| First of all Don't
touch the ants! They can inflict a painful
sting. Horned lizards have some immunity to it at least. The sting
normally causes pain and swelling. If you are ever stung apply ice to
the area until the pain subsides. If symptoms persist call your
physician. Persons who are allergic to insect stings should be
especially careful as they may require emergency medical attention in
the event of an allergic reaction. |
| What do I keep the ants in? |
| We use Rubbermaid plastic tubs that are about 2 feet by
3 feet by 6 inches deep. You will want a lid on top with about 10 small
air holes in it. Harvester ants are not good climbers and should not be
able to climb up smooth glass or plastic so aquariums or other similar
habitats can be used as well.
Cover the bottom of the habitat with about 1/4 inches of sand. Play box
sand, beach sand, or landscaping sand works fine. Spray the sand with a
little water (a spray bottle works reall well for this) to get the sand
a little moist before placing your ants into the container. |
| What do I feed the ants? |
| Harvester ants will eat almost anything but their
favorite foods are fresh vegetables and fruits. Feed them small pieces
of celery, apple, lettuce, carrot, etc... Feed them small pieces about
every other day. If some of the food is not eaten after 2 days remove
it from the ant "house" as it can get moldy and be harmful to the ants. |
| What about water for the ants? |
| Using a spray bottle, spray a mist of water onto the
ants and sand once a day to keep the sand a little moist and give the
ants some water. Don't spray too much or the ants may start to drown in
the flood. |
| How do I feed the ants to my lizard? |
| You will only want to feed a few ants at a time to your
lizard. We recommend about 5 ants at a time. Once those are eaten keep
putting more ants in for the lizard until it is full (stops eating). A
good tool to get is a large plastic funnel. A couple of plastic spoons
or scoops are also useful. You can use the scoops or spoons and the
funnel to transfer ants out of their "house" into a jar or other
container at feeding time. Ants are cold blooded
just like the lizards so try putting them in the refrigerator (not the
freezer) for about 5 minutes to slow them down before feeding them to
your pet(s). |
| How long will the ants live? |
| They will normally last 2 weeks to a month. If kept in
a refrigerator they should last longer. Try to keep the temperature
from about 42 degrees to 50 degrees. If it drops below 40 it could kill
the ants. |
| Other tips for keeping ants |
| Your ants will live longer if kept in a cool place.
They are cold blooded just like reptiles. In fact, if you store them in
a refrigerator or cooler they will go into hibernation and can be
stored that way for months. Be sure to check the temperature of your
cooler or refrigerator before doing this. If it is below 40 degrees
they could freeze to death. 45 degrees is probably best. If you can't
keep them in a cooler or refrigerator try to keep them in a cool room
out of the sun. |
| How Many Ants Do I need? |
| Generally adult horned lizards will eat around 20 to 60
ants per day. You may be able to supplement your lizard's diet with
baby crickets and other insects and if so you won't need as many ants.
Juveniles will need less ants. |
| Not all Horned Lizards Eat Harvester Ants |
| To the best of our knowledge there are 14 species of
Horned Lizards in North America. Most of these depend on Harvester Ants
as their staple diet. If your Lizard comes from a cold, high altitude
climate (for example Wyoming, Colorado, or Utah high country) or if
your lizard is young, it may not eat Harvester Ants. If your Lizard
comes from these areas or is young, you should try just a few Harvester
Ants at first. If the Lizard does not eat them - you should remove the
ants as quickly as possible so that they do not harm your Lizard. We
have only had a very few cases where people caught Lizards from these
areas and they did not eat Harvester Ants. Lizards from these areas
should not be kept because it is too difficult to obtain the right type
of ants for them. Young lizards should be fed baby crickets or smaller
ants if they are not able to eat harvester ants very well yet. |
| Ask other questions via Email or call toll
free: 1-877-864-2207. |
