Formica for sure, my first instinct was to say formica rufa since I see them all the time in my area and they're pretty common and widespread. Then again, it's hard to say before the first true workers arrive after the nanitics.
@@jjones3551 Dude... the ant is more likely to die outside so putting them into test tube setups helps the queen as they don't really have to worry of predators
All jokes aside, for about the ant queen, I'd HIGHLY suggest looking at AntsCanada's guides for keeping and growing a colony. I wish you luck with your colony either way !
@@timsawyer9231 I'm the same, I used to watch him but something started to annoy me about him and I wasn't sure what either. Funny enough the final straw what the P. metallica. Shame as I used to enjoy his content. Also didnt like how he was acting all big and mighty when he moved to the Philippines.
Love Ants Canada… his set ups are amazing. It’s hard to relate with the set ups he can create, but his ant setups on his store are 2nd to none, in my opinion. Have learnt so much from Mikey & my Meat Ants love his product. 😉
Daily Wisdom with the Supreme Leader: It is recommended to keep her in a test tube until she created a colony big enough for that. A setup like that is too big for her and can cause stress.
@@ivanrenic4243 big nest is a problem both for queen and for small colonies Q can feel insecure if the chamber is too big, she needs tight space - stress small colonies will dump trash inside the nest as opossed to dumping it outside, in the outworld, but this nest design sucks and they can nest even in under the lid/in the outworld...
@@TheDarkDen as a dad myself I an honestly really excited for you and your wife, I know for a fact you will be amazing parents, plus your child will grow up loving animals just like daddy 😁😁 just please becareful showing your child off a lot on social media as there as weirdos in this world. They will be joining a family of over 500k people, welcome to the dark den family 😁😁 maybe when they are older they could have a RU-vid channel called mini dark den just a thought. Keep up the good work and congratulations again buddy.
Hey dude, long time ant keeper here. I would not recommend using that nest to start an ant colony. Queen ants typically like small / tighter spaces when starting their colony. This is why a test tube is incredibly ideal. And often even while using an ideal set up queen ants just don't make it in captivity. I'd go the test tube route using vapor distilled water. You can then fashion a "sleeve" using an old sock, slide the test tube in there, and put the tube in a dark but mildly warm space for a month or so. It's also a myth that red cellophane blocks out all light from ants. It's really best to just keep her somewhere dark for a good while.
Watching Dark Den videos at .50 speed for "Drunk Petko" is my new favorite weed smoking activity. It has me squealing with laughter sometimes, and I rarely laugh out loud. My favorite part of this video at .5 speed is "Drunk Petko" vs the fly from 3:38 to 4:11.
Excited to see Linda’s rehouse. The enclosure is gonna look awesome. Sry to hear about the crab passing. Omg that lizard is adorable. Glad he’s in your care, hope whatever is wrong with him goes away.
You ideally need sugar water for her to feed from, this is part of the reason why they are initially kept in test tubes. Good luck mate and I hope she survives and gives you a good colony. Once you have a colony going the ant larvae will love cockroaches, just remember to also give sugar water/ fruit for the ants to eat. You are an amazing keeper of your other animals so I'm sure you will do fine with her.
In the founding stage you do not give her sugar water or protein unless they are claustral. All they need is water in the test tube until the first nanitics emerge you can start feeding them.
@@jennifercriss1897 only problem is you need to watch his old stuff because the newer stuff is more for dramatic effect rather than how to keep them but I agree he has a lot of knowledge on how to keep ants.
If you want to restock on the vampire crabs, The spider shop (UK) has a variety in stock. The lizard is Rankin's dragon (Pogona henrylawsoni), as Dwarf bearded dragon is (Pogona minor).
I suggest adding a bit of dirt/substrate. Not enough to dig, just a pinch. Formica species like those sometimes have trouble spinning their cocoons without bits of anchoring material for the larvae to start on.
Dwarven bearded dragons have such character when they warm up to the people around them, and can be extremely social. I've got my hands on two currently, my first one I ever owned, was a wild caught rescue (was intended to be released, but became too dependent), we lovingly called him Bubbles, and he lived a fruitful life in our care. The two I have currently, one is a naturally occurring red phase (also a rescue, cannot be released due to injuries), female with so much personality. Personally, I prefer dwarvens more, since I am a dwarf person myself, and rescue and rehab animals herein Australia. Their care is the same as their larger brethren.
I have a bearded dragon and i fed her crickets, along with the powder to coat them. She ate them any time i put them in there and got nice and strong. Oh even so meal worms are great
If you want new crabs, interaquaristik has a huge amount of different freshwater crabs. Different species and colour patterns that would definitely make a great addition to the dark den
I think you could have a Camponataus species (check my spelling on that) aka carpenter ant. Which means they love wood in their enclosures, as their nests are usually in rotten/ decaying wood structures or logs
Petko totally needs to get himself one of those bug zapper rackets (looks like a tennis racket, but the "netting" is a bunch of wire and metal mesh, you wave it back and forth through the air around where the mosquito(es) or whatnot are flying and they wind up electrocuted. They work great during visits to the woods when the mosquitoes and black flies are really bad.)
you should do a mini cage upgrade something simple, for that little cubby dude, and try rubbing its belly wile its soaking it usually helps them poop, and i know giving bearded dragons a bit of warm apple sauce works well as a laxative if they are suffering from constipation or impaction
@@jjones3551 they are insects they dont see it that way, they are happy when they are not in danger or disturbed, even if they did see it the inteligent way they wouldnt remember it 🤷♂️ 😂 soo yeah dont bother
@@jjones3551 also he lives in croatia, croatia is pretty rocky so they dont ussualy live in the dirt, so they are used to big open spaces between the rocks
Wow it’s so crazy that some of ur fans noticed ur neck and cared enough to go out of their way and make sure u are okay, I didn’t notice but I think I speak for all ur weekly viewers wen I say we love you petko and want to make sure ur okay and want u to continue making videos for a long time because we love ur set-up and collection
The nest is for a bigger collonie. Use a test tube for the beginning. If you have 30ants you can give them a out door for the food. If its grows for around 100ants you can get the ant nest.
Yup Rufibarbis, great ants, very agressive and big for a native one. You can see a M or W (depends on side) in red on the queen :) They like less humidity and a bit higher temp. They normaly live in a sunny sandy terrain.
He needs a food bowl to avoid compaction. The UVB will help him digest the food too. So he needs water logged greens. That should help him pass the possible blockage.
I recommend doing some heavy water changes, as crabs (or dead animals in general) release a lot of toxins into the water. This can actually kill the other animals in your paludarium.
Hey there😁 This is awesome that you have a queen ant. This species is Formica rufibarbis, this species is a nice beginner species But I highly recommend to get a test tube for her, because she ain't gonna feel comfortable in such a big nest, it's better to give ants less space than too much space. This is also a claustral species so you don't have to feed her at all in her colony founding stage. Good luck😁👍
Beautiful Henrylawsoni! Named after the Poet Henry Lawson. An Australian Icon! 🖤. Maybe try some fresh strawberries if available. Most Bearded Dragons cant resist strawberries
She's Formica rufibarbis! My favorite species! They like it hot and fairly dry! And their workers have a temper. Side note: the nest is too big for her and she will die of stress if you keep her in it, I recommend getting a test tube.
Hey man. Honestly a test tube setup would probably be better until you have a good number of workers for the ant queen. It almost perfectly recreates their claustral chamber. It may be a bit late now but you can possibly connect a test tube via a connector and see if the queen wants to move back. Also, that nest is way too big for a founding colony. Once there are workers and you start feeding them, they'll probably store waste in parts of the nest which will produce mold and encourage mites. I suspect the ant is from the genus formica so you don't want them too packed because they have a tendency to gas themselves with formic acid but it does need to be small.
Please give the dwarf Bearded Dragon Calcium and Vitamin B (or atleasst Calcium powder on lots of good greens). Shaking can be a sign of deficiencies in these two or just be a sign of metabolic bone disease (which he most likely has a to small degree atleast if he actually never has had UVB).
@@jjones3551 how about putting you in a forest, alone, without any preparation or object and naked? It's dangereous for him and for the ecosystem. Also, if you decide to keep a pet you should treat him the best you can, ensuring their animal welfare, not as it happens, there are studies behind it. So if u have a different idea please stop saying those things in the comment section of channel about animal keeping, thanks.
Why all his animals is dying. Shut up u sound stupid God created the beared dragon and all animals to roam free on this planet not be in a 2 gallon tank
Put it in testtube with half water separated with cotton. Ants like to be in small space, they are more comfortable in it. And do some more reaserch i recomend AntsCanada. Hopefully she didn't lay eggs already. And i wish you good luck !!
2:46 maybe Formica cunicularia or other Formica sp. but i not expert, i start keeping ants this year and i have only 3 queens, 2 tetramorium sp. and manica rubida.GL with her.
Oh wow... I really didn't expect seeing the same pet I own in your video, since you already had her bigger cousin! That's indeed pogona henrylawsoni, which I've also heard called Rankin's dragon. They are so adorable, almost like a baby beardie that just stays as small and cute their whole life. I am sad to hear how badly he was kept though. It's almost unbelievable he still does look pretty good, even if he didn't have proper lighting. Well, at least on the outside he does. My girl is about the same age and he looks a lot smaller than she is (she's about 12cm long, 23 with the tail) and I hope his bones are still fine on the inside. At least he should now expect getting better care than he's used to! If you do end up giving him back, I'm sure you'll explain the importance of lighting to the boss. I would love to see him a long time though and getting better in your care. :)
I don’t own a tarantula either but I used to own one for several years. She was an African Redhair Tarantulaand her name was “Scarlet” she hated men. Lmfao
I won't spend time telling you what you should do with the ant as others below me have already given great advice. I am glad to see your room grow as the time goes by.
I know there are a few comments about leaving the queen in a test tube to establish the first brood. I have started four colonies with a similar setup to yours and all are successful in fact they are all healthy and large. Not sure what to advise but mine worked out just fine.
If the little bearded dragon is constipated try him with some watermelon, banana or grapes it might unplug him lol. they are native to australia and growing up the wild ones came to eat fruit in our backyard.
Cool you found an ant queen, as many people already told you its way better if you keep her un a test tube, hope you can have a colonie from that queen ant.
Formica cunicularia or formica rufibarbis.Eigther way a great species.You should put her in a test tube set up, the nest is way to big for her. Just fill the test tube to about half whit water and press up some cotton against it untill it gets wet.You put the queen in the tube and you dont have to do anything untill the first workers come.
That was hilarious!! All those spiders & roaches & crickets & whatever else you have down in your basement, and yet you are bugged by a fly. LOL I thought you might feed it to one of the critters. ;)
I'm not sure if you've used electrolyte soaks before, but I recently saw a video Snake Discovery posted about rehabing a few bearded dragons, and they implemented electrolyte soaks to help get the beardies back in good shape. Hope that helps!
I'm jealous of your blue girl! I'm waiting for ours to start showing some adult colors. We got it as a super tiny sling, and it's molted for us a few times now. It's still smaller than a dime though, and it's just gray with a dark booty lol
Hello Dark. That anthill is too big for a queen. Ants need to have an anthill according to the size of the colony to feel safe, in nature they build the nest according to the needs of the colony. With an anthill that is too large, the growth of the colony will slow down and they may even die. The queens are usually placed in a test tube with a little water separated by a cotton ball to give moisture to the anthill. That species is a type of Formica. These ants in stressful situations or when hunting an insect release formic acid. For this reason, it is recommended that the anthills we use have good ventilation, such as homemade plaster, ytong or sand anthills. There are many videos on RU-vid that teach you how to do it. For food, water with sugar, some fruit from time to time and live insects (my colony never accepts dead insects) of small size will suffice. The insects that they tend to like the most are moths and fruit flies. It is also impressive to see how they hunt them because they have very good eyesight, they rarely fail in their attacks. Good luck with this new friend, I hope she goes ahead and that these tips will help you.
Bearded Dragon is the most common lizard in the US. They eat superworms and have a very easy diet. Good call on the light you saved his life from suffering.
I just cant stop watching your vids! with your talent, equipment and all the species you have you could have a lot of content just by macroing vids while they are eating or hunting :O
It looks like a wood ant queen but i cannot be so sure because I'm not that experienced with wood ants but one thing I do know is that if it is you will have a pretty strong ant army
I wouldn't recommend to put a alone queen in that big of a nest , she would do better in a test tube trust me and when she has 15+ workers you should then put her in that nest. Trust me🙂
Petko give the basic ant keeping guides a read. you should really start that queen off in a test tube. this current setup is a guaranteed failure waiting to happen. test tube in a dark place with no disturbances for a month or two, after that check and start feeding ant-sized quantities of food every few days. after hibernation this winter you might have a big enough colony to transfer to that formicarium next year
You should make a natural enclosure with a heating pad on the side, for the highest possible chance of success. Granted you won't get as many epic views but they will thrive You can also place red tape over the glass that you can peel back to check on them.
Very nice Formica rufibarbis . Congrats 😃 . I would reccomend definetly looking at Antsaus tutorials on raising queen ants . They are the best on youtube . Well good luck .
What a wonderful ant, but in order to keep her well you should put her in a test tube, like many other people have been saying. I know that it is exciting to keep them in an ant nest, but she could become stressed and when her first workers arrive they could create a garbage site inside of the nest, causing it to mold due to the humidity. The mold can cause the brood to die, and eventually even the adult workers. This happened to me with a nest advertised as a "founding nest", so from now on I'm going to try to keep my founding colonies inside of test tubes.
Only one thing wrong the videos are not long enough lol....... what a cute bearded dragon I hope you can make it better...... as always huge huggles from Scotland uk 🏴🦎🏴🦎🏴🦎
errr Dark Den that one looks like a parastitic queen i've found before but forunately it isn't. The parasitic queen i found had the posture and body shape of a camponotus ant. Good luck!
