Urg... ants are from hell??

8leggedrobot

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
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151
That's all I can come up with. =oP

I looked over at my new Ts enclosure yesterday and a black ant, about 1/3" long was running around on the cedar chunks. I just kind of watched it for a minute trying to figure out why I was seeing this in there -- I assumed it was something stoopid pet store had tried to feed the T and had burrowed into the bedding, just then coming up to run around and wreak havoc. Sheelah (the T) pounced on it once she noticed it and let go of it again immediately, then she walked off like she was drunk and staggering around for a few minutes before recovering!!! :eek: I almost had heart failure, I even reached in and grabbed the ant out before I thought twice about it. (Sheelah is an evil bitey-bug.) Luckily for me she was still disoriented at that time and missed her chance to gimmie a chomp. :eek:

People what was that all about?? :confused: Do you think the ant had been in pesticides or is this a defense of the ant that got her...? It was still considerably tiny compared to her, so... *shrug* I am stumped! =o\ I've never seen anything like this in my home before, so I still tend to think this came from the pet store, there were pincher beetle carcasses in the cage with her so they were obviously feeding her things from outside. :mad:

FYI -- I didn't put her in cedar chunks, that's what the bedding was in the enclosure the pet store gave me along with her. :? I was trying to see if she'd calm down before I attempted the move into her new peat/potting soil swanky tank, but after this ant incident I got out the glove and grabbed her up and moved her a couple hours after she'd recovered.

Helllllllp... :confused:
 

grammostola1953

Arachnoknight
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Jun 15, 2004
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164
Ants are attracted to many types of gardening/land-scaping materials. Perhaps, it was just there.
Hope your girl is doing better. :eek:
 

Jesse607

Arachnodemon
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Dec 29, 2002
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715
I'm not sure where the ant came from, but a lot of ants have a noxious chemical defense that they use when threatened which makes them distasteful/inedible and/or repellent.
 

8leggedrobot

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
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Aug 2, 2004
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151
Thank you I hope that was all it was. :eek: I was worried this might be pestacides, or someone was going to tell me this will affect her later and she might die or something. :( She is doing fine now, and eating again, but she was scared to eat that next meal worm I gave her for awhile. =oP Who could blame her when scary food made her sick. :(
 

JohnxII

Avicoholic
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Feb 21, 2004
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8leggedrobot said:
Sheelah (the T) pounced on it once she noticed it and let go of it again immediately, then she walked off like she was drunk and staggering around for a few minutes before recovering!!!
This is most probably due to the ant's defensive acid spray. They are notorious for this mechanism... termites on the other hand, are a little more attractive as T sling's food...
 

luther

Arachnodemon
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Apr 8, 2003
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679
The ant (Formicidae) produces formic acid, which your T probably got a mouthful of. It won't have harmed her but she may think twice before pouncing on one again. Make sure that the ant was really on it's own and not the advance scout of a colony in your house.
 

8leggedrobot

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Messages
151
>o< ahhhh don't say that!! LOL :eek:

the pet store had dumped several things from outside into her cage, i'm betting this is one more. BUT... if i see anymore in my home, i'm moving! ;P lol (and i definately won't be trying to eat any of them on the way out... o_O)
 
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