Are ants or diatomaceous earth harmful to a russian tortoise?

KSeaman

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Jul 9, 2018
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Washington
I have ants that have taken up residence in my outdoor tortose areas I was planning to use diatomaceous earth to get rid of them.

My question is are either the ants or diatomaceous earth harmful to my Russian Tortoises?

If anyone have a proven method of getting rid of the ants I would be so open to hearing it.

Thank you
 

ZenHerper

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The torts will find it as harmless as any other kind of dust or fine sand.

You will still see ants...the idea is that the adult ants carry the DE particles back into their nests and expose their eggs and larvae to the cutting effects.

Note: once wet (rain, etc.) DE clumps into ordinary mud, so you have to reapply fresh dust to dry ground regularly. Any beneficial insects and worms that are exposed will be at risk of death, so be as specific as possible with your applications.
 

Tom

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I have ants that have taken up residence in my outdoor tortose areas I was planning to use diatomaceous earth to get rid of them.

My question is are either the ants or diatomaceous earth harmful to my Russian Tortoises?

If anyone have a proven method of getting rid of the ants I would be so open to hearing it.

Thank you
Ants can over run a small tortoise and kill it.

Different treatments for for different ant species in differing conditions. What works in one part of the country sometimes doesn't work in others, so you might have to try a few different things.

I've tried diatomaceous earth many times, and its never done anything. My climate is very dry, so the stuff is not clumping. It just doesn't harm the ants. They walk right over it for days, and it does nothing.

The small ants seem to go for the Terro Ant baits. These are boric acid and sugar water in little trays. Very safe for tortoises and other pets, but the ants carry it back to their queen and they all die deep underground.

The large red ants respond to Amdro ant granules. This is a toxic pesticide, so I use it carefully. I don't follow the directions on the package and scatter it everywhere. Instead I pour some directly into the ant hole, and then cover it with a basket of some sort until the ants carry the bait down into their hole.

Carefully application of some flea powder can get rid of them too.
 

KSeaman

Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2018
Messages
39
Location (City and/or State)
Washington
Ants can over run a small tortoise and kill it.

Different treatments for for different ant species in differing conditions. What works in one part of the country sometimes doesn't work in others, so you might have to try a few different things.

I've tried diatomaceous earth many times, and its never done anything. My climate is very dry, so the stuff is not clumping. It just doesn't harm the ants. They walk right over it for days, and it does nothing.

The small ants seem to go for the Terro Ant baits. These are boric acid and sugar water in little trays. Very safe for tortoises and other pets, but the ants carry it back to their queen and they all die deep underground.

The large red ants respond to Amdro ant granules. This is a toxic pesticide, so I use it carefully. I don't follow the directions on the package and scatter it everywhere. Instead I pour some directly into the ant hole, and then cover it with a basket of some sort until the ants carry the bait down into their hole.

Carefully application of some flea powder can get rid of them too.
Thank you, I was nervous of using the ant bait. I will try that first. I can set it up just outside the enclosures.

I live in NW WA, so the DE truly doesn't stay dry more than a few days at best.

Just finished planting different lettuces, kale and nastertiums ready to move my guys outdoors.

My guys are 24 and 5 years so not youngsters.

Thanks again for the replies.
 
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