and I would only breed for just the amount needed. I have no intentions of being over run with them, I'm a very responsible breeder in the aspect that I only allow my supply to be dictated by the demand. I was asking more along the lines of NUTRIONAL value of the animal.  I've heared the comparison that, ASF are considered steaks, whereas Rats are more like hamburger.

With ASF, it is not recommended to separate the sexes and only introduce when you want litters - ASF bond and once you break their groups up they 1) tend to not breed well again and 2) if you introduce them to new mates they will usually beat the crap out of each other, if not kill each other altogether. It is recommended to introduce a group at a young age and leave them together for life. So start with the amount you desire in your colony from the beginning. You can always euthanize/freeze or sell spare ASF, especially if you'll be the only one with them. 

I'm going to ask the stupid question here... What does ASF mean?

african soft fur

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natal_multimammate_mouse

I bred ASF and they would not breed unless I supplimented with cat food. My friend who breeds them has this problem as well. They are smaller than regular rats an adult is about 2 to 3 times larger than a mouse. I would not want to get my guys hooked on them as it can be hard to switch them to rats if the asf ran in short supply. As cenobite stated they chew through everything. no wire cages with plastic bottoms ever!! I had mine in a 10 gallon with metal lid, they chewed out all of the silicone. Oh but I did give them pumice stone and it calmed the chewing a little bit.. the love that lol

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I haven't awarded any points for the question because I don't feel it has been answered...  I wanted to know nutrionally wise what was better for snakes, ASF or Domesticated Rats.

I don't believe there is enough sufficient data out there since they are basically the same as a domesticated rat. I'll see if Aimee knows anything.

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/WholePreyFinal02May29.pdf

http://www.thetegu.com/showthread.php?6963-ASF-Rats-or-Mice-as-feeders The 3rd post