13 replies to this topic

[Ernteameise]

I went to the local pet story yesterday to order some more live feeder insects (I am trying roaches this time since I have seen that some ants love them).

Anyways, the people in that pet store are really excited about my ants and I had to show them pictures of my girls and tell them a lot about how to keep them and so on.

The young girl working there said she had never heard of people keeping ants as pets and this was amazingly exciting.

This started a discussion about the popularity of ant keeping.

The head of the store told me she actually gets a lot of calls recently for people asking why they do not sell ant keeping supplies and formicaria and ant colonies.

I said to them: "Well, there you go, this looks like a business opportunity. You know that there are several online stores and dozens of private sellers."

 

When I look online, there is a lot of stuff offered and you can buy A LOT of different species (including bullet ants, marauder ants and leafcutter ants) without any problems online (if you pay the money for them).

 

I get the impression this hobby is getting more main-stream?

What do you think in your area- is the popularity declining or increasing?

Are people in pet stores aware of it?

 

[Serafine]

Antkeeping is still a niche hobby within a niche hobby (invertebrate-keeping) within a niche hobby ("exotics", in the sense of keeping pets that aren't birds or mammals).

In the US alone pet isopods beat pet ants by several orders of magnitude, and i'm pretty sure there's WAY more people keeping Tarantulas and other spiders as well.

 

Antkeeping is slowly getting more popular but it's FAR away from "mainstream", even far more common unusual pets like reptiles and spiders are lightyears away from becoming anything resembling mainstream.

[AntPerson76]

I in my whole ant keeping life have never met another person who kept ants in person. I know there are people near me, but I wouldn't get my anting supplies from a pet store but would buy it online instead.

[Virginian_ants]

I met one other person that were interested in ants. They worked at a YMCA camp and they new how to ID ants but wasn't keeping ants at the time.

[Locness]

Still better than when I was keeping scorpions and centipedes. Ant keepers also aren't as weird 😂

[ANTdrew]

It’s getting too popular and way too commercial in my opinion. You can’t even give ants away anymore with all the scumbags selling illegal ants on eBay/etsy. Little guys can’t compete with the flashy websites either. I miss how it used to be.

[BleepingBleepers]

I don't know anyone else that keeps ants but I do notice it peaks some interest in people when I bring it up. Like you can tell they're fascinated but worried about some aspects about it and eventually walking away from the idea. Honestly, such thoughts also came across my mind before I did more research on it. Worries include: Where am I going to keep all those ants? Don't they need some special diet? Don't they need some special housing? Maybe it's too complicated for me because it involves possibly keeping MANY little creatures as oppose to just ONE animal. What if they escape and sting / bite my family and other pets?

 

 

The bottom reply is my slight divergence from the main question asked by the OP

It has my thoughts on why I'm against it becoming more popular, though there's many facets to it as some subjects are just complex.

You'll need to highlight with your mouse in order to see it as it is in white on white background:

 

ANYHOW:

Honestly, I don't know how to feel about it becoming more popular. There are some PROS I suppose, but there's a lot of CONS in my eyes. I am a bit of a negative Nancy.

People are not saints (turn on the news and you'll immediately see), being a pet can be a pretty horrible experience for the animal. Someone told me "what's the con of being a pet, they don't have to worry about stuff like Predators?" and my response was "we ARE the predators!"

 

I'm from the Tarantula hobby and in there, significant poaching and selling of wild caught adults is a common thing because of how lucrative and relatively easy it is. If ants get more popular, you'll see a bunch of people taking a ton of queen ants from the wild or even digging up colonies and destroying their habitat (more so than now) in order to sell them. Now, it'll take a whole lot of popularity to get to that point but don't underestimate the destructive nature of humans. Ants are also part of an ecosystem. They will sell them or kill them. Some of these folks give ZERO F about it. Merciless collecting.

 

Big retail pet stores and many pet stores to be honest, the only thing they care about is the money. Their objective isn't really the animal's health and happiness, it's the profit and to be decent enough that you can't easily sue them (as it goes against the idea of making a profit). There's numerous accounts of abuse and neglect of live animals at these stores. Gotta ask yourself if being noticed by these companies / corporations is a good thing or a bad thing? Their success also affects the keepers and vendors that do care about ants and are trying to make a living from them as well.

 

 

 

One thing I learned is: If you cherish and love something in life, sometimes it's better to not share it too much. I know the urge to try to get everyone excited in your interests and hobbies because you won't feel alone and can share, but the pet industry is INSANELY brutal. Most people don't care about researching, some simply don't give a F, they just want playthings for their kids until they get bored of it and they'll toss it in the trash. They don't care about what's illegal either nor about releasing invasive species into the wild (cough Florida cough). All those cute animal videos you see on youtube are shown because they're cute and can get views. Out of every successful cute video, there's probably hundreds or thousands of fails that involve the suffering and death of the animal(s) that are purposely hidden.

 

 

On the side note, I remember when jumping spiders were not as popular and they were relatively affordable, now they're $50+ or so for something that lives for several months or a year or so.

 

I mean, is it for the sake of the animals or for our sake?

 

 

 

[Ernteameise]

I don't know anyone else that keeps ants but I do notice it peaks some interest in people when I bring it up. Like you can tell they're fascinated but worried about some aspects about it and eventually walking away from the idea. Honestly, such thoughts also came across my mind before I did more research on it. Worries include: Where am I going to keep all those ants? Don't they need some special diet? Don't they need some special housing? Maybe it's too complicated for me because it involves possibly keeping MANY little creatures as oppose to just ONE animal. What if they escape and sting / bite my family and other pets?

 

 

The bottom reply is my slight divergence from the main question asked by the OP

It has my thoughts on why I'm against it becoming more popular, though there's many facets to it as some subjects are just complex.

You'll need to highlight with your mouse in order to see it as it is in white on white background:

 

ANYHOW:

Honestly, I don't know how to feel about it becoming more popular. There are some PROS I suppose, but there's a lot of CONS in my eyes. I am a bit of a negative Nancy.

People are not saints (turn on the news and you'll immediately see), being a pet can be a pretty horrible experience for the animal. Someone told me "what's the con of being a pet, they don't have to worry about stuff like Predators?" and my response was "we ARE the predators!"

 

I'm from the Tarantula hobby and in there, significant poaching and selling of wild caught adults is a common thing because of how lucrative and relatively easy it is. If ants get more popular, you'll see a bunch of people taking a ton of queen ants from the wild or even digging up colonies and destroying their habitat (more so than now) in order to sell them. Now, it'll take a whole lot of popularity to get to that point but don't underestimate the destructive nature of humans. Ants are also part of an ecosystem. They will sell them or kill them. Some of these folks give ZERO F about it. Merciless collecting.

 

Big retail pet stores and many pet stores to be honest, the only thing they care about is the money. Their objective isn't really the animal's health and happiness, it's the profit and to be decent enough that you can't easily sue them (as it goes against the idea of making a profit). There's numerous accounts of abuse and neglect of live animals at these stores. Gotta ask yourself if being noticed by these companies / corporations is a good thing or a bad thing? Their success also affects the keepers and vendors that do care about ants and are trying to make a living from them as well.

 

 

 

One thing I learned is: If you cherish and love something in life, sometimes it's better to not share it too much. I know the urge to try to get everyone excited in your interests and hobbies because you won't feel alone and can share, but the pet industry is INSANELY brutal. Most people don't care about researching, some simply don't give a F, they just want playthings for their kids until they get bored of it and they'll toss it in the trash. They don't care about what's illegal either nor about releasing invasive species into the wild (cough Florida cough). All those cute animal videos you see on youtube are shown because they're cute and can get views. Out of every successful cute video, there's probably hundreds or thousands of fails that involve the suffering and death of the animal(s) that are purposely hidden.

 

 

On the side note, I remember when jumping spiders were not as popular and they were relatively affordable, now they're $50+ or so for something that lives for several months or a year or so.

 

I mean, is it for the sake of the animals or for our sake?

Well, I can understand your concerns.

I am myself not really thrilled by seeing all these exotic species being introduced into the countries.

What if people lose interest?

 

After all, I am myself owner of a "rescue colony".

I cannot imagine animal shelters taking ant colonies in, though.

 

On the plus side, I remember doing ant keeping in my youth with my ramshackle and not-pretty formicarium.

Now you can buys the most amazing enclosures and assessoires and my heart sings by looking at some of them.

[100lols]

I understand your concerns. But I believe the benefits outweigh the negatives.

If ant keeping were to become mainstream and widely adopted as a hobby or educational activity for children, it could offer several benefits. I’m sure we all remember our first ant farm experience, if we were lucky enough to have that experience.

Children would learn about the complex social structures of ants, their behaviors, roles within the colony, and the fascinating world of myrmecology. This hands-on experience can spark curiosity and a deeper interest in the natural sciences of other animals as well. Through ant keeping, children may gain a greater appreciation for the natural world and the importance of conserving habitats for various creatures, including ants. I have strengthened my appreciation for my local environment tons through ant keeping.

People would learn to be attentive to the ants' activities, such as foraging, communicating, and caring for their young. This skill of patience and careful observation can translate into other aspects of their lives.

If ant keeping were mainstream, it could offer everyone a unique and enriching experience that combines education, responsibility, and a deeper connection to the natural world.

Cheers,
Dax London

Edited by 100lols, July 30 2023 - 11:00 AM.

[DevinTheAntKeeper]

Honestly, as of right now, it's not popular but at the same time it's not dead. Its slowly growing because people want to try to keep smth different then a normal animal or reptile. I can see why too. Plus its boring just keeping one animal. With ants you can have 1000 or 1 million ants.

[rptraut]

We should consider ourselves very exceptional people.  We are individuals with a rare interest in a type of insect that most people would rather kill.  Having said that, I have taken my colonies to a public meeting, and I was pleasantly surprised at the interest and questions from the people there.  I have inquired and this fall I will be taking a few colonies to our local school for a Grade 4 science class.  There's lots of interest in ants when the interesting things about them are shown to people.  We, on the other hand, are the people who are interested enough and responsible enough to actually keep colonies for long periods of time.  Snakes and spiders are well accepted as pets and their care is relatively well understood.  We are discovering new things that our ants like and need to eat.  That's an example of the kind of information that isn't known about ants.  We are pioneers.  This forum is the specialist I turn to when I have a question or comments and without it, I would have no idea ant keeping is as widespread as it is.  As much as I would like to see more ant keepers, I'm afraid the general public has a long way to go before Joe average is ready to keep ants and we have a long way to go developing a fool proof "recipe" for keeping ants that we can recommend.  

 

This enlightenment will have to start with the pet stores if ants and ant keeping supplies are going to be available to the see it, feel it, shopper and at least make ant keeping more highly visible to the public as a legitimate form of pet keeping.  My local pet store (privately owned, not a chain store) recently began stocking ant keeping supplies, formicaria etc but their handling of the "livestock" to this point hasn't been very successful.  The first time I saw ant colonies in test tubes that were for sale they were in good shape with active colonies.  A few weeks later those same colonies were either dead or escaped.  On one of my visits, they had received a shipment of ant colonies, and all were dead, probably overheated during transport.  Needless to say, they are reconsidering ordering any more colonies.  Keeping ants captive and alive is not as easy as one might think.  Even pet stores have trouble keeping ants.  This is why I say we are exceptional people and why I think ants should be considered a specialty pet and perhaps not appropriate for Joe average.  It takes people who are committed and responsible to acquire, feed, care for, and dispose of ants and do it all in an environmentally friendly way. Making ant keeping available to people who don't have that level of commitment can only lead to problems for the ants, the ant keeper, and the environment.  

RPT

[Antics]

Besides the regular cats and dogs, I keep exotics: shrimp, fish, birds, snakes, frogs, lizards, tarantulas, arachnids, isopods, pedes, scorps--anything and everything really.

 

Ants are but one niche in the hobby, and a very tiny niche if you look at the numbers. It's actually so uncommon that I get tarantula, scorpion, and centipede keepers who look at me weird when I tell them I kept carpenter and honeypot ants.

 

Can you believe that? The dudes with 7" long venomous centipedes think I'M WEIRD for keeping ANTS!

 

The most common reaction I get when discussing keeping a colony is "Oh, like an Ant farm for kids?" or "Aren't they going to infest your house?"

Then I have to explain, "Yes like that concept, except more along the lines of keeping Tarantulas or Exotic pets"

 

It's pure ignorance. Which means this hobby is more niche than originally suspected.

 

Yes, the hobby has evolved since the days of shipping harvester ants to kids "for science" but it hasn't shown its face in the areas where the less niche pet owners congregate.

Yes, products and websites are beginning to be available online, but that's because of hobbyists WITHIN the hobby who push for their availability and development.

 

How many ant booths do you see at conventions and expos? How many mainstream Ant channels are there? (I can literally only think of AntsCanada)

Are you (the hobby) willingly and openly converting other pet keepers to the Ant-Side, or are you elitist snobs that hide your hobby away? (Gatekeeping)

People in the Arachnid hobby regularly convert other pet owners into getting their first Tarantula or Scorpion. People in the reptile hobby regularly pull in people from Aquaria.

 

How many people have you pulled in from other hobbies?

 

I started in Aquaria, discovered Ant keeping because it blossomed from a life-long interest, got my first colony from Drew, then got pulled into Tarantula keeping because the hobbies overlap quite nicely.

 

Even if people have interest in the hobby, Ants are definitely under-represented.

I will be heading to the Reptile Supershow in Pomona this month with cash in my pocket looking to expand my menagerie, will there be any ant booths there?

 

Just food for thought, not attacks.

[azzaaazzzz00]

The only times I have met other antkeepers was when I sold stuff to them. I think there are definitely more and more new people joining the antkeeping community because 70% of people that I sell stuff to just started.

[Ernteameise]

 

Are you (the hobby) willingly and openly converting other pet keepers to the Ant-Side, or are you elitist snobs that hide your hobby away? (Gatekeeping)

People in the Arachnid hobby regularly convert other pet owners into getting their first Tarantula or Scorpion. People in the reptile hobby regularly pull in people from Aquaria.

 

How many people have you pulled in from other hobbies?

 

I started in Aquaria, discovered Ant keeping because it blossomed from a life-long interest, got my first colony from Drew, then got pulled into Tarantula keeping because the hobbies overlap quite nicely.

 

Even if people have interest in the hobby, Ants are definitely under-represented.

I will be heading to the Reptile Supershow in Pomona this month with cash in my pocket looking to expand my menagerie, will there be any ant booths there?

 

Well, I am proud to say since my ants are by now the MAIN FEATURE of my Facebook account, I have now made 3 (!!) of my friends start up ant keeping because I just made it look "so amazing".

But small caveat- these 3 people were exotics biologists / vets already, so all it needed was a small nudge.

But of course I also have exotics veterinary friends who think my ants are "yuck".

For some reason, some of my vegan friends are totally thrilled by my ant posts, though.

(yeah, you get the point, I surround myself with "weird" people.....)

 

And, I am proud to say, I might now be one of the first veterinarians giving actual lectures about ant-keeping to other vets at two zoo / exotics veterinary conferences (in the UK and Germany).

One has to start somewhere.

But the idea for this I got directly from this forum, in one thread we discussed something about ants getting sick, and then someone accused the veterinary profession in not taking an interest.

Well, it is now.