Help Help! When do I do my first feeding!?

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Masterchief
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 5:50 pm
Location: Elk Grove, CA

Help Help! When do I do my first feeding!?

Post: # 37698Post Masterchief
Thu Jun 14, 2018 8:44 am

Hey AC Fam! Queen Lucy's first batch of eggs are now up and waking around! Yup! It's official, I've got baby ants and I'm Soo STOKED! Lol! She is a liometopum occidentale and she is fully closteral. From everything I've read and hear she will need to be fed soon. I'm thinking a tiny toothpick drop of pure honey and a few days later their first cricket leg! Please give me some advice as to when!?!?
Here are the pics! Sorry their blurryish.. A little condensation gave me some issues!

http://imgur.com/gallery/HzT5nvO

Thanks! Go ACAF!
Keeper of
1 Liometopum Occidentale (Velvet Tree Ant)
1 Tetramorium (Pavement Ant)

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Help Help! When do I do my first feeding!?

Post: # 37737Post Batspiderfish
Thu Jun 14, 2018 4:01 pm

Avoid feeding your colonies inside the test tube. They should have access to a foraging area now that the colony is mature enough. Most talcum-lined containers will do fine in a pinch. They will need sugary liquid and small insects, with the freedom to forage and clean after themselves.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

Masterchief
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 5:50 pm
Location: Elk Grove, CA

Re: Help Help! When do I do my first feeding!?

Post: # 37770Post Masterchief
Thu Jun 14, 2018 8:25 pm

Awesome! Thank You! I was totally wondering when to put them in my little setup I made for them! Little plastic open top tub. Lined with isopropyl alcohol and baby powder. Lucy has about 10 little'uns that just started walking and about 30 more brood otw. How often should I feed? Should I keep a tiny dabble of pure honey and a very small protein source at all times? She likes fruit as well (says the internet), should I put a tiny slice of apple in there or something also? Maybe have a fresh fruit in there!? This is my first colony ever! Any and all advice specifically geared tward early on feeding would be SWEET! Thank you All soooo much for your time and the info! GO ACAF!!
Keeper of
1 Liometopum Occidentale (Velvet Tree Ant)
1 Tetramorium (Pavement Ant)

Hunter36o
Posts: 376
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2018 9:57 am
Location: Dublin, Ireland

Re: Help Help! When do I do my first feeding!?

Post: # 38355Post Hunter36o
Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:32 am

Masterchief wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 8:25 pm
Awesome! Thank You! I was totally wondering when to put them in my little setup I made for them! Little plastic open top tub.
Not going to lie dude. I honestly though that said hot tub for a minute I was about to loose my mind! Hahahaha now all I can see if a group of ants chilling in a steamy tub smoking cigars :)
"You think the Queen is hungry Hannah?"

"Pfft she fasted for a month and a bit. She can wait another hour or two." -sinks into the steaming water just to about chin level- "Aaahhhh :)" haha hate/ love you guys for the images in my head.
Research is important before during and even after you have established a colony. There is always time to learn and to listen to others experiences. Live by this and your ants will thrive. Fail to do so and your experience may be brief.

Masterchief
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 5:50 pm
Location: Elk Grove, CA

Re: Help Help! When do I do my first feeding!?

Post: # 38425Post Masterchief
Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:04 am

Lolol well I'm sorry and your welcome! :D I'm proud to say that the advice was really well received! They took to their first little Outworld far better than I could have expected! I fed them their first meal of pure honey and the next day a very small wild spider! (pre killed).It was so much fun watching it all unfold! Now a few days in and they did the unimaginable! They removed the sand from their original tube enough to get the Queen out and have relocated to the new water tube! I'm super excited! That area is much larger for them to begin the next step for their future civilization! :D Go ACAF!
pics of Queen Lucy's Domain!
http://imgur.com/gallery/mLXwqt9
Keeper of
1 Liometopum Occidentale (Velvet Tree Ant)
1 Tetramorium (Pavement Ant)

Hunter36o
Posts: 376
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2018 9:57 am
Location: Dublin, Ireland

Re: Help Help! When do I do my first feeding!?

Post: # 38428Post Hunter36o
Thu Jun 21, 2018 3:25 am

That is so cool dude! And the straw really makes their size stand out. Watching success like makes me really excited for next months nutial flights! I am assuming these ants have no problem with red since u put honey on a red dish?
Research is important before during and even after you have established a colony. There is always time to learn and to listen to others experiences. Live by this and your ants will thrive. Fail to do so and your experience may be brief.

Masterchief
Posts: 31
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 5:50 pm
Location: Elk Grove, CA

Re: Help Help! When do I do my first feeding!?

Post: # 38572Post Masterchief
Fri Jun 22, 2018 2:23 pm

Yeah I noticed they like to put grains of sand in the honey to be able to walk on it! Their so smart! They love to go over and "lick" the honey piles!
Keeper of
1 Liometopum Occidentale (Velvet Tree Ant)
1 Tetramorium (Pavement Ant)

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