General Care Discussion :: what do I do with ANTS!

[my_manuelita_turtle]

My turtle is sleeping right now, and I have the heating lights on, the food she didnt eat is floting in the water, but... It seems like a lot of ants (the really small ones) are getting pieces of the food that is remaining there... I clean the place every single day with water and vinegar. Can they bite my turtle? and if the do, can they harm her? What about mosquitoes? Help pleas. Im scared that one day the ants will try to eat my baby turtle!

[N4784N R4613]

I don't think that small ants can harm a RES unless, your turtle eats them, and they have been sprayed with some kind of pesticide. Same thing with the mosquitoes, there just gonna bug him, as much as they bug us.

[SpotsMama]

Are the ants getting into the water? Are you sure they are ants?

Here's a surefire nontoxic solution to an ant problem. Where ever the ants are, sprinkle some instant grits around. Use the kind you get at the grocery store that people eat. Make sure the area where the grits are is dry. The ants will eat the grits and when the grits mix with moisture inside the ants they swell and the ants will explode.

We've been using grits for several years and it works perfectly. The ants go away and don't come back. You may have to put the grits out several times and it may take a week or 10 days until the queen ant dies off. It won't hurt a turtle or any other type of animal at all.

I've heard this works with other types of dry cereal too like oatmeal and cream of wheat.

[eugenetimpog]

that is very interesting. Thanks SpotsMama

[my_manuelita_turtle]

They climb the wall, and when they get to the water part they seem to take something, or when the food stick is near the wall they go to it, when I find them in the water, they are dead. But sometimes there are lots of ants climbing the wall of the tank. Last night I tried putting vinegar in the outer walls, that helped, but there where always like 2 or 3. Thanks for the nontoxic sollution! sorry to ask this.. what is a grit? I´ve never heard that word (english is not my first language)

[kimberly183]

Grits is a kind of breakfast food. It's sometimes used for other meals besides breakfast, but it's kind of like cream of wheat.

It's popular in the southern part of the US, but you can probably find it about anywhere. Look for it in a box or cylinder near the oatmeal at a large grocery store.