Many people keep bearded dragons as pets and know that their pet is interested in eating insects; that’s why they want to know whether ants are safe for them or not.
Moreover, you have to be careful about the entry of ants into the enclosure of bearded dragons, as they are harmful and can lead to their death.
Can Ants Kill a Bearded Dragon? Ants can kill a bearded dragon by releasing high phosphorus concentrations, affecting calcium absorption when consumed in large quantities. In addition, formic acid and folic acid are also harmful in higher concentrations. These can cause digestion problems by clogging their digestive system. Furthermore, you can keep them away from bearded dragons by cleaning the tank, using ant repellants, and removing food trays after feeding.
Ants appear as tiny creatures, but they have the potential to bring large animals like elephants and lions on their knees. In the same way, bearded dragons are not safe and can die due to toxicity.
Are ants harmful to bearded dragons?
Ants have a high nutritional profile that seems nutritious food for bearded dragons. Their bodies have 30 to 40% protein content, which is higher in the thorax region than in other body parts.
The young ones need a good source of protein that can help in their growth period; that’s why they attack insects that can easily be captured.
In addition, they have a good fat content in their abdominal region, which keeps them healthy and provides energy to these reptiles for performing functions.
It is an easily accessible food source for your pet that can provide enough nutrition when eaten in large numbers.
However, the ants are considered harmful to bearded dragons despite their high nutritional value, as they contain toxic compounds that are released into their bodies and cause toxicity.
These tiny creatures have the potential to kill larger organisms, and the same is the case with the bearded dragons, but their way of killing is different in this case.
Why do ants kill a bearded dragon?
Ants do not kill a bearded dragon to eat their bodies and obtain nutrition; it happens accidentally because they are not stinging on their bodies.
Ants are attracted to fruits and vegetables as every sweet and juicy food has the potential to attract them. They can enter their tank through narrow holes to get food.
Many people feed these reptile pets with fruits and vegetables and small worms and insects.
So, there is a risk of an attack on these insects when they enter their enclosure in search of food.
Moreover, their enclosures have wooden logs and rocks that can provide a safe space for these tiny creatures to live.
So, they try to find entryways and move through small holes around pipes directed to the inside of the tank.
Accordingly, they will get closer to the bearded dragons when moving in search of food and shelter and are eaten by them.
Their bodies release formic acid in the gut of these reptiles, which leads to their death because it is a poisonous material for them.
How do ants kill a bearded dragon?
Ants usually sting and pinch the skin of predators so hard that it leads to a painful sensation and makes them die due to extreme pain.
However, bearded dragons are not killed by their stings; instead, you can find them dead when they accidentally eat these tiny insects.
These can be victims of formic acid injection that can disturb their internal systems as their digestive systems cannot digest their bodies properly.
Their bodies will accumulate in their digestive system and most probably lead to their death if they do not get proper treatment.
In addition, their bodies have a high amount of folic acid that can cause intoxication and other related problems in these reptiles and make them die.
The bodies of these tiny insects are rich in calcium and phosphorus, which are almost 26.21 mg and 105.82 mg, but these are toxic for these reptiles.
They are good at a low level, but their high concentration are not considered safe. So, it is better to avoid feeding ants to your pets as high phosphorus reduces calcium absorption.
Therefore, they can kill a bearded dragon by releasing toxic chemicals in their bodies that will disturb their body systems and make them die within a short time.
How many ants can kill a bearded dragon?
You are probably thinking about the exact number of ants that can be dangerous for your bearded dragon. A few insects crawling in the enclosure cannot create a problem for them.
However, it becomes essential to take your pet out of the tank and kill these tiny insects when you see them in large numbers.
Moreover, fire ants are more deadly as their bodies are rich in potassium, a toxic compound for them, when consumed in large quantities.
The acrobat ants, argentine ants, and crazy or field ants can also pose a danger to your pet, so it is better to remove them immediately when you see them inside the tank.
A group of fire ants can become deadly as they try to eat these insects as food and cannot tolerate a high concentration of calcium, phosphorus, and folic acid in their bodies.
A single insect can do nothing to their digestive system and does not bring significant changes in the level of calcium and phosphorus in their bodies.
According to our research, almost 200 to 1000 ants can kill a bearded dragon as they release enough folic acid to disturb their health and make them die.
Furthermore, it takes almost 24 to 48 hours for these insects to bring changes in their internal system and clog their digestive system, which will lead to death.
Do bearded dragons like to eat ants?
Bearded dragons like to eat insects as they are a significant part of their diet, but they can also survive on fruits and vegetables. In addition, they can consume different types of small worms and insects to get nutrition.
They commonly try to attack every insect that comes in close contact with their bodies without knowing that these insects are harmful to them.
They can consume almost every tiny insect, including ants, but you have to take care of them so that they do not eat ants, as these are toxic and deadly insects.
In addition, many other insects can become a part of their diet, like crickets, mealworms, hornworms, and butter worms.
Furthermore, you can feed them insects like super worms, silk worms, wax worms, and roaches that are good for their diet and do not cause toxicity.
It is better to add roaches and crickets to their diet as they have high protein content and feed other insects occasionally due to their high fat content.
How to keep ants out of the bearded dragon tank?
It can be challenging to keep ants out of bearded dragon enclosures because they can enter through narrow spaces due to their small size.
You can avoid their entry into the tank by keeping it clean, as dirty places attract these insects.
In addition, remove the food tray from their enclosure when they have eaten the required food, as insects can smell the presence of food and come to get their nutrition.
A wooden log in the tank can cause a problem because it provides shelter to these insects, so you have to replace the log with any other object, like rocks and plantations.
Furthermore, avoid using ant sprays as they can harm your pet and cause health issues or check their ingredients to ensure their safe usage.
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