LITTLE ANTS IN TORTOISE ENCLOSURE
- Thread starter siaana
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Yes, ants can be very harmful.
Mainly, because many types of ants can deliver a painful bite. The soft skin of your tortoise's neck, and near his legs, is especially vulnerable to biting, as is his mouth if he eats them with his food.
My desert tortoise was outside in his enclosure one day and I saw him running, yes, running for his life. I picked him up and he was covered with fire ants. These ants bite and it feels like fire, and they are extremely aggressive. If I stepped near to one of their mounds, almost instantly hundreds of them would attack my legs.
Ants have also been known to chew on torts while the tort brumates, actually killing it while it sleeps. It's one of the reasons some of us advocate brumation in a refrigerator.
So get rid of the ants. I don't know what kinds of ant poison you have in the UK, but don't let your tort have any direct access to any poison. Some people use
home remedies...here's a list of possibilities.
10 Home Remedies for Ants
Are you looking for a potential home remedy for ants? Discover 10 common home remedies for ants at 10FAQ Health and stay better informed to make healthy living decisions.
10faq.com
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Is your tortoise in an enclosure?
If so, remove the enclosure, spray ant spray around and then replace the enclosure back into its spot once the spray has settled.
I sometimes get ants in and around my Chameleons cages trying to get at a dead cricket or two.
I remove the cages (quite an ordeal) and spray every few months.
I also have those little, liquid ant bait traps hidden behind the cages.
Getting rid of the ants is the first step. Stopping them from returning is just as important.
Outside. I treat my whole yard outside of my pens with ant granules. And inside the pens I use glass mayonnaise jars with holes poked in the lid that have Amdro or some other such ant poison and usually some peanut butter. Sometimes just the Amdro. The glass jars let ants in and keep curious torts or other animals away from the poison.
The jars can be laid sideways and are somewhat waterproof if you place them out of sight inside the pens under things.
This regimen has totally removed my Fire ants and has just about eliminated the Big head sugar ants.
It's also crucial (if you have ants) that if you feed your torts food that isn't eaten quickly....Especially sugary food in the case of a Redfoot, remove the leftovers.
In a dry climate folks can use food grade D/E inside and around the outdoor pens. In areas where it is humid or rains a lot, it is futile.
Best of luck.
If so, remove the enclosure, spray ant spray around and then replace the enclosure back into its spot once the spray has settled.
I sometimes get ants in and around my Chameleons cages trying to get at a dead cricket or two.
I remove the cages (quite an ordeal) and spray every few months.
I also have those little, liquid ant bait traps hidden behind the cages.
Getting rid of the ants is the first step. Stopping them from returning is just as important.
Outside. I treat my whole yard outside of my pens with ant granules. And inside the pens I use glass mayonnaise jars with holes poked in the lid that have Amdro or some other such ant poison and usually some peanut butter. Sometimes just the Amdro. The glass jars let ants in and keep curious torts or other animals away from the poison.
The jars can be laid sideways and are somewhat waterproof if you place them out of sight inside the pens under things.
This regimen has totally removed my Fire ants and has just about eliminated the Big head sugar ants.
It's also crucial (if you have ants) that if you feed your torts food that isn't eaten quickly....Especially sugary food in the case of a Redfoot, remove the leftovers.
In a dry climate folks can use food grade D/E inside and around the outdoor pens. In areas where it is humid or rains a lot, it is futile.
Best of luck.
