The AntsCanada Ant Forum's

Hello i have a problem i think! This is my first ant farm setup and because my parents had to remove some ants from a log in our yard i took the queen + 15 workers and put them in a formicarium! They eat cricket heads but not the body! That is ok i think the crickets i give them are too big! Also i put water on top of the formicarium as seen in the picture below!

But i bought a snack for them at the pet shop that was for crickets, insects and so on! Some kind of gel(see picture) to give them minerals and some vitamins, sugar and water! But they don't eat it! Also i have put honey water in the outworld but they don't eat that either! I am worried they going to die because in the past weeks i really started to love them more than i tought i would lol!

Any tips? How to make them eat sugar? What do you give your ants? The gel i have given them from the petshop is 5 different tastes and i have tried all of them! They also does not seem to drink water from the test tube but i guess they get water from the formicarium? It's made in plaster and i give it water every day!

PICTURES:

Alright, firstly, get them into a test tube! Here is a tutorial on that!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HfzUILyCz8o&persist_app=1&app=m

Secondly, feed them really small drops of honey, preferably raw. If not, a small fresh piece of fruit would do well to.

Hopefully that helps.

A test tube? I thought they where big enough to to stay as they do! How can I get them to move their eggs into a test tube now? They have almost 20 workers I thought that was big enough for this little formicarium?

They are not a new colony they had 1000+ workers when they lived in out yard but I only got this amount because my I found out late and my parents did not wait!!

They seem to be good in there they are making eggs and stuff.. also I have given them raw honey but they just walk past it!!

try fruit and sugar water maybe they want that?

I have tried! To put them into a test tube was horribly wrong to do! They went insane! These ants are used to the wild and all of a sudden 4 of the workers where dead with heads cut off so I put them back in the formicarium I made! That stressed them big time..

syrup have you tried that? (grasping at straws)

Use small drops of honey, they will eat it if hungry. Honey doesnt mold so dont worry about cleaning it up.

As far as putting them in a test tube, do NOT force them in there. You have to give them the option to move. Ants do love small spaces, so they will go in there. They also need water, so a test tube with water is the best way to setup a queen. Being as they are used to having an "out world" you will need to provide that. I would recommend a test tube connected to the current work you are using. Just setup the test tube, cover it so it is dark, then put a light on the regular area.
That way you can still feed them in the current area, but they can feel safe in the test tube.

Good luck!