September 4, 2003
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Thanks to everyone for all the myrmecological advice. I didn't have any special equipment to hand, so I kept the ant (which turned out to be Polynesian) in a matchbox, filled with cotton wool and with a sprinkling of pork scratchings to keep him (or her...how do you sex these things anyway?) happy.
Now I have to admit, I don't know much at all about the quality of life for your average ant, but it seemed to me, as I was putting it all together, that this ant was getting a pretty upmarket bit of accommodation and rent free, I might add.
So I think you'll probably share my sense of outrage when I came down this morning and found that my new pet had done a runner. Fled the coop. The little bastard had absconded without so much as a by your leave or 'I'll be off now then' note propped up on the mantelpiece.
Any of you guys want to buy an almost completely unused (one careful owner) ant apartment?
All this upset has rather put me off pets for a bit but I think I do need a new hobby. Of course, I'd also hoped that ant keeping would be beneficial from the exercise point of view and it would be good to find a new hobby with a similarly energetic lifestyle attached. And it would be even better to find a hobby which requires me (or at least gives me the option) to dress up in special clothes when I'm doing it. Wearing hats is good too. They don't have to be the protective kind.
Any suggestions?
Comments (16)
popping bln's cherry, whoo. my day is made.
and as for suggestions, my first one would be to lay off the drugs.
muf, urr... I mean skydiving?
You should've taken my advice... sugar would have been much better than pork-- maybe the ant was Jewish...
try female medieval re-enacting...even for a guy, you've got to admit the dresses with the pointy hats are cool...
--*PL
(2nd time trying to comment)
--better just hope the little bug(ger) doesn't decide to come back with his entire village as entourage...
Sandpapering hedgehogs?
I can think of another activity that requires hats...but perhaps that is just an American euphemism....
Of course, you could always just wile away the hours doing this.
(I'd recommend you keep the volume down low if you're doing it at home....)
the little ungrateful bastard!
maybe you have not been hugging your ant enough, that is why it ran away.
i also wanted to be a pimp. wouldn't that be a good hobby?
Never be too quick to trust an insect. Bees might be good, lots of silly hats that don't stop you being stung anyway... smokers, feeders; lots of useless crap.
I would consider Bumble Bees. They're furry, large (well, for a Bee), you cant even get honey from them but you can persuade them to nest in old teapots or bird boxes (restrict the hole, or it's just a Birdie Buffet). They sting a lot less than honey bees too. You can still wear the silly hat though.
Woodlice are good, but with so many varieties to choose from... yellow banded are elegant, but I was violently ejected from the last pet show I tried to enter them in. Bastard crustaeceaphobes.
Snails. OK so they're not even remotely like an ant. A small vivarium, regular greenery, and if they make a run for it you'll probably be able to catch them.
Dressing up in special clothes...mebbe you could start cross-dressing, let Mrs. BLN "catch" you one day and that might help um, yeah...bleh. I can't say it.
little bastard!! i kill ants with a vengeance at my apartment. i think i scared them off for awhile!! hope so.
as for a second pet, get a beta fish, change thier water bi-weekly, feed them bi-weekly, great fun, but they don't do so well on a lease!!!
come play with me, we can exercise, dress-up and even be 'in the lifestyle' if you like
kindergarten teacher
I have a large cockroach running around my kitchen. Want 'im? He's yours.
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