Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We have just put up an outdoor pen for our Sulcata. It's only been up for a few days and we noticed ants crawling all over the pen floor.
I was wondering if there is something that someone knows about that could be sprinkled in the pen to keep the ants out, but wouldn't harm the Tort?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Walter

I have a neighbor that claims Cream of Wheat will kill ants. I would think that would be harmless to torts.

A common urban myth. Usually you see people claim grits, the Southern breakfast dish, has this power.

The myth is believed to have started after some ant poisons were put INTO grits or similar granulated grain products as a carrier & ant bait.

Throwing out grits or cream of wheat only feeds ants that eat grain products! They thank those people!

Just an FYI, they will always be a part of your pen. I've yet to find anything that will kill them all, aside from re-grading your yard. I havn't had them bother anybody yet, but the war still wages on and I havn't seen anybody win

Hello, I am new to the forum, but read your post and thought I might have an answer for you. Here in South Texas we use beneficial nematodes to get rid of ants, fleas, termites, etc. in our yard. The nematodes are sprayed across the yard using a pump sprayer, then watered in. In about a week or so, it is hard to find a trace of any pest insect.
I am not sure if the use of beneficial nematodes is dangerous to tortoises, but don't think they would hurt. I am planning on building an outdoor pen for our tortoise this year and have not really given thought to whether they would be a problem.

Texasheat has it right!

The predator nematodes can be pricey & difficult to fins however! Home Depot doesn't carry them !

You could check out diatamacous earth (sp?) i'm not sure if it is safe or not but it seems like it might be.

I haven't had this problem myself but I've heard people talk about using regular ant baits but they put them outside the pens so they aren't close to the tortoises.
Another thing some people use is equal parts of cornmeal, sugar, & boric acid powder but that too has to be out of the reach of the tortoises.

I do have a problem with ants getting to my hummingbird feeders but they're hanging above the porch by the front door so I tape ant baits to the railings, far out of the reach of dog or tortoise.
That does work for me.
Good luck with whatever you do, I hope you find a solution to the problem.
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PHRatz