# How to keep ants away from catfood and mealworms



## elithranielle (Apr 14, 2012)

Hi! It's almost rainy season here in the Philippines and a new problem had arisen. ANTS. They're everywhere. Not just the small black ones but also these big red ants that really sting. They've started being a bother yesterday when they wiped out most of my mealies. I am not sure if they bite or really bother my hedgies but they are infesting my mealworm farm and are eating my hedgies' food. And Kreme's been really picky lately due to quilling. He wont touch his food if ants got to it first. He might as well starve. :S Cookie's not as picky, but I don't think it's still good that ants keep getting in her food bowl.

I obviously can't use insecticide. Is there anyway to remedy this?


----------



## SquiggyTheHedgie (Jul 26, 2011)

I used to have this problem with my cats feed dishes, so I improvised by putting them in a plastic dish full of water. The bowls will float and the ants cant get to the food because they cant swim  Make sure its wide enough that the ants cant reach the bowls on the edges by climbing on the sides.


----------



## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Good thick layer of Vaseline around the cage base. If you do a search(upper right corner) we've had a few members have the same problem and there are some good ideas.


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Put the cage and food on a table and stand the legs of the table in bowls of water or cans of water


----------



## Tara151 (Jan 9, 2012)

Here are some pet safe ways to get rid of ants. (I've haven't tried any yet)
http://www.ehow.com/way_5154347_pet-rec ... iller.html


----------



## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

The water only works until they start to learn how to drop from the ceiling, Mission Impossible style. 

My old roommates used to use cinnamon and they wouldn't go near it. You could put a line of cinnamon around the food or room where it's held.


----------



## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

ASPARTAME!!!!!! Use artifical sweetners with this in it (the pink packet one works really well). Not only will this kill the ants around the food, but they will take it back to their colony and kill the colony so you won't have any more ants. works extremely well and is safe (used it many years ago at my first house).


----------



## FamilyOfExotics (May 19, 2012)

> ASPARTAME!!!!!! Use artifical sweetners with this in it (the pink packet one works really well). Not only will this kill the ants around the food, but they will take it back to their colony and kill the colony so you won't have any more ants. works extremely well and is safe (used it many years ago at my first house).


Actually there was a study done not so long ago that found the ants thriving from aspartame.. The link mentioned earlier by Tara151 also talks about it. I recommend visiting that link to get rid of ants!


----------



## elithranielle (Apr 14, 2012)

Okay, I've tried the water method and it didn't work at all. Woke up this morning to find my fresh batch of mealies murdered by these little red demons. They've also managed to get to cookie's food bowl which is floating in water. Worst of all, they've annihilated all my aliens which are placed in a bowl on top of a bowl with water inside a plastic container also with water and covered with a cloth screen and perforated lid. Are these ants ninjas or something???

I've placed vaseline around the containers this morning and I'm going to find those ingredients listed in the link. Hopefully it will kill the little f*ckers off. :evil: :x


----------



## elithranielle (Apr 14, 2012)

Is cinnamon Hedgie and mealie safe?


----------



## Guest (May 25, 2012)

dont put it where your hedgehogs can reach it but you can mix borax and sugar and it does the same idae as the asptrame thing


----------



## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

i'm gonna stick with my personal experience that i know for a FACT has worked with a severe ant infestation since i've seen it work with my own eyes....the aspertame works despite what the study says and is safe unlike borax (even not putting it where the hedgies can reach it theres always a chance it could get blown into their food or whatever i wouldn't risk it).

you can also spray around the outside of your house (as long as no pets are around there) with malathyan (don't know how to spell it). it's very potent and will kill pretty much all pests and prevent them from coming back for about 3 months (longer depending on rainfall and all that).


----------



## elithranielle (Apr 14, 2012)

shawnwk1 said:


> i'm gonna stick with my personal experience that i know for a FACT has worked with a severe ant infestation since i've seen it work with my own eyes....the aspertame works despite what the study says and is safe unlike borax (even not putting it where the hedgies can reach it theres always a chance it could get blown into their food or whatever i wouldn't risk it).
> 
> you can also spray around the outside of your house (as long as no pets are around there) with malathyan (don't know how to spell it). it's very potent and will kill pretty much all pests and prevent them from coming back for about 3 months (longer depending on rainfall and all that).


Won't that malathyan kill my mealies as well?


----------



## elithranielle (Apr 14, 2012)

The vaseline trick seems to be holding up for now. But the ants found something else to bother, my guinea pigs. I really am starting to wonder if these ants have superpowers, they are showing up in places they have no business being in. 

I've left some cornmeal around but I've yet to see results. I've also found out the Aspartame is banned from the Philippines. =w=' Oh well...


----------



## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

If your meal worms are outside then yes there is a great chance that malathyan will kill them you will have to put them inside or maybe in the garage or something where you're not spraying. Even if it doesn't kill them it will kill your hedgies if they eat mealies that have been sprayed with malathyan or at the least make them very sick.


----------



## elithranielle (Apr 14, 2012)

shawnwk1 said:


> If your meal worms are outside then yes there is a great chance that malathyan will kill them you will have to put them inside or maybe in the garage or something where you're not spraying. Even if it doesn't kill them it will kill your hedgies if they eat mealies that have been sprayed with malathyan or at the least make them very sick.


As much as possible I think I want to stay on the safe side and not use anything that might be toxic. I have other pets besides hedgies, and I feed my rabbits and guinea pigs fresh grass from outside. It might poison them. :S


----------



## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

yup wouldn't be good for the rabbits and guinea pigs. i actually just put weed killer on my lawn a few weeks ago so stopped letting my rabbit outside.


----------



## elithranielle (Apr 14, 2012)

The f%#@ing ants can swim. Great. I saw it with my own eyes. I'm giving up on farming mealies.  Not worth the effort with these ants around. I sprinkled cinnamon around the cages and placed cloves of garlic where I see ants come from. Hope this helps.


----------

