Ants did I do the right thing help!!

[Jill and Erica]

Hello everyone it has been awhile. Myrtle has been loving her outdoor enclosure. I came home to do her night check, she likes fresh water for morning anyway I notice her pen full of ants. Worried I removed her and placed her in a plastics laundry tub with soil and water bowl ( not very big ) then I researched how to deal with ants they were red in color so I feared they would hurt her. I drenched the interior and exterior of her pen with several pots of boiling water then I followed the trails outside the pen and poured boiling water on them. I then realized I had Spectracide bug stop spray so I only sprayed the base of the exterior bottom of pen and all the trails outside the pen. The bottle said it would be okay to let animals in after it dries. I never sprayed the interior of the pen. Is this okay I was going to try and get her back in her home in the morning or did I just hurt her place. Any help I don't want her in the plastic basket for long.

 

[tortoise5643]

Where I am we have tons of fire ants. I use white distilled vinegar. Just pour it all over the cage, trails, mounds, etc. I don't even take them out I just don't get it in the water dish. It keeps them away for the rest of the season usually. I think it's the smell they can't stand or it ruins their trails and they can't make new ones or something. I don't quite know but it has worked well for me.

 

[Jill and Erica]

I will def do that next time but do you think it is safe for Myrtle to go back home once every dries. I didn't think before I sprayed that stuff. I don't want to her her.

 

[Jill and Erica]

I was going to try and put her back in morning. I checked on her she hates the basket.

 

[tortoise5643]

I will def do that next time but do you think it is safe for Myrtle to go back home once every dries. I didn't think before I sprayed that stuff. I don't want to her her.

I don't know if it would be safe. I would assume it would be since it was just the outside of the enclosure. Unless it pours and floods into the cage or something and gets in the water supply. Maybe if you put him back you should soak him with sink water every day to keep him well hydrated to get it through his system as fast as possible.

 

[Jill and Erica]

Oh she wasn't in the pen when I sprayed I took her out. I did just spray the outside and so far no rain in the forecast for the rest of the week. The interior soil never got sprayed. I just worry. Thank you

 

[dmmj]

as long as you did not speay inside her enclosure it should be fine, no problem. I use dichotomous Earth for my aunt problems it works wonderfully and it is non-toxic.

 

[Jill and Erica]

Okay do you put that inside or on the outside.

 

[dmmj]

Okay do you put that inside or on the outside.

put it where yoh find the trails in shreds their exoskeletons and die if you can find the nest pour it down the hole.

 

[PJay]

as long as you did not speay inside her enclosure it should be fine, no problem. I use dichotomous Earth for my aunt problems it works wonderfully and it is non-toxic.

I use dichotomous earth for my aunt problems too! She really isn't a nice person but it's ok because she occupies a patch of earth in the south west U.S. and I occupy a patch on the east coast. Problem solved!

Don't you just love auto complete?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I also spray outside my pens and use ant granules in the yard.
For inside the pens I use glass jars with tiny holes poked in the lids. Cheap ant poison powder and jelly as bait inside.
This way the ants get poisoned. It's almost water proof and the tortoises stay safe.

 

[Eric Phillips]

I also spray outside my pens and use ant granules in the yard.
For inside the pens I use glass jars with tiny holes poked in the lids. Cheap ant poison powder and jelly as bait inside.
This way the ants get poisoned. It's almost water proof and the tortoises stay safe.

I agree with all of the above. I've even done the jar trick with half a cup of sugar mixed with half of cup of borax. Another trick that gets the job done