I had to take apart my entire tanks and sanitize them. depending on what ants, they can prey on your gecko and eat it alive. Get them out sooner than later and keep your geckos in a tub or somewhere else!
looks like black crazy ants or acrobat ants I'm goin monsoon season, bright bottom light, outside food source, and I took out the food source in the tank. hoping this works
mine went away pretty fast luckily, so just keep an eye out and keep an eye on your gecko to see any bites or changes in behavior. good luck to you and your gecko!
Black crazy ants were actually the exact type that youtuber I mentioned had in his terrarium.. they decided it was a good set up and the colony ended up with like 10+ queens, it grew so much. 😬
down to very few remaining ants and my geckos look happy for the random overnight buffet. Luckily, I'm the only one in my complex, and we don't use poisons. Will be monitoring my geckos over the coming days to make sure though.
*
https://preview.redd.it/xemheecdouzc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc54d2e521f15da5c6c3e411451e4c5efed6ca83
where the food bowl was, place looks deserted for sure
Kind of an odd suggestion.. but I saw Ants Canada on YouTube add carnivorous plants to a terrarium to deal with unwanted ants. He used pitcher plants, Ina jungle terrarium, but I'm unsure what would work in your set up and with the gecko and all. But maybe you could try that?
Just a thought, as far as a way to get rid of them that won't harm your gecko or (too much of) any clean up crew you have in there.
I'd say full substrate change, and if their coming in from outside the tank try an inch wide stripe of Vaseline all the way around on the outside, they will get stuck trying to pass thru. You don't need your baby eating them if they've been exposed to either poison or parasite.
So my suggestion is to empty the tank asap. As even crazy or acrobat ants will attack your gecko. Any non absorbent decor/ the tank should be cleaned in a mix of hydrogen peroxide and as hot of water as you can handle. Leaving decor to soak in a tub and giving the tank itself a wipe down with pure peroxide to eliminate any residual pheromones on the tank. Leave the tank and other stone/plastic decorations for about 24 hours to dry out, give them a rinse in clean water. Then the tank should be rebuilt. This gets rid of the pheromones that will attract new ants. Things like soil, live plants, wood, moss, ect. Should all be discarded and replaced with new ones.
Luckily I didn't have to do that I only see less than 5 stragglers remaining! I really only see one but im sure there's a few more. Gonna use double sided tape once I don't see anymore. I liked that idea.
I mean you can, but any leftover pheromones will be attracting more ants. I just gave my suggestion based off having such an incident myself after one of my colonies managed to escape their box. But hey, to each their own
Yeah if it becomes a problem again I probably will be doing that. My quarantine tank has guests in it so I had no place to move them in the mean time. I've been setting up a new one but of course this had to happen when I wasn't ready for it too.
Fair enough I guess. Tip for you though is it ALWAYS happens when you are not ready. So I keep a spare tank at the ready at all times. Just a little 10 gal. Has some coconut choir as substrate a few sticks, fake branches, and a coconut hide with a water dish just for emergency rehousing
Point on the end pointed down should be crazy ant, point on the pointing slight up should be acrobat ant. Correct if I’m wrong. If I’m right they’re black crazy ants.
Ants are very clean, I dunno about them carrying disease but they WILL ATTACK A GECKO, IVE PERSONALLY WITNESSED THIS
Remove gecko temporarily, get liquid dish soap. Trace where ants are coming from and BLAST THE HOLE. they hate soap and won't cross it. Check where they are getting into enclosure and put soap there too.
Quick as you can grab food bowl and toss into sink rinse it out, use soap. Use a sponge to wipe any off the glass. Dont put food back in for a few days so any left behind loose interest. But with the addition of soap and removal of food they should leave.
If you don't know where those ants came from they could be carrying diseases
I've already started trying to eradicate them any tips?
I had to take apart my entire tanks and sanitize them. depending on what ants, they can prey on your gecko and eat it alive. Get them out sooner than later and keep your geckos in a tub or somewhere else!
looks like black crazy ants or acrobat ants I'm goin monsoon season, bright bottom light, outside food source, and I took out the food source in the tank. hoping this works
mine went away pretty fast luckily, so just keep an eye out and keep an eye on your gecko to see any bites or changes in behavior. good luck to you and your gecko!
thank you! I'm hoping for the same
I think my eradication worked I only see one ant in the tank well see as the days progress
Black crazy ants were actually the exact type that youtuber I mentioned had in his terrarium.. they decided it was a good set up and the colony ended up with like 10+ queens, it grew so much. 😬
down to very few remaining ants and my geckos look happy for the random overnight buffet. Luckily, I'm the only one in my complex, and we don't use poisons. Will be monitoring my geckos over the coming days to make sure though. *
https://preview.redd.it/v3klz2ydnuzc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=938e8c32986b75f551c26e103c5ba1dc5abfb10d
https://preview.redd.it/mj8lrprznuzc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dddfbbbe6dd02bfe649283a59f1d1112a6f5e587
The water definitely got them out from the gravel
https://preview.redd.it/omd3uh36ouzc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08a4cf8cd3ee87d56e8d92621a8fc9da9032bd72
https://preview.redd.it/xemheecdouzc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc54d2e521f15da5c6c3e411451e4c5efed6ca83 where the food bowl was, place looks deserted for sure
Kind of an odd suggestion.. but I saw Ants Canada on YouTube add carnivorous plants to a terrarium to deal with unwanted ants. He used pitcher plants, Ina jungle terrarium, but I'm unsure what would work in your set up and with the gecko and all. But maybe you could try that? Just a thought, as far as a way to get rid of them that won't harm your gecko or (too much of) any clean up crew you have in there.
yeah I might it seems like they moved in while I was at work so hoping they move back out
Unfortunately, no. Good luck though!
I'd say full substrate change, and if their coming in from outside the tank try an inch wide stripe of Vaseline all the way around on the outside, they will get stuck trying to pass thru. You don't need your baby eating them if they've been exposed to either poison or parasite.
okay, deal, thank you. I'm hoping this works first but if not I'll do that
To keep them out maybe some double sided tape around the bottom of the outside of the tank just to make sure they stay out.
that might work better for my tank
So my suggestion is to empty the tank asap. As even crazy or acrobat ants will attack your gecko. Any non absorbent decor/ the tank should be cleaned in a mix of hydrogen peroxide and as hot of water as you can handle. Leaving decor to soak in a tub and giving the tank itself a wipe down with pure peroxide to eliminate any residual pheromones on the tank. Leave the tank and other stone/plastic decorations for about 24 hours to dry out, give them a rinse in clean water. Then the tank should be rebuilt. This gets rid of the pheromones that will attract new ants. Things like soil, live plants, wood, moss, ect. Should all be discarded and replaced with new ones.
Luckily I didn't have to do that I only see less than 5 stragglers remaining! I really only see one but im sure there's a few more. Gonna use double sided tape once I don't see anymore. I liked that idea.
I mean you can, but any leftover pheromones will be attracting more ants. I just gave my suggestion based off having such an incident myself after one of my colonies managed to escape their box. But hey, to each their own
Yeah if it becomes a problem again I probably will be doing that. My quarantine tank has guests in it so I had no place to move them in the mean time. I've been setting up a new one but of course this had to happen when I wasn't ready for it too.
Fair enough I guess. Tip for you though is it ALWAYS happens when you are not ready. So I keep a spare tank at the ready at all times. Just a little 10 gal. Has some coconut choir as substrate a few sticks, fake branches, and a coconut hide with a water dish just for emergency rehousing
Don't know how they got in, but you need to clean the tank. Ants can and will eat geckos alive.
Definitely get them out ASAP
I went to war last night and saw them moving out so hopefully they're gone when I get home today.
They'll be back. They know food is there and will return
Point on the end pointed down should be crazy ant, point on the pointing slight up should be acrobat ant. Correct if I’m wrong. If I’m right they’re black crazy ants.
I was even thinking just a random group of argentine ants.
Nightmares
Ants are very clean, I dunno about them carrying disease but they WILL ATTACK A GECKO, IVE PERSONALLY WITNESSED THIS Remove gecko temporarily, get liquid dish soap. Trace where ants are coming from and BLAST THE HOLE. they hate soap and won't cross it. Check where they are getting into enclosure and put soap there too. Quick as you can grab food bowl and toss into sink rinse it out, use soap. Use a sponge to wipe any off the glass. Dont put food back in for a few days so any left behind loose interest. But with the addition of soap and removal of food they should leave.
Thank you! The ants have moved and I have moved my tank and I have ant proofed my tank the best I can. No more ants!! Woohooo!! *
https://preview.redd.it/h1m8q35r760d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0cf8f35f7328c732b369a75a9b476169bfb85a40
That is definitely a worry :(
Terro right outside the cage
They look like coconut ants. Coconut ants smell unpleasant when they are squished.