FINCHforum

Hi all

I am still having my aviary built, and I have no idea what to use on the floor, I was reading the posts about the ants and I have a big problem with ants and have no idea where they coming from, I was going to use grass but now I am freaked out about the ants getting to my finches. The thing is I have a pair of button quails and wanted grass for them.... I was thinking of baiting around the outside of the cage.....
Any advice

I have heard that constructing a small moat around the aviary works well.

Hi there fellow South African

Is your aviary outside or inside? What kind of ant? The reason I ask is that here in the cape you get a few types and some are harmless. Not sure where you live, but you may have similar ones.

I have a big colony on indigenous seed eating ants that love my outside flight area. They do no damage what so ever to the birds other than stealing seed (they are my house cleaners) and the birds sort of eat a few of their numbers every now and then. Its the little light brown argentinian ants that will swarm a nest and kill babies that I know of. Those if they make an appearance near my breeding room I trap/bait from outside the birds area. So far no problems keeping them under control and I suspect the larger indigenous seed ants have a role in keeping away the invaders.
I have a planted outdoor area and an inside area with the floor covered with teff (grass) or wood chip and thus far never had an issue with ants.

Hey Monique

I live in Randburg in Johannesburg, and I have those horrible Argentinian ants, you know where some of them have those big heads!!! I am been driven insane in my house... My aviary is going to be outside and I am a little concerned about the ants, I hate sprays and things as I have a few animals and one 2 legged verity who spends alot of time getting dirty in the garden, but the lady at our local nursery gave me a spray that should be fine for my animals, but not for birds, so i won't be spray that any where near the cage!!! but I think I will lay bait near and outside the cage ....

Okay- I had the ant post on here and it was a nightmare. The ants went in two of my nests and killed 3 babies. I think they originally went in cause one baby died and attracted the ants, once there they attacked the other living babies. Luckily I saved 4 of the young who are now safely indoors. I have cement tiles so the ants can still climb under the tiles and make it inside the aviary. If I could do it over I might place the aviary on concrete or put grout in the tile. Then you can just put potted plants in the aviary. I have temporally solved the problem by putting bait outside of the aviary and drawing a chalk circle around the nests ( Ants don't like the chalk)
Good-luck!

I heard about ants not liking chalk, but I had also heard they didn't like baby powder and then I say them walk over it!!!
I have decided I am going to spray, before my birds arrive, and I think I have found a nest, so I will be pouring boiling water over it, I hate ants I must admit, and these ones are the worst!!!

Hi Laura I don't know the ants up your way, but I don't think the Argentinian have big heads. "ball biters" we nick name those big ones LOL, they look scary but I am not sure if they are carnivorous or what they feed on. Perhaps you can find out from a local?
On a whole with ants I would treat when necessary. The ants may never bother your birds if they are out in the yard with other distractions.
On the rare occasion I have seen the little brown arg. ants in my aviary I have placed suger ant traps with a cage over as near the wall/side of aviary so the ants walk out and not through the aviary and so the birds cannot get in to eat the poison and the ants have been eliminated without any bird losses.
Be careful of spraying. Many ant poisons have residual effects i.e. your birds will be at risk. Perhaps if you want to go that route spray outside the aviary.
Ants are fairly conspicious when they invade. You see them. My biggest surprise yet was in my old aviary, when nest checking and opened expecting feathery fledglings and found furry mice pups!
They are far more sneaky than ants

Hey Monique!!

Wow!!! about the mice pups, that is something I would never expect ...I must admit that I have never seen rodents here, other than a mole the other day... My folks live in Swaziland and they have a lot of little field mice and I love them!!
I must admit I have been watching my ants lately and have noticed they seem to like my bread and stuff so I don't know they may be harmless, I think I will bait outside the cage, and spray outside my kitchen windows, just to keep them out my house:) But I think I will keep an eye and see, I may not like ants, but I am not that keen on killing them either!!!

well you can then imagine my surprise at finding them there too. They did not attack any other nests with young either to give their presence away.
I think the mom mouse came in with the teff bale and fancied a nice house on arrival. So beware if you buy whole bales of teff/hay sometimes they come free with preggie mouse.
Now I open each bale and check between slices before storing, just in case. My current aviary is rodent free thankfully one of the positives about moving houses and rebuilding.

Enjoy your new aviary.