thorny devils

[Pythoninfinite]

Not sure where you are, but if you're in NSW and can acquire it legally you can't be stopped from bringing it into NSW if you push the point. Legal acquisition is the key, and I'm sure the path could be smoothed by developing and submitting a management plan, so it doesn't come across as a whim.

I used to have them from time to time when I lived in Perth, and found them quite easy to manage - a portable pen which could be moved around as needed to wherever the ants were behaving suitably.

Jamie

 

[Justdragons]

id love to see you go for it. most people here have at one point been keen on thorny devils and recieve the same response.. you cannot do it, thousands of ants and dont try, your an idiot... I think you should try and try hard and prove it can be done. im sure ants reproduce like crazy and if you have the space i dont see why you couldnt set up hundreds of 'slides' of glass with sand between and create a massive ant colony if you could imagine. then rotate between the different colonys. letting each colony to rebuild while another is depleted..

i feel this will not be cheap or easy but humans can build 200 floor skyscrapers, i have no doubt that with the right planning and effort and passion most of all that this can be done.

 

[Beard]

id love to see you go for it. most people here have at one point been keen on thorny devils and recieve the same response.. you cannot do it, thousands of ants and dont try, your an idiot... I think you should try and try hard and prove it can be done. im sure ants reproduce like crazy and if you have the space i dont see why you couldnt set up hundreds of 'slides' of glass with sand between and create a massive ant colony if you could imagine. then rotate between the different colonys. letting each colony to rebuild while another is depleted..

i feel this will not be cheap or easy but humans can build 200 floor skyscrapers, i have no doubt that with the right planning and effort and passion most of all that this can be done.

Do ants go to discos?

 

[Justdragons]

Do ants go to discos?

i dont understand?

 

[junglepython2]

Depends on your state in regards to licensing possibilities.

One of the major zoo's failed with them and it was written up in one of the herp magazines, so unless you are around there natural range, I wouldn't like your chances of success.

 

[Beard]

i dont understand?

its from the young ones

 

[Justdragons]

oh, lol i had no idea...

 

[maddog-1979]

Do ants go to discos?

well why is that one wearing a silver boob tube?

 

[Nighthawk]

Success or not, keep us updated on how you go. I like the little guys myself, and had I the time and space would love to attempt what you're attempting. Laughing matter? Not at all. I can't reach the top shelf in the supermarket without scaling the shelves but I'm not going to laugh at somebody else who tells me they can.
I'm not laughing, I'm intrigued. More so since I read the whole thread, it sounds like you have some pretty valid and viable ideas, so I say document how you go and in a couple of years let us know.

 

[elogov]

I really don't think you should own one, because if you do end up owning one i'll be hassling you every second to come over & have a look at it . & i'm a pretty violent hassler.

Good luck with it anyway.

 

[Snowman]

Go for it I say. You clearly seem to have the understanding and knowledge to take on such a task. People said I couldn't breed enough big fish to feed the dolphin I keep in my pool alive. I proved them wrong didnt I!!!

 

[snakeynewbie]

Thanks for the words of support guys. I have a magnet on my fridge that reads, "Those who say it cannot be done shouldn't interrupt the people doing it." That sums me up pretty well.

 

[Jesse_H]

"Those who say it cannot be done shouldn't interrupt the people doing it."

When people who claim to be qualified zoologists are persistent in ignoring common sense, sound advice and the wellbeing of the wild animal they are trying to monster in a manifestly inadequate setting, then I do believe that interruption of their manic, deranged antics is to be encouraged before said wild animal dies a slow death in captivity. To paraphrase, you're not getting a thorned devil for Christmas. Not me, not you, not anyone.

 

[snakeynewbie]

Show me a single point here where I've ignored common sense. If you've actually read the thread you'd see I'd taken on board the issues raised by people and discussed possible ways to overcome them and then my final point was that i'd aim to set it up over the next couple of years even and master all the hurdles and then go from there if I thought the set up was viable, I've never said anything was guaranteed unless the set up was perfect.

But that's OK, continue with your assumptions

 

[abnrmal91]

For anyone interested there is a great article about thorny devils in Vol 2 Issue 5 of Reptiles Australia. It is written by the Alice springs desert park. It outlines feeding issues and how to feed successfully. Very good read.

 

[Adsell]

Thorny devils are actually really easy to keep. Everyone seems to think you need an elaborate set-up with massive amounts of room for huge ant colonies. This is incorrect.
i work for Melbourne Museum and we keep this species and have done so for about the last eight years. As far as I'm aware we have one of the best records for managing this species.
Our ant colonies consist of nothing more than a couple of four foot fish tanks into which the thorny devils are placed every day for a short period. Collecting the ants initially and ensuring you have multiple queens is all that is required. There is actually a very simple way to do this but I'm not giving out all our secrets.
By having a couple of colonies going at once, if one crashes you can alternate while you wait for it to rebuild.
In a four foot tank the ants will generally settle at one end. To get them to trail it is a simple matter of placing a dish of food up the opposite end of the tank.
As for the husbandry requirements of the molochs themselves, anyone who can keep a Beardy could keep these guys. Heat and UV requirements are basically the same.
People do maintain these in private collections and one breeder in particular has had great success with this species. He has bred so many he dosnt know what to do with them.
It helps that he is within their natural range and can keep them outside.
Also before anyone asks, i will not give out this breeders name.
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[Rhomany]

Oh my goodness that is amazing. Does anyone know of anywhere in NSW that has them captive?