4 replies to this topic

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

I right now have a problem because the small carpet beetles that I have been giving them got too big and now they don’t really eat all of it and waste a lot of the food, I am currently trying to get fruit flies but it’s too early of them, I am thinking of giving them mosquitoes right now… I was also giving them the abdominal section of spiders I find but it can’t find any more (the ones I find are jumping spiders and they are too cute to kill) Anyone have any suggestions of small insect foods to give

(It’s hard to cut carpet beetles in half without completely squishing them)

Edited by OwlThatLikesAnts, April 24 2025 - 6:40 AM.

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

For protiens you could try alt foods like fish flakes or other pet foods. Also feeder crickets come in a variety of sizes that get tiny.

I really like fish flakes and pet snacks as they are 100% food leaving behind no refuse at all.
If you do get fish flakes be sure and check the ingredient list. like people food it is listed from most to least used ingredients. Cheap'o flakes will have flour/starch/fillers listed higher and fish/shrimp/the real food listed lower.
I use this brand, i get the 3oz jar(lasts a long time) and the ants go nuts for it.

 

I've also used cat food and pet snacks of a high quality, and they also go for those. I make sure ot use only tiny amounts of anything that's wet to avoid the outworld or nest getting stankty/stained.

[bmb1bee]

Yes, fish flakes work pretty well. Earwigs are a great option if you can find those. They're common and you can just cut them into bits for feeding.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

Yes, fish flakes work pretty well. Earwigs are a great option if you can find those. They're common and you can just cut them into bits for feeding.

Earwigs are pretty abundant, so ill consider them, the downside is that I can’t find them right now.

 

 

For protiens you could try alt foods like fish flakes or other pet foods. Also feeder crickets come in a variety of sizes that get tiny.

I really like fish flakes and pet snacks as they are 100% food leaving behind no refuse at all.
If you do get fish flakes be sure and check the ingredient list. like people food it is listed from most to least used ingredients. Cheap'o flakes will have flour/starch/fillers listed higher and fish/shrimp/the real food listed lower.
I use this brand, i get the 3oz jar(lasts a long time) and the ants go nuts for it.
 

 

I've also used cat food and pet snacks of a high quality, and they also go for those. I make sure ot use only tiny amounts of anything that's wet to avoid the outworld or nest getting stankty/stained.

I’ll also consider them, thanks for the advice.

[ANTdrew]

Keep in mind that ants like Crematogaster basically only eat liquid foods. They will lap up as much of the liquid guts and hemolymph from inside feeder insects as they can then will leave behind the rest. They’re not going to eat *all* of any insects you offer them. Just because beetle exoskeletons are left behind does not mean they are wasting anything.