Is it ok for marginated torotise hatchling to attack ants? I took him out and it seems it was his first experience as he started to run away from them if met one in a big frenzy. This was few days ago, now he just search and wait for them like some beast and attack them by biting. Then just run away in frenzy as usual. Are they dangerous if eaten? I saw him later trying to rub out ant parts off his mouth with his legs. It doesn't seem to be tasty for him, but he like to hunt them.
Attacking ants
- Thread starter Travick
- Start date
Ants will kill a tortoise. You need to eradicate them, carefully, in the area where your tortoise goes and also in the surrounding area so they don't move back in.
@tom can you elaborate if this applies to all tortoises and ant species? Is it from biting that the danger to the tortoise comes in?
Just something I hadn't thought about before. Thanks!
No ants of any species should be allowed to exist near any tortoise enclosure. All of them are potentially dangerous and the smaller the tortoise, the more dangerous the ants are. Seeing a beloved pet swarmed by ants when you just put it out a couple hours before is a devastating thing to see.
Stinging ants certainly pose a greater risk either from them biting the tortoise, or the tortoise biting them, but even "harmless" ants can swarm and kill a hatchling or baby.
Down here in Texas, the damn Fireants have been wiping out Rattlesnake populations. I’m sure they are devastating the Texas Tortoises and 3 Toed Box Turtles, as well.
You can only keep them at bay. It is a constant battle. Especially if you go organic or chemical free. You have to check regularly for the swarming little bastards. Every time it rains, they go on the move and start numerous new mounds. They will setup shop in the substrate beneath your tort if you do not check or change out the substrate often.
African Fireants and African Honey Bees are pure evil. Give me Rattlesnakes and Scorpions any day of the week, those other two can go back to HELL, where they came from!!! End of rant.
You can only keep them at bay. It is a constant battle. Especially if you go organic or chemical free. You have to check regularly for the swarming little bastards. Every time it rains, they go on the move and start numerous new mounds. They will setup shop in the substrate beneath your tort if you do not check or change out the substrate often.
African Fireants and African Honey Bees are pure evil. Give me Rattlesnakes and Scorpions any day of the week, those other two can go back to HELL, where they came from!!! End of rant.
What type of ants do you have in your part of the world? Budapest?
As I know there are hundreds of species here but they look all the same for normal people - most of them are black and small, not biting, except the red ones, but those are very rare and very tiny too. Those, which comes to our 6th floor balcony and sometimes I can find them inside are like 2 mm long and never bite. Tort is outside for a 1/2 a hour and under full supervision at that time. Today he noticed some ants around him again but it didn't look like he care about them anymore. I'm thinking about putting chalk around as mentioned here in forum, but yesterday there was so few of them that I managed to take all 3-4 ants away. Today he didn't bother so I left them walk around. His first reaction was shocking, I never seen tort run so fast without control.
That is an awesome idea!
That is an awesome idea!
AWESOME!!!
Watch out for birds....
Ugh! Agreed. And FYI ... I spent about 4 hours digging up nasty blackberry vines that birds crapped into my yard! First I was excited because I LOVE blackberries, but the birds crapped this nasty variety that when it makes berries... it’s like gravel when you try to eat them
My sister used to tell me that her Hermani, Queenie, would hunt the black ants that nested in the tort table and eat them.
You need to go to bed now my Lady
