15 replies to this topic

[KBant]

Hello All,

 

So as I become consumed by this ant keeping hobby, I start to wonder how I would care for my ants while I vacation.

 

I love to vacation and sometimes leave the country for up to 2 weeks at a time. I have 2 pogonomyrmex rugosus colonies with 3-4 workers, 1 camponotus colony (20+ workers and a novomessor cockerelli colony (6 workers). i will be hibernating my camponotus soon but I'm concerned about after hibernation. 

 

How would you best leave them before a 2 week trip? 

 

thanks in advance!

[KBant]

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Edited by KBant, November 8 2017 - 8:16 AM.

[FeedTheAnts]

Feed them a lot and if you can tell a trusted friend to come and feed them every about 4-6 days. they can last a while in between feedings, just make sure they have a water test tube to drink from. Another idea is to make a test tube with water, sugar, and whey protein powder. I've never done this before and not sure if people put the solution in a test tube, but you can try it and if your ants like it(not all ants like protein powder apparently), then it would give them a steady source of everything they need without you even having to feed them. Also, make sure that it is a safe powder, but don't ask me about that, I have no idea which ones people deem as not having to much additives for their ants.

[Hunter]

if you us fluon you can buy auto feeders that use a battery to push live insects in

[Hunter]

you can find some for 10$

[Connectimyrmex]

Isn't using an auto feeder pretty inhumane to the feeders? You will be starving the feeder insects, thus removing vital nutrients for ants. Also, live insects can pose a hazard to an ant colony. Do you use this method?

 

You can just provide a lot of protein pre vacation and leave a ton of honey in the formicarium.

 

Edit: bolded some stuff

Edited by Connectimyrmex, November 8 2017 - 3:29 PM.

[Hunter]

i only feed live because that's how they do it in nature and i use a auto feeder when i go on vacation and you can put jelly feeding for the feeders in it

[Chicken_eater100]

personally, i don't mind feeding live insects to animals (probably because they most of them require live feed).  if it's natural then okay.

[Hunter]

saying its not good to feed them live insects is like going in the woods finding a wolf eating a deer and kick it and yell no bad boy, you just don't mess up nature

Edited by Hunter, November 8 2017 - 10:14 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

saying its not good to feed them live insects is like going in the woods finding a wolf eating a deer and kick it and yell no bad boy, you just don't mess up nature

Its cruel to put LIVE ANIMALS in an AUTOMATIC FEEDER. You're starving them by doing that. 

Please read before you argue. If you did not understand my post, go to the yuku forum and ask the creator about my post.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, November 8 2017 - 3:28 PM.

[Chicken_eater100]

saying its not good to feed them live insects is like going in the woods finding a wolf eating a deer and kick it and yell no bad boy, you just don't mess up nature

Its cruel to put LIVE ANIMALS in an AUTOMATIC FEEDER. You're starving them by doing that.

oh, I didn't read that, but if your saying that's its inhuman to feed live animals to pets (I think you're not saying that), then hunter's analogy is correct.

[Connectimyrmex]

i only feed live because that's how they do it in nature and i use a auto feeder when i go on vacation and you can put jelly feeding for the feeders in it

 

 

personally, i don't mind feeding live insects to animals (probably because they most of them require live feed).  if it's natural then okay.

 

 

saying its not good to feed them live insects is like going in the woods finding a wolf eating a deer and kick it and yell no bad boy, you just don't mess up nature

There is the possibility of the insects fighting back and stressing the ants. In nature the prey would run away if stronger, while in captivity the prey would not be able to escape and only be able to fight back. 

There is also a possibility of mites on live insects. I lost an ENTIRE Pheidole megacephala and Ochetellus glaber colony by feeding a cricket with a single mite on it.

 

If you're sure the bug has no mites and is very weak, then go ahead! I feed rose sawfly larvae to a local Yellow Jacket colony (which I named "The Dawgs"). Whenever they grab a caterpillar, I start yelling "GO GET 'EM DAWGS" for no apparent reason.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, November 8 2017 - 3:33 PM.

[Connectimyrmex]

 

 

saying its not good to feed them live insects is like going in the woods finding a wolf eating a deer and kick it and yell no bad boy, you just don't mess up nature

Its cruel to put LIVE ANIMALS in an AUTOMATIC FEEDER. You're starving them by doing that.

oh, I didn't read that, but if your saying that's its inhuman to feed live animals to pets (I think you're not saying that), then hunter's analogy is correct.

 

THANK YOU! 
I edited the main post to make it a bit more obvious for some people.

Sorry if I ruined the thread, its just that some things make me very angry.

[Chicken_eater100]

i only feed live because that's how they do it in nature and i use a auto feeder when i go on vacation and you can put jelly feeding for the feeders in it

personally, i don't mind feeding live insects to animals (probably because they most of them require live feed). if it's natural then okay.

saying its not good to feed them live insects is like going in the woods finding a wolf eating a deer and kick it and yell no bad boy, you just don't mess up nature

There is the possibility of the insects fighting back and stressing the ants. In nature the prey would run away if stronger, while in captivity the prey would not be able to escape and only be able to fight back.
There is also a possibility of mites on live insects. I lost an ENTIRE Pheidole megacephala and Ochetellus glaber colony by feeding a cricket with a single mite on it.

If you're sure the bug has no mites and is very weak, then go ahead! I feed rose sawfly larvae to a local Yellow Jacket colony (which I named "The Dawgs"). Whenever they grab a caterpillar, I start yelling "GO GET 'EM DAWGS" for no apparent reason.

wait, you can stress worker ants now? Like seriously, you have an ant colony living in basically a glass box, if a cricket kicking a few workers (if this was a relatively small colony, than no, I would never feed it live prey but if it was a larger colony and I could kill few workers (sounds wrong) I would feed live prey, just to clarify) will stress the entire colony I don't know what it would do to a colony if you just open a cover for the formicarium.

Edit: I didn't read your edit.

Edited by Chicken_eater100, November 8 2017 - 3:44 PM.

[Mettcollsuss]

Ants can live about 2 weeks with just a sugar source.  If your vacation is under two weeks, just leave a liquid feeder with some sugar water. However, you will need someone to hydrate the formicariums. If it's over two weeks, the caretaker will need to give them a protein source, and occasionally replace the sugar source.

[Connectimyrmex]

 

 

i only feed live because that's how they do it in nature and i use a auto feeder when i go on vacation and you can put jelly feeding for the feeders in it

personally, i don't mind feeding live insects to animals (probably because they most of them require live feed). if it's natural then okay.

saying its not good to feed them live insects is like going in the woods finding a wolf eating a deer and kick it and yell no bad boy, you just don't mess up nature

There is the possibility of the insects fighting back and stressing the ants. In nature the prey would run away if stronger, while in captivity the prey would not be able to escape and only be able to fight back.
There is also a possibility of mites on live insects. I lost an ENTIRE Pheidole megacephala and Ochetellus glaber colony by feeding a cricket with a single mite on it.

If you're sure the bug has no mites and is very weak, then go ahead! I feed rose sawfly larvae to a local Yellow Jacket colony (which I named "The Dawgs"). Whenever they grab a caterpillar, I start yelling "GO GET 'EM DAWGS" for no apparent reason.

wait, you can stress worker ants now? Like seriously, you have an ant colony living in basically a glass box, if a cricket kicking a few workers (if this was a relatively small colony, than no, I would never feed it live prey but if it was a larger colony and I could kill few workers (sounds wrong) I would feed live prey, just to clarify) will stress the entire colony I don't know what it would do to a colony if you just open a cover for the formicarium.

Edit: I didn't read your edit.

 

Its k bro