Ants!

[adarland]

I just moved my leopard tort outside for the first time and noticed that at night some ants come out around her enclosure. Any advice on what I could use to get rid of the ants without harming my tort? The ants haven't bothered her yet but I'm not taking any chances!

 

[ascott]

http://www.diatomaceousearth.com/2lbs-food-grade-diatomaceous-earth/

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Black pepper. Or vinegar, but that smells a little funny.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Remove the food quickly and spray the perimeter around the enclosure. I have two enclosures and I must rotate every now and then to kill fire ants. The are an unfortunate reality.

 

[Wilda]

Will the food grade diatomaceous earth kill my grass? Cuz my tortoises graze on my grass and i don't want the grass to die. Thanks for the help.

 

[CanadianTestudo]

do you know what types of ant they are? Many ants are completely harmless to your tortoise and might not need to be killed.

 

[DawnH]

What type of ants? Using FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth will help. It will not hurt your tortoise and works wonders for a host of bugs. Again - make sure you use FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous Earth. There is another variety of DE that is a pool chemical and highly toxic. You can find food grade DE at most feed stores. We have dogs, cats, chickens, a tortoise as well as other pets. It does not hurt your lawn/yard but I do avoid sprinkling it on flowers as to not disturb the bees. DE is the only product I use in my yard. I use it every three months (rain will wash it away) around the yard, in the flower beds, on the lawn and around the perimeter of the house. You can find more info using a Google search but here is one neat article...

http://www.richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp

 

[Wilda]

They black ants but they have bitten me. I water my lawn daily. Thank you for the help. Don't know if i can ask you another type of question here. Do all tortoises dig deep underground to hide? Mine dug a little in the winter but really didn't dig deep or hide. They were out every afternoon to eat. Thanks.

 

[Careym13]

Leopard torts aren't usually the burrowing type. Most of us provide hides in their enclosures so that they can seek shelter if they see fit. If you post up a photo of the enclosure we could help with some suggestions

The food grade DE is good stuff, I use it inside my house and outside in my tort's enclosure. If you water everyday it won't be very effective so try to cut back on that until the ants are gone. Bugs don't like it so not only will it kill those that have contact with it but, in my experiences, it deters others from coming into the area. But make getting rid of those ants a priority, they can easily kill even a larger tort.

 

[Wilda]

Leopard torts aren't usually the burrowing type. Most of us provide hides in their enclosures so that they can seek shelter if they see fit. If you post up a photo of the enclosure we could help with some suggestions

The food grade DE is good stuff, I use it inside my house and outside in my tort's enclosure. If you water everyday it won't be very effective so try to cut back on that until the ants are gone. Bugs don't like it so not only will it kill those that have contact with it but, in my experiences, it deters others from coming into the area. But make getting rid of those ants a priority, they can easily kill even a larger tort.

Thank you. I have sulcata tortoises, not leopards. Does that make a big difference?

 

[wellington]

Thank you. I have sulcata tortoises, not leopards. Does that make a big difference?

Sulcatas will dig and can dig big long under ground tunnels. If yours is still fairly sma he might not be in the tunneling age yet if there is an age they would start the big holes

 

[Careym13]

Sorry for some reason I thought you had leopards....Wellington is right, Sulcatas do dig.