# Help - Ants in my temporary enclosure - beginner!



## Lohan (Jan 14, 2011)

Hello all. Some of you may already be aware of my story from previous posts. I have recently inherited a tortoise by accident (Egyptian)...stranger asked me to look after her animals for a few days - two weeks on and no sign of the lady and I have the tortoise still - which I am happy enough about as she is so gorgeous and cute. Anyway, I live in a place where supplied are very minimal, only one pet shop/Veterinary Surgery in town which caters mostly for cats and dogs and nothing much else it seems - with no knowledge of exotics or heat lamps. I live in the South Sinai peninsula of Egypt!!! Mostly desert...Anyway after following the advice f experienced forum members here I have made a temporary home for 'Tiny T'. But it is made up of dirt and sand from outside...Recently I have seen lots of ants in there, who particularly come out and try to steal her food of course. Food is not the best thing to be left out here in Egypt as the ants just appear from nowhere. I am worried about them being in there, also have to keep watch and shoo them away from her food when she is eating, but I am also worried they they may try to nibble at her when she is sleeping/resting and that they may get into her shell underneath etc. Please can you let me know how big a threat this is to her, and if it is dangerous and what I should do? I am thinking now to throw the dirt out and start again until I can get my hands on something a bit more suitable!! ...Any advice is welcomed and appreciated about the ants problem! Finally what about when she urinates! What is the cleaning situation??? I am a complete beginner guys so please bear with me! Thanks L and Tiny T. x


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## LindaF (Jan 14, 2011)

Whatever you do, do not use pesticides. Throw out the dirt and get some more. I live in Texas so I also have to watch out for ants. We have fire ants that are really bad. After he eats take away the food to see if that helps with not attracting ants. If you can find them some dried leaves can also be used with the dirt.


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## Yvonne G (Jan 14, 2011)

Toss that dirt and start over. I don't know if you can buy boric acid powder in Egypt, but that would keep ants out of the container. Just make a line of the powder around the outside of the container on the table or floor, wherever the tub is sitting. If you can't find boric acid powder, you can use diatomaceous earth. You can buy this powder in a swimming pool supply store. They use it in pool filters. 

If you're still using the cardboard box, then the line of powder probably won't work. You should have a plastic bin, then put the line of powder around outside the bin.


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## Torty Mom (Jan 14, 2011)

Here is a link I came across right after the holidays. I work at a school and my office was covered in ants when I returned from winter break. Kids = food = ants. So we sprinkled corn meal and made chalk lines every where to see if it would work as we are not allowed to use any chemicals. So far so good, it's only been 2 weeks, but I have not seen many but a scout or two!

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Ants-Naturally

Good luck!


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## Tom (Jan 14, 2011)

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Ant-Solution

I found this stuff over here in the states. It works really well and its not toxic. Maybe you can order it over there.


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## Lohan (Jan 15, 2011)

LindaF said:


> Whatever you do, do not use pesticides. Throw out the dirt and get some more. I live in Texas so I also have to watch out for ants. We have fire ants that are really bad. After he eats take away the food to see if that helps with not attracting ants. If you can find them some dried leaves can also be used with the dirt.



Hi Linda

Have thrown out the dirt and no ants - at the moment!!! - thanks for your reply. L



emysemys said:


> Toss that dirt and start over. I don't know if you can buy boric acid powder in Egypt, but that would keep ants out of the container. Just make a line of the powder around the outside of the container on the table or floor, wherever the tub is sitting. If you can't find boric acid powder, you can use diatomaceous earth. You can buy this powder in a swimming pool supply store. They use it in pool filters.
> 
> If you're still using the cardboard box, then the line of powder probably won't work. You should have a plastic bin, then put the line of powder around outside the bin.



Hi Yvone 
Thanks again for your help, yes I have thrown out the dirt and no ants at the moment. I have asked my brother in law to pick up a big plastic box (like you advised) from another city and he will be bringing that to me shortly....but Im afriad she is still in that cardboard box until then! 

She is still eating so thats good, and it seems the changing of the box (meaning chuckingout the dirt) doesnt appear to have distressed her too much she seems to be a little bit of a tough cookie this one...so hopefullyshe will be ok until this box arrives. Also asking a friend of mine who is in the UK at the moment but coming back to Egypt very shortly to get somesubstrate stuff for her instead of the nasty ant infected dirt. Have found this online, what do you think - sounds great to me: 

http://www.shelledwarriorsshop.co.uk/pro-rep-tortoise-life-substrate-10-litres-1731-p.asp

Finally what is Boric? Is it a type of chlorine - do you have any idea what other words are used to name it, as Im not sure what I am looking for? Any help guys? 

Cheers Yvone, will keep you posted. L. x

Thank you to all of you who have come up with your wonderful advice - always highly apprecited and you are helping me to make Tiny T happy! 
L. ")


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## lynnedit (Mar 23, 2011)

Lohan said:


> LindaF said:
> 
> 
> > Whatever you do, do not use pesticides. Throw out the dirt and get some more. I live in Texas so I also have to watch out for ants. We have fire ants that are really bad. After he eats take away the food to see if that helps with not attracting ants. If you can find them some dried leaves can also be used with the dirt.
> ...







Did you ever get an answer to this? Boric acid is also Borax, used in laundering clothing (with detergents). it is also used as an eye wash, diluted. Hope this is working out for you!


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## Yvonne G (Mar 23, 2011)

I'm sorry, Lohan...I didn't see that you had asked about boric acid. Here's the Wikipedia deffinition:

Boric acid, also called boracic acid or orthoboric acid or acidum boricum, is a weak acid of boron often used as an antiseptic, insecticide, flame retardant, in nuclear power plants to control the fission rate of uranium, and as a precursor of other chemical compounds. It exists in the form of colorless crystals or a white powder and dissolves in water. It has the chemical formula H3BO3, sometimes written B(OH)3. When occurring as a mineral, it is called sassolite.

You can usually buy it from plant nurseries, or sometimes at the grocery store. The name above that lynnditt gave you, Boraxo, is a brand name. 

I buy mine at a hardware store in the bug-killer department.


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## dmmj (Mar 23, 2011)

I use plain old chalk on my indoor enclosures during the summer. All I do is just chalk the top of the enclosure and ants don't cross it, but be careful they will find other ways in if possible, I chalked a wooden enclosure one time and they still got in thought the light's electric cord, So I had to also chalk that.


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## lynnedit (Mar 23, 2011)

dmmj said:


> I use plain old chalk on my indoor enclosures during the summer. All I do is just chalk the top of the enclosure and ants don't cross it, but be careful they will find other ways in if possible, I chalked a wooden enclosure one time and they still got in thought the light's electric cord, So I had to also chalk that.



Just the chalk you use on a chalk board?


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## dmmj (Mar 23, 2011)

yep they don't cross the line, it has to be thick. Some stores also sell a pesticide chalk, but I use plain old chalkboard chalk, the white chalk.


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## honu (Mar 23, 2011)

Maybe you could make a solid barrier but not where the ants are... but if you do leave him some air and if it's glass make sure he cannot see through it or else he might think it's a way out and run into it! While you have a safe place for your tortoise you could get rid of the ants! Good luck!  PS I'm 11 I have a star tortoise and we have fire ants so I know how you feel.


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## Yvonne G (Mar 23, 2011)

honu said:


> Maybe you could make a solid barrier but not where the ants are... but if you do leave him some air and if it's glass make sure he cannot see through it or else he might think it's a way out and run into it! While you have a safe place for your tortoise you could get rid of the ants! Good luck!  PS I'm 11 I have a star tortoise and we have fire ants so I know how you feel.



Hi Honu:

Welcome to the forum!! May we know your name and where you are?

(I'm not sure, but I THINK that "honu" means turtle in Hawaiian, no?)


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