planning a semi-claustral setup.
Moderator: ooper01
planning a semi-claustral setup.
Hello, i'm new to ant keeping and I have to make an out-world for my Pachycondyla sp that is semi-claustral.
I'm thinking in buying one of these:
and place some stuff inside, but i don't know yet what, could use some help. And to keep it dark, what should I do?
I'm thinking in buying one of these:
and place some stuff inside, but i don't know yet what, could use some help. And to keep it dark, what should I do?
Re: planning a semi-claustral setup.
It is hard to tell but that looks like quite a large plastic bin. If you've only got your queen right now, I'd recommend using something much smaller along the lines of a Tupperware container. I'm trying to found two semi claustral queens right now and I found even with a cereal box sized container they seem to wander out of their nest quite a lot.
Everything I've read suggests you don't want to add too much in the way of things in the outworld, especially when your queens are just founding. It should be low stress and easy to clean/care for. Are you going to be using a test tube as their nest site?
Everything I've read suggests you don't want to add too much in the way of things in the outworld, especially when your queens are just founding. It should be low stress and easy to clean/care for. Are you going to be using a test tube as their nest site?
Re: planning a semi-claustral setup.
Thanks for the tips, will try to find a small one then. Yes i'll let the test tube with water there, I think that she will use the test tube as her nest.MimzytheBun wrote:It is hard to tell but that looks like quite a large plastic bin. If you've only got your queen right now, I'd recommend using something much smaller along the lines of a Tupperware container. I'm trying to found two semi claustral queens right now and I found even with a cereal box sized container they seem to wander out of their nest quite a lot.
Everything I've read suggests you don't want to add too much in the way of things in the outworld, especially when your queens are just founding. It should be low stress and easy to clean/care for. Are you going to be using a test tube as their nest site?
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Re: planning a semi-claustral setup.
it doesn't matter the size of container. whatever is convenient for u. Think about it. in the wild the queens have a VERY large outworld! it also doesn't matter if you have decorations or not as in the wild queens have plenty of natural "decorations".JPSMedeiros wrote:Thanks for the tips, will try to find a small one then. Yes i'll let the test tube with water there, I think that she will use the test tube as her nest.MimzytheBun wrote:It is hard to tell but that looks like quite a large plastic bin. If you've only got your queen right now, I'd recommend using something much smaller along the lines of a Tupperware container. I'm trying to found two semi claustral queens right now and I found even with a cereal box sized container they seem to wander out of their nest quite a lot.
Everything I've read suggests you don't want to add too much in the way of things in the outworld, especially when your queens are just founding. It should be low stress and easy to clean/care for. Are you going to be using a test tube as their nest site?
Proverbs 6:6-8
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
Keeping Tetramorium immigrans, Tapinoma Sessile
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
Keeping Tetramorium immigrans, Tapinoma Sessile
Re: planning a semi-claustral setup.
Alright, I bought 3 containers like this one(I placed a pen next to it so you guys can see the size):
I'm thinking about leaving the nests inside this big chest so they can have some privacy and my parents don't kill me.
The chest with the containers look like this:
My plan is to place around 0,5 cm of dirt around the container, some little branches and then the test tube with water.
Now my biggest concern is about the baby powder and alcohol, I don't know exactly how to use it, someone can recommend a recipe? (Like 1 spoon of baby powder 2 of alcohol, something like that.) And how to apply it.
I captured some normal worms to feed them while I don't have the mealworms, I hope it is ok to feed them it.
I'm thinking about leaving the nests inside this big chest so they can have some privacy and my parents don't kill me.
The chest with the containers look like this:
My plan is to place around 0,5 cm of dirt around the container, some little branches and then the test tube with water.
Now my biggest concern is about the baby powder and alcohol, I don't know exactly how to use it, someone can recommend a recipe? (Like 1 spoon of baby powder 2 of alcohol, something like that.) And how to apply it.
I captured some normal worms to feed them while I don't have the mealworms, I hope it is ok to feed them it.
Re: planning a semi-claustral setup.
hey you dont need to use baby powder an alcohol if those containers have a lid you can open holes on the lid i used a hot nail to open some holes
but i you want to use baby powder and alcohol you just dont want to use to many alcohol you just want enough so te baby powder will stay on the walls of the conatiners and dont fall i dosnt have a recipe and it is not too good beacuse if the place where you live has a hig level of humidity it will lose its properties
some people use vaseline with oil and fluon i think it is called like that
and that outworld its excellent and an extra tip a big part of the huge ants like odontomachus are not good climbing smooth surfaces for example my Odontomachus i have it on a little tuperware and he cant climb it but i just prefer to use the lid for an extra security
i think that your idea of decoration its good
i do not recomend you to put the queens in a place that its to hot or it got direct sunlight because they can get cooked but do not worry about it too much
and i recommend you to freeze those "normal worms" to kill any parasite/aphid that it can have
Good luck
(sorry if i wrot something bad my native language is spanish)i dont use google traductor
but i you want to use baby powder and alcohol you just dont want to use to many alcohol you just want enough so te baby powder will stay on the walls of the conatiners and dont fall i dosnt have a recipe and it is not too good beacuse if the place where you live has a hig level of humidity it will lose its properties
some people use vaseline with oil and fluon i think it is called like that
and that outworld its excellent and an extra tip a big part of the huge ants like odontomachus are not good climbing smooth surfaces for example my Odontomachus i have it on a little tuperware and he cant climb it but i just prefer to use the lid for an extra security
i think that your idea of decoration its good
i do not recomend you to put the queens in a place that its to hot or it got direct sunlight because they can get cooked but do not worry about it too much
and i recommend you to freeze those "normal worms" to kill any parasite/aphid that it can have
Good luck
(sorry if i wrot something bad my native language is spanish)i dont use google traductor
Re: planning a semi-claustral setup.
Thanks for the tips, i think that I'll make some holes on the lid as you said, and place some baby powder just in case, these ants are very big but just in case... haha
Re: planning a semi-claustral setup.
yep better be sure but if you see that they cant climb the plastic you can even leave it with no lid and no baby powder thats what i am going to do with my OdontomachusJPSMedeiros wrote:Thanks for the tips, i think that I'll make some holes on the lid as you said, and place some baby powder just in case, these ants are very big but just in case... haha
Re: planning a semi-claustral setup.
I left only the holes on the lib, since I managed to make very small ones, and my ants don't seem to be able to climb.pedrovicentebp wrote:yep better be sure but if you see that they cant climb the plastic you can even leave it with no lid and no baby powder thats what i am going to do with my OdontomachusJPSMedeiros wrote:Thanks for the tips, i think that I'll make some holes on the lid as you said, and place some baby powder just in case, these ants are very big but just in case... haha
I'll post some photos of my progress:
Picked some dirt, rocks and branches:
Organized the stuff:
Inside:
IS THAT TOO MUCH DIRT?(This larva wasn't planned, it's ant food now)
Placed the queens:
One of them is already on the hunt:
The Ant Chest:
Re: planning a semi-claustral setup.
Its looks AWESOME almost for me because here in venezuela geting the outworlds isnt easy because nothing is cheap and good (we have economical crisis but thats off topic) but i think it looks NICE
and yep thats enough dirt
and yep thats enough dirt
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