Ants

[shimmerkisss]

Hey everyone, yesterday and today I had carpenter ants running around my room. It could be because of my hedgies bedding or the food in my room :banghead: Anyways my mom suggested putting down an ant food trap but I didn't since I assumed hedgies eat ants in the wild and if he got ahold of one w/ the poisen he would be sick. I got rid of the ants and cleaned his entire cage (putting just blankets in there tonight) but Im still curious if ant's are part of their diet in the wild. :)

[HedgeMom]

If you have carpenter ants, then they aren't there b/c of the food or the bedding. Carpenter ants are big black nasty biting ants that could be destroying your home.

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef603.htm

If they aren't Carpenter ants, but sugar ants or grease ants, then get some Terro ant bait traps. Terro ant baits are non toxic. Put them in the ant trails. Then either put a 1" wide band of Vaseline around the outside edge of your hedgehogs cage (about an inch up the side) or move the cage to another room where the ants aren't.

[shimmerkisss]

I don't know what kind they are. I had a sticky spot on my desk and found two there and I saw others carrying food with them from my hedgies cage. But they're kind of big...I looked at the web site you gave me and then I looked up sugar ants and they basically look the same. I'll get a picture of a dead one I have and maybe you or someone here could help me.

[HedgeMom]

A carpenter ant is big. Really big. Like almost a half inch long. The other ants are much smaller. If you poke something at a carpenter ant, it will bit it and hold on. Other ants will run.

We had Carpenter ants in a tree outside that we ended up having to remove. Once you see a Carpenter ant, you never forget how freakin' big the suckers are.

[Nancy]

We've had carpenter ants that weren't any different than regular black ants. About 12 years ago we had ants that just didn't seem like normal black ants so we took them to pest control. Sure enough they were carpenter ants and the man came and thoroughly checked the whole house. Even though they were in our house, they weren't nesting in the house. It was an extremely dry summer and he said they were coming in looking for moisture.

I'd suggest taking a couple of the ants to your local exterminator. They can tell you for sure what they are. :)

[shimmerkisss]

Thank you! I saved one I killed so Im going to take it to a professional.

[incrovaj]

Baby powder will kill ants, and deter them from coming back, and is supposed to be pet safe. Just sprinkle a thin line where they are coming in, or where you see them. I would also sprinkle a line around your hedgie's pen (maybe like a foot or two away since hedgies are supposed to be sensitive to smells). The powder will get into the ants little gill things, and they will die. Also, the smell of the baby powder keeps them from wanting to enter in the first place from what I have heard. I tried this along my bathroom counter where I was seeing sugar ants. I have not seen any since. I would give it a try before using chemicals.

[abutton]

The powder will get into the ants little gill things, and they will die.

Insects' "gill things" are called spiracles. :p Sorry, I just hate to see terms unused. :winkgrin: Can you tell I'm somewhat of an insect fanatic?! :p

-Audrey-

[incrovaj]

Hey, no problem. Had I known they were called spiracles, I would have used the proper term (the teacher in me). By the way, someone needs to be an insect fanatic, just so long as it isn't me. I am just not a bug or insect person, but I respect people who are. Thank you. :p

Insects' "gill things" are called spiracles. :p Sorry, I just hate to see terms unused. :winkgrin: Can you tell I'm somewhat of an insect fanatic?! :p

-Audrey-

[CShog]

can hedhogs eat ants