hey guys....quick question...do u think ants are bad for cresteds in a planted viv. i noticed a few ants making there home my cresteds home...just wanna know if its bad for them...thanks again
Im gonna go with yes, in "rhacodactylus: a complete guide" theres a whole page dealing with "Ants as gecko killers" Id get them out of there fast -Richard
Yes Yes and Yes they are bad. Argentine ants are the worst, but I would pressume all would do the same. This is from the Rhacdactylus: The Complete Guide. The ants are attracted by dead or live crickets or baby food in the enclosure. "Once they swarm, lizards will drop to the ground and writhe causing the ants to react defenscely and bite. They will also enter the open mouth of the lizard, eventually killing them and eating them.Baby geckos can become clean skeletons overnight." I don't know what kind of ant you have, and I don't want to scare you, but you should probably get your gecko out and clean the cage. Also if you need help from discouraging the ants to get in the enclosure, there are some ideas in Rhacdactylus: The Complete Guide. (page 43 if you have it)
"Insecticides, traps, and baits with Karo syrup and 5% borax, used in a way that it does not harm your lizard is to kill ants, and prevent access. One other solution is to put the legs of the enclosure in containers of dish water with dish detergent or motor oil." That is what it said in Rhacdactylus: The Complete Guide.
oh thank u sooo much...there just reaaallllly little red ants...so small...i just did the good ol pickem up n pinchem and threw them out...there was only abotu 10 or so...i dont c any more so i think there gone...thanks for the advice
No problem, just keep an eye open for anymore. If 10 could get in, more could probably as well. And since your gecko is only 10 weeks, it's still fairly small and vulnerable.
if those are fire ants i would just move the gecko to a new cage, and clean the entire cage and trash the substrate -Richard
ok well heres a trick i used when my leopard gecko cage got ant infested if u can put the tank on a table or put legs on the bottom, than stand the legs in some water ( a dish of water or something ) the ants wont be able to get to the tank because the only way would be up the legs and if the legs are in water than the ants will drown first, it works for me. also put lots, LOTS!! of ant traps with the poison stuff in them around and if your lucky the ants will take it back to the nest and this will kill the ants. the more traps the better chance you have. but definetly go with the water trick it always worked for me
I agree with VAherper. I don't know alot about ants, but if they eat insects, and if they get into your geckos enclosure, they could swarm and kill your gecko. Or they could just bite him which can still do pretty good damage. You don't want to play around with them.
Mites are very small, and bright red. That is what I thought of when he said small and red. How big are they?
like less than a millimeter big...there definatly ants tho...if lookd at them...they look ALOT like ants at least...thanks
A millimeter big I would lean towards mites. If they are bright red then they are deffinantly mites. Check your gecko for any on him. If so you will somehow have to give him a bath to kill the mites on him. Then put him in a critter keeper that is clean and thouroghly clean his other enclosure out. Throw out the subtrate and make sure all the mites are gone before you put it back together. If you are using a fish aquarium this will be easy by filling it full of water and leaving it for half an hour. Thats all I can think of now, let me know how everything goes. Are you using real or silk plants?
theres none on him...and there def ants...we dont have mites up here in canada...im using real plants....i was thinkin tho...in the wild theres ants, and there fine...theres not alot of them at all..and when i c them i kill them...there DEF ants tho...
well...i took a few of the ants/mites to my local pet store and they said they were def ants, they said there not a big threat unless they get outof hand and breed like mad...in the wild theres ants and cresteds seem to be fine...even tho, when i c an ant i kill it...id rather play it safe...thanks for all the help...and im using real plants with soil substrate what do u all think of that?? cause im not positive on the ant situation...
See that makes my pretty much positive that they are mites. And yes we do get mites here in Canada, we had them in ivy my Mom tried to grow once and then they were all over the place. Ok first of all don't go by the ants in the wild and the cresties are fine because they aren't. That is actually one of the number one killers of cresties in the wild, introduced ants. They are almost gone from some of the smaller islands because of these ants. Secondly the reason I believe they are mites. You said they are tiny, about a millimeter long, mites (spider mites as I have known them by) are that small and bright red. And with the real plants that would mean there could be the mites in there. But that is my opinion from your description of them. We haven't been impressed by pet store workers knowledge of animals at times.
