Fire ants-tragedy

[Zach B]

Tragic news.
My 8 year old Radiated tort was killed last night by fire ants. He lived in an outdoor enclosure and has been thriving for years. This morning he wasn’t in his usual spot. I found him in a corner of his pen covered with fire ants. His neck, eyes and face had swollen to point he was unrecognizable. He was no longer breathing.

I’ve had several species of tortoises over the years and this is the first one to die from fire ants.

We are all devastated here. He was a favorite pet of the family. Please beware of the dangers of fire ants. I was shocked this could happen to a relatively big and really healthy tortoise.


Zach

 

[zolasmum]

That's terrible - I'm so very sorry.
Angie

 

[Ink]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost a Russian tortoise from fire ants. Horrifying.

 

[Maro2Bear]

So sorry to hear this! Terrible way of death for an animal as grand as a tortoise.

Where abouts do you live? I’m guessing TX or Florida?

 

[zovick]

Tragic news.
My 8 year old Radiated tort was killed last night by fire ants. He lived in an outdoor enclosure and has been thriving for years. This morning he wasn’t in his usual spot. I found him in a corner of his pen covered with fire ants. His neck, eyes and face had swollen to point he was unrecognizable. He was no longer breathing.

I’ve had several species of tortoises over the years and this is the first one to die from fire ants.

We are all devastated here. He was a favorite pet of the family. Please beware of the dangers of fire ants. I was shocked this could happen to a relatively big and really healthy tortoise.


Zach

That is terrible. Very sorry to hear of the loss.

Where are you located? We have fire ants in GA, too, and it has been an ongoing battle with my tortoises since I moved here in 2002.

How big was your tortoise?

 

[TammyJ]

So awful! I am very sorry.

 

[Zach B]

I live in the Phoenix area. The fire ants have only become a problem in the last couple summers. I had no idea any were near his enclosure.

 

[Zach B]

I have a somewhat morbid question. Any suggestions on what I should do with his body. I was going to just bury him in our yard but my wife suggested we contact someone to see if he would be wanted for research etc. not sure if that’s even a thing…

 

[Warren]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[dd33]

Wow, terrible. I would have thought that a tortoise that old would be able to get away from the mound and deal with stings it got before fleeing.

 

[Zach B]

He was about 16 inches long, it’s been a while since I had weighed him but well over 20 pounds. He was a very heavy and healthy tortoise. I would’ve thought he was too big for that as well. It looks like he tried to get away, but ended up wedged in a corner.
It looks like they had swarmed so heavily over him, he had hemorrhagic edema all over his neck and front of his legs up onto his eyes. It looks like they had even gotten into his nostrils. When I tried to pick him up and move him they swarmed all over my hands and feet as well.
By that time he was gone. It was horrible. I feel so incredibly guilty.

Zach

 

[TammyJ]

You are not guilty. You took great care of him, and must not blame yourself. When you can, if you're up to it, post a few pictures of him in his prime, we would like to see them.

 

[KarenSoCal]

I saw my desert tortoise running across his outdoor enclosure one day a few years ago. I ran to see why, and he was covered in fire ants. I immediately put him under a pretty strong flow of the hose and got them all off him. Those ants would attack me when I would get within 2 ft of their mound...hundreds of ants racing up my legs, biting me. I got rid of them in a week. My tortoise, though bitten, was also OK.

I am so sorry that something so horrible as this has happened to your tortoise. 😢