Haha thank you! We had some serious discusses of releasing him back into the wild after this incident... the stepson fought hard to keep him though! :)
haha yes it could! If the lizard would just start eating them again it would be no problem. He ate at least 50 in one sitting on the first day... but hasn't eaten many since... I read that they get agitated if there are too many ants around them...
Hi @jrcornel
Ants have a queen that breeds. The normal ants you see are normally workers. You had to have a queen in between the ants you put in the cage. You need to make sure that you don't put a queen in the new cage, or she will start breeding again.
(I did not think the ants will stay alive in the fridge)
Good luck!
That is what I always thought as well. Are you familiar with harvester ants? They are slightly different I believe...
Regarding the fridge, they actually survive in there for over 2 weeks. They basically go into hibernation. I couldn't believe it either, but they were fine after 3 days in the fridge... it turns out I shoulda left them their a bit longer!
Haha I like the way you think! Yea that is very true. I just need the lizard to start eating them again... he seems a little gun shy after they attacked him last time. They should be his main food source though so I am not sure what the deal is...
Yea that is what I am hoping. I read that they eat between 20 and 200 a day... and he easily ate 50-100 a couple days ago.. so maybe he is just full still? It also appears he is about done shedding his skin, so once that is done perhaps his appetite returns?! :)
Yea that is what I had been feeding them, but if they eat something besides ants for too long, it can really mess up their digestive system... it appears they were designed specifically to eat ants. Strange huh?! :)
Very strange....a bit of a mess with the ants though. I hope you get this little guy's eating arrangements sorted out soon, he looks a little irritated...lol
Thank goodness you saw that the ants were overtaking your lizard, poor guy with all that new flesh getting bitten. ouch. you have to love and laugh at all your animals can sometimes put you through. ;-)
Following this from the beginning. Man, this is hilarious! Comedy gold! I hope the lizard will be fine after shedding his skin. Does he have a name yet?
You know, he does... my stepson and his cousin call him something... I just can't remember what it was for the life of me?! Fred perhaps? Actually no I know that is not right... I'll have to ask them and get back to you. :)
Thank you! I think I have it figured out now, I have been feeding him a handful of ants at a time and he is gobbling them up. Too many ants at once overwhelmed him though.
I know how the lizard must have felt. Since I moved to the tropics I'm at constant war with the ants... little bastards they are! Should add more lizards and geckos to the house. That might be the solution. Great post and beautiful lizard too!
That's hilarious xD Good luck on continued pet ownership.
Haha thank you! We had some serious discusses of releasing him back into the wild after this incident... the stepson fought hard to keep him though! :)
@jrcornel forgive me for laughing but I just couldn't help it
poor lil guy ..
You could start selling ants! Or do you need a breeding pair for that?
I think they are all the same sex... I believe they are all female but I am not totally sure...
That may just add to your problems. It's a good thing our cat doesn't need live prey
haha yes it could! If the lizard would just start eating them again it would be no problem. He ate at least 50 in one sitting on the first day... but hasn't eaten many since... I read that they get agitated if there are too many ants around them...
Hi @jrcornel
Ants have a queen that breeds. The normal ants you see are normally workers. You had to have a queen in between the ants you put in the cage. You need to make sure that you don't put a queen in the new cage, or she will start breeding again.
(I did not think the ants will stay alive in the fridge)
Good luck!
That is what I always thought as well. Are you familiar with harvester ants? They are slightly different I believe...
Regarding the fridge, they actually survive in there for over 2 weeks. They basically go into hibernation. I couldn't believe it either, but they were fine after 3 days in the fridge... it turns out I shoulda left them their a bit longer!
Thanks for the reply
Look at the bright side... You now have an ant farm and a consistent supply of ants! It you get WAY too many, there's Craigslist!
Haha I like the way you think! Yea that is very true. I just need the lizard to start eating them again... he seems a little gun shy after they attacked him last time. They should be his main food source though so I am not sure what the deal is...
If I got covered by biting ants, I'd be a little gunshy as well! I'm not sure what lizard's eating habits are... maybe he just needs a little time.
Yea that is what I am hoping. I read that they eat between 20 and 200 a day... and he easily ate 50-100 a couple days ago.. so maybe he is just full still? It also appears he is about done shedding his skin, so once that is done perhaps his appetite returns?! :)
I think it is a good idea to feed them something else...ants are not such a good idea....crickets should work...lol!
Yea that is what I had been feeding them, but if they eat something besides ants for too long, it can really mess up their digestive system... it appears they were designed specifically to eat ants. Strange huh?! :)
Very strange....a bit of a mess with the ants though. I hope you get this little guy's eating arrangements sorted out soon, he looks a little irritated...lol
Haha me too. Thanks! :)
Thank goodness you saw that the ants were overtaking your lizard, poor guy with all that new flesh getting bitten. ouch. you have to love and laugh at all your animals can sometimes put you through. ;-)
Yep exactly. Had I just left on vacation while leaving him in there, he probably would have been a goner...
I am glad he is okay, he is a cutie
Great story . Made me chuckle ...cheers for posting!
Well I am glad you enjoyed it. It is pretty funny looking back on it... not so funny at first :)
Following this from the beginning. Man, this is hilarious! Comedy gold! I hope the lizard will be fine after shedding his skin. Does he have a name yet?
You know, he does... my stepson and his cousin call him something... I just can't remember what it was for the life of me?! Fred perhaps? Actually no I know that is not right... I'll have to ask them and get back to you. :)
What a great story. Thoroughly enjoyed the read
Thank you! I think I have it figured out now, I have been feeding him a handful of ants at a time and he is gobbling them up. Too many ants at once overwhelmed him though.
I know how the lizard must have felt. Since I moved to the tropics I'm at constant war with the ants... little bastards they are! Should add more lizards and geckos to the house. That might be the solution. Great post and beautiful lizard too!
Haha it really might! You should do a quick google search of what eats ants in that area.
The lizard is eating and doing much better now that I got a new cage for him and fed him the ants much more slowly! :)
Happy to hear he is doing well! And the ants here to eat everything it seems! Nothing is safe over here.