Velvet Ant help

[Survivor7]

I just recieved a velvet ant yesterday and need some info caring for it. The cage set up I have for it is a layer of repti bark on the bottom with a layer of desert blend (ground walnut shells). I also added a hermit crab log and a piece of bark for shelter. I use a bottle cap with brown sugar and water for her food. Yesterday she spent all her time under the bark and then dissapeared for the night. I did some looking this morning and found her dug under the food cap. Now she is back under the bark. I read that they hide when the temp is too high but the room I keep her in is about 85F. Is this too high? Please let me know. I would very much hate for her to die because I messed something up. I also spray her tank a little for humidity

 

[Ntsees]

If your referring to the insects under the family Mutillidae, I have not heard of anyone keeping them. To my knowledge, they have the second-most painful sting in the U.S.(the tarantula hawk wasp is the first).

 

[Survivor7]

Mine is a Dasymutilla Sackenii. A bit rare from my understanding

 

[What]

They feed on nectar so fruit/sugary liquids should work. If Im remembering correctly, Peter likes these quite a bit and has lots of experience keeping them.

 

[Survivor7]

I'm more worried about how it's acting than it's food. Thank you though. Any info is greatly appreciated. There isn't much at all to go by online

 

[Termite48]

Have you determined the sex of the Velvet Ant ( A Wasp)? They live under things a lot so the temperature can be determined somewhat if it has a place to duck out the heat if necessary.

 

[Survivor7]

Have you determined the sex of the Velvet Ant ( A Wasp)? They live under things a lot so the temperature can be determined somewhat if it has a place to duck out the heat if necessary.

She is a female. Males have wings but no stingers, females have stingers but no wings. I've tried putting her in different spots of the house with different temps but she doesn't budge from under the bark. I'm pretty sure she is native to a hot area (Arizona?)

 

[Malti]

if this helps...

 

[Survivor7]

Thanks Maiti, that's one of the things I'm wondering about because mine is nowhere near that active and I just want to make sure I have her setup right

 

[Malti]

welcome, btw that video is of Peter Clausen he's a member here, send him a pm, maybe he didn't see this thread.

Btw any chance of ever finding a male?

 

[Survivor7]

I actually purchased her from Peter on his website. I've read that males are really hard to find but I suppose it's possible. I'm beggining to think that she may just be lazy I may PM him though

 

[What]

Survivor7, velvet ants hide, they are not always out and about unless that is how you have them set up and even then, as you saw, they will dig beneath anything available(ime). 85F is almost certainly not too warm, it might actually be a bit cool, depending on where the specimen you have was collected.

Sorry if my earlier post was misunderstanding your question, lol.

 

[Survivor7]

Thanks What. That puts my mind at ease. I'll just keep an eye on her over the next few days

 

[Rick]

Was out in a sand pit yesterday and saw quite a few of them.

 

[Survivor7]

I would love to get more of them, never seen any around here though

 

[angelofdeathzz]

welcome, btw that video is of Peter Clausen he's a member here, send him a pm, maybe he didn't see this thread.

Btw any chance of ever finding a male?

Just a quick note, Peter is more than a member, he owns and run's this forum, LOL.

 

[Malti]

Just a quick note, Peter is more than a member, he owns and run's this forum, LOL.

:sweatdrop: :sweatdrop: :sweatdrop:

 

[Survivor7]

Just wanted to say that I went and checked on her today and she was out and about exploring thanks everyone!

 

[Peter Clausen]

I was out of town for a couple days. A heat lamp on top of the cage activates them. Warm velvet ants will spend part of the day zipping around the cage. Problem is, a single velvet ant doesn't need much space and a lamp on top of a cage usually means you're running a ten gallon setup. It's for this reason I keep my velvet ants and my blue death feigning beetles in a communal cage. It helps to justify the practicality and expense of keeping a 60 Watt bulb running for 6-8 hours most days. Also, multiple bugs means they're disturbing each other more often and like bumper cars they're getting each other going. Makes for a more interesting display.

So, I feed them watered down maple syrup or watered down honey. I also toss in some bits of various fruits and the velvet ants will be seen sipping the juices on these. These are the cited velvet ant "staples" in captivity. I've also had success keeping them on the red hummingbird liquid if you don't want to mix. A heat lamp can dry out the little caps/lids of sugarwater mixture in a day or so, to the point where your pet bug can almost feel like a chore. Having some of that hummingbird liquid onhand means a quicker refill. Actually, because the lid usually dries out before the sugarwater is consumed, there is often some sugary residue or thickened syrup. I just use my misting bottle on a spray setting to fill the cap back up and I'm usually good for another day or two.

The bulb is in a cone shaped hood on top of a screened cage, more towards one end. I provide some opportunities for cover with rocks and wood, etc. They choose what temperature range they want to be in for the most part.

Velvet ants are pretty cute in the first place, but an individual will often utilize the same retreat each evening--like tucking itself into bed for the night in the same spot in a cage full of options.

All my care suggestions are based on ideals. Bugs are very forgiving pets and I've got a lot of them to watch over.

That D. sackenii is the only one I've seen of the species. It was collected in S. California. I do hope to get more in soon. The only one I have presently is a very unusual red and black one collected in Arizona. My daughter's pet "Ruby" died recently. She was a SE "cowkiller".