Ants!!!!

[SilverWolf]

Oh no!!! There are some ants at the bottom of the enclosure! it seems for some reason their interest is in his fecal matter and or urates. How do I get rid of them!? I obviously cannot use bug spray in the enclosure. And I cannot find the source of where they are coming from either (thankfully there aren't too many RIGHT NOW). What do I do!?

I am not as freaked out as I seem, just saying that I do think this is urgent matter. he is sleeping kind of low right now, hanging on the wall of the screen actually, usually he's up high on a stick. I am just afraid they'll go and bite him, but I honestly doubt that.

 

[dacrazycanadian]

How big are they? I had very very tiny ants in my enclosure for a while too, I'd just use my normal disinfectant and clean my cage bottom, along with them, when they showed up. I eventually had to remove my plant because of them living in its soil. Never saw them attack my guy though, they were never on the branches, just the floor.

 

[Action Jackson]

You need to be very carefull with ants in your cage. Ants can bite your chameleon and even kill it. I lost a Jackson's once due ant bites.

 

[SilverWolf]

These are very small black ants.

 

[ChiefRedman]

I would go get new potting soil, as fresh as possible, more than likely they are in the soil. That's where I seen them at in my outside plants, they all need new potting

 

[BKFritz]

I've heard whole cloves are a natural deterrent. Maybe try wrapping some in some cheese cloth (so the cham can't ingest it) and placing in in or near the enclosure.

I read somewhere that a mixture of lemon juice and water sprayed on the area will get rid of them. It messes up their tracking senses or something. And I do believe lemons are on the safe food list, so if the cham were to eat a few of the creepy crawlies he wouldn't be ingesting anything he shouldn't.

I had ant in the house last summer. They were all around the cats dish. I moved the dish to a new spot and scrubbed the floor with some heavy duty cleaner. The next day, the ants were following the same trail where the dishes HAD been. A perfect square around invisible dishes! I know this doesn't help, but I was fascinated! I scrubbed the heck out of that floor and their trail was still there! I followed them back and put down a Terro trap where they were coming in.

 

[SilverWolf]

I'll check tomorrow. Tricky just went to sleep an hour ago.