Ant!

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
Parrots
Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
It will be fine, but try not to let him do it frequently just because you don't want your bird ingesting a bunch of ant killer etc (if someone has poison out etc). One ant is not the end of the world (even if it did ingest something sketchy)...Multiple ants could be problematic if they have been poisoned.
 
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Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Welcome, thanks for posting the question! This is one way we build a data base of archival information for benefit to all! :)
 

EllenD

New member
Aug 20, 2016
3,979
65
State College, PA
Parrots
Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
Yeah, as Noodles said above, birds/parrots eat all kinds of insects in the wild, and as long as they aren't poisonous insects or ones that can bite them (like a Red Ant could, but not a black Carpenter Ant or a little brown Grease Ant), then it's fine...However, the problem with ANY OF YOUR PETS eating insects, rodents (Shrews, Voles, Mice, Rats, etc.), or any other living things from outside, OR eating any plants, vegetables, greens, fruit, etc. from outside is the extremely high-risk of poisoning from either Insect-Traps/Ant-Traps/Insecticide Sprays and Powders, etc. that the insect/rodent could eat or walk through, AND all of the many different Fertilizers and Chemical Sprays and Treatments that people put on their lawns and gardens, or that they pay to have put on once every month (like Chemlawn does)....

***We have to remember that just because we don't put any chemicals, fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, etc. on our own lawns/yards, that does not at all mean that people who live around us/near us don't use them, and use them on a regular-basis, and that these spray and powdered chemicals, fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, etc. can travel through the air for MILES AND MILES, can be spread through the Ground-Water every time it rains, and that insects, spiders, rodents and other animals/mammals, as well as wild-birds often walk through them, ingest/eat them, etc., and then bring them onto our properties!!! So just because you and/or any of your close/surrounding neighbors don't use any of these poisons, that doesn't mean that they aren't ALL OVER YOUR PROPERTY; they regularly are all over your grass, plants, trees, vegetable/herb gardens, fruit plants/trees, in your soil/ground-water, all over rocks, mulch, etc. on your property, and all over the outside of your house/apartment buildings! Millions and millions of microscopic droplets and grains/molecules of all kinds of chemicals are spread miles and miles away from where they originate and end-up on OUR BACKYARDS!!!

***So the bottom-line is that we just cannot allow ANY OF OUR PETS, whether they are Birds/Parrots, Dogs, Cats (YET ANOTHER REASON TO NOT ALLOW YOUR CATS TO BE "OUTDOOR CATS" WHO RUN ALL DAY LONG, EVERY DAY), Rodents (Guinea Pigs, Rats, etc.), Ferrets, Chinchillas, Rabbits, Reptiles, Amphibians, etc., to eat ANYTHING from outside like insects, plants, vegetables, fruit, grass, hay, etc. UNTIL WE BRING IT INSIDE AND WASH IT THOROUGHLY, EVEN IF IT COMES FROM OUR PROPERTY, INCLUDING OUR GARDENS!!! You wouldn't let your human children eat unwashed vegetables, greens, fruit, or anything else if it comes from outside, so why would you let your pets?

***FYI, I know the situation with OP's bird who ate the ant was a total accident and that obviously the OP is a very responsible bird owner since they immediately came here to ask the question because they were very worried about their bird's well-being...I didn't write the above for the OP's benefit or to scold the OP, but rather to point-out to EVERYONE that simply because you don't use any chemicals on your property doesn't mean that your property isn't covered in chemicals that are spreading through the air, the ground-water and run-off water, and through insects, rodents, wild birds, and other living creatures who carry it on them or in their bodies...It's Spring now in a lot of areas around the world, and this is the time that we get our lawns, gardens, and our properties in-general back into-shape from the winter...And this means that all of the "Lawn and Garden Chemical-Companies" have started spraying very nasty, lethal chemicals all over the place (again, Chemlawn being the big one in the US, but there are thousands of much smaller, privately-owned companies that do the same thing all over the country), as well as the time that farmers (non-Organic farmers) start doing the same. And this means that our outside-air is basically SATURATED with all kinds of nasty stuff that is lethal to our Pets, ALL of our Pets, from dogs to Birds to Primates, and we have to make sure that we protect them.
 

Skittys_Daddy

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2014
2,172
63
Lewiston, Maine
Parrots
Neotropical Pigeon - "Skittles" (born 3/29/10)
Cockatiel - "Peaches" (1995-2015) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sammy"
(1989-2000) R.I.P.
Budgie - "Sandy"
(1987-1989) R.I.P.
Hope this ant an ongoing problem for you. It'd sure bug me and would certainly cause Skittles to flea, actually it would more likely be a 'sounding of the alarm'- "intruder, intruder".

Okay, now that the 'attempt' at sarcasm has been done- I agree with what Ellen said. Not because its right, but because she was the most helpful in helping me with my 'comforter' issue with Skittles- so I agree merely out of obligation.

Oops, that was supposed to be the 'serious' part, yet I yielded to sarcasm. Let me try this again. I think you've gotten some great advice. I think that at some point or other, our fids (and even human kids) will likely be exposed to something that is not good, but not lethal in itself when it happens once by accident. For example, Skittles once 'snuck' a sip of my coffee and I panicked thinking he'd have a heart attack. I then took steps to prevent it from happening again.
You're doing good by seeking advice and its a good sign of responsible parronting.
 

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