Ants won't eat protein

[Toastant]

Hello, so I have had a carpenter queen for 5 and a half months now. She laid eggs and had 6 workers by the normal 2 month period. One worker died immediately, I don't know why. However, the rest are seemingly healthy.

Anyways, they love their sweets. They will eat apples, honey, sometimes some other stuff, but yeah sugars are not an issue for them. I keep them in a fresh water test tube connected to an AC portal, where I place their food. However, they won't eat most proteins I give them. I have tried mealworm halves, roach heads and legs, cricket legs and halves, crushed fruit flies, ground cooked turkey, and cooked chicken. (Obviously no spices on the turkey and chicken, and I have not used any bugs caught outside.)

The only time I have gotten them to eat meat was a few mealworm halves, which they have dug some of the meat out of and eaten. I'm not sure if they just don't find the ones I put in, or if they ignore them.

I am going to try chicken one more time, then more mealworms. Does anyone have suggestions on what to feed them? There are some larvae that I would like to see as adult ants and not in my queens gaster. Thank you for your time and whatnot.

[SYUTEO]

They are probably full from some other of food you gave them.

[Toastant]

They are probably full from some other of food you gave them.

I thought that for a while, but they haven't eaten a significant amount for months I don't think.

[SkeleAnt]

They are probably full from some other of food you gave them.

I thought that for a while, but they haven't eaten a significant amount for months I don't think.

Do the workers have swollen gasters? If so, they've stocked up on food and don't need to eat as much, and they're feeding it to each other. Carpenter colonies grow slowly and they aren't the most voracious eaters when they first start out, so it makes sense that they'd go for more sugar sources than protein. Queens need protein to lay eggs and larvae need protein to grow, but adult ants that don't have any more development don't need as much themselves. Try feeding them more protein and less sugar sources when their gasters start looking a little thin and they're actively looking for food, and see if they eat more of it then. It could be that they're just choosing to take in more sugar sources because the sugar to protein ratio isn't balanced.

[Toastant]

They are probably full from some other of food you gave them.

I thought that for a while, but they haven't eaten a significant amount for months I don't think.

Do the workers have swollen gasters? If so, they've stocked up on food and don't need to eat as much, and they're feeding it to each other. Carpenter colonies grow slowly and they aren't the most voracious eaters when they first start out, so it makes sense that they'd go for more sugar sources than protein. Queens need protein to lay eggs and larvae need protein to grow, but adult ants that don't have any more development don't need as much themselves. Try feeding them more protein and less sugar sources when their gasters start looking a little thin and they're actively looking for food, and see if they eat more of it then. It could be that they're just choosing to take in more sugar sources because the sugar to protein ratio isn't balanced.

Thank you, I will keep this in mind! They all seem to have slightly swollen gasters, I just worry as I haven't seen any changes in the portal when I give them food. My last colony sadly died due me not being able to get them the right food, and they starved before I could find something they would eat, and I was too dumb to release them. I feel like the brood of my current colony are taking longer than two months, or maybe I'm just paranoid about everything regarding my ants. I guess I should just let things unfold.

[RuinedDrone]

Ants generally know how to balance the food sources, and it's surprising how little protein a small colony needs. Just consider a mealworm is the size of several ants, and as others have said protein is only require for growth so the protein from a single worm would be plenty for the growth of 10+ ants.
Keep a variety of protein available to them and keep it fresh, I find ants seem to eat more with a fresh source and feed decreases the longer its left, almost as though it changes from "prey" to "part of the habitat" after a short while and gets ignored.

[Toastant]

Thank you to everyone that replied! I recently have gotten them to eat a dubia roach head and some fruit flies. You have curbed my worries.