ants in my squirrel cage

[bob]

Hi all. This is my first post to this message board. A couple nights ago I noticed ants crawling in my squirrel's cage. Now it seems to be infested with ants. The ants were making a feast out of her nuts. Does anyone know of any safe way to get rid of these ants without harming my squirrel? I even saw them crawling into her bed tonight so i had to find a different place for her to sleep. Of course she flipped out when she saw her bed (a cardboard box) gone. I am so afraid that she will get bit. She stays inside all the time so I can't really get rid of her long enough to use any pesticide. I tried looking in many stores today and didn't find anything that was truly safe for pets. If anyone could help I would greatly appreciate it.

[Abacat]

Bob, I've had the same problem in my release cage outside. I just make sure I am cleaning up leftovers as soon as they've eaten, then clean the area w/ warm water to flush away remaining bits.

Can I assume the cage is indoors? Does she stay in the cage or does she have roaming in the room the cage is in? I guess if there's no way she could get at it, what about setting those little ant bait traps out? (But that obviously wouldn't work if she could get into them.)

Maybe only removing leftovers so there's no attraction for the ants. :dono
Sorry I can't offer better advice. Good Luck!

[Squerly]

Hi Bob, and welcome TSB. We had the same problem and it seems that once they find their way in, there's little chance they will leave... unless you cut them off at the source. Which is how we got rid of them. Cleaning up after our flying squirrel isn't feasible. He had a stash that would rival that of any king. But we called Orkin and had the outside of the house sprayed. They sprayed a barrier around the house and the ants would die when trying to cross into the house. Then it was a matter of cleaning up the ants in the house and we did that by killing each and every one that we found. Vacuumed up a good many of them from the cracks. (Be sure to remove the squirrel first!) They just seemed to keep on coming but finally we got them all. And that ended our ant problem.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I do about the same as Abacat. My outside cage is the one with the problems. So, I just try to keep it as clean as I can and they still come, but there isn't too much of a problem. Maybe you could try a wooden nestbox for your squirrel to sleep in. They are easy to build and pretty cheap. The ants never go into my squirrels nestbox.

[Buddy'sMom]

Happened to us, too, when Buddy's cage was going inside and out trying to get him used to the outdoors. What I did was put him inside, then take the cage outside and take everything out and wash it really well. Then shake or wash everything that had to go back in and start again. What a PAIN!!

Someone suggested for cages outside, that it be set on something with legs, then put a container of water under each leg -- ants can't cross the water to climb up. You could do this inside. Also, they seem to be more attracted by fruit and veggies -- is there a way you can monitor his eating of those so they don't get stashed for a midnight snack? :D

What I also found is that if you disrupt the ants' path, it helps keep them out. This can be done by spray glass cleaner (the "blue" stuff), not necessarily a pesticide. Anything to get rid of their roadway.

[darrakm]

Ants wont cross talcum powder either. And it smells nice...LOL

[bob]

Sorry I never did introduce myself. My squirrel's name is Buddy. We originally thought she was a male but she turned out to be female. I have had her a little over a year. She eats nuts, monkey chow, lettuce, corn, beans, cabbage, grapes, sweet potatoes, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables. Yes we have a full spectrum light that we always leave on when she is awake. She stays indoors at all times but is rarely locked in the cage.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I tried putting out some corn meal and cleaning out her cage good. There seems to be less ants but there are still some in there. Hopefully they will go away without me having to spray anything.

[Mrs. Jack]

what about those little plastic ant traps "ants go in but they don't come out" kind of dealys. Would those be safe to place in some areas so at least a few of the ants would be deterred from their mission?