I've Decided that Ants Make the Best Pets

Lex got an ant farm for his birthday.  I think it might be his favorite present, but I'm not entirely sure, because I haven't actually asked him.  But if it isn't his favorite, I'd be very surprised.

It's an AntWorks ant farm, which is special because it has a blue goo that the ants live in that was developed for a NASA experiment on the space shuttle to see how ants tunnel in zero gravity.  The blue goo is the food, water and shelter for the ants.  The only maintenance required is that I open the container "for a few seconds per week" to allow fresh oxygen in and to clear out any dead ant bodies.

(Interestingly, the ants carry any dead ants out of the tunnels to the surface to prevent the spread of disease inside the colony.  It's been a week and a half, and only one ant has died.)

Alright, the paperwork that came with the ants is fabulously entertaining.  "State laws prohibit the release of ants into the environment."  These poor ants are doomed to die in our ant farm.  I cannot let them run wild!

Oh, and also, "CAUTION! ANTS BITE!"

Day One 

We poked a few holes into the top of the blue goo per the instructions that came with the ant farm, but the ants largely ignored the holes.  The instructions also said that the ants may take up to 48 hours to start tunneling.  Our ants were much more active than that.

Lex loves the ants.  He decided to set them on the train table, and that's where he insists that they stay.  He goes to check on them all the time.  If they have been moved for any reason, he makes a big scene and puts them back.

After 24 Hours

One week later 

Connor's verdict:  "AntWorks is awesome!"

Lex's most recent reaction:  He has now turned the AntWorks farm upside down.  He still insists that it stay on the train table, but he thinks the ants will be happier upside down.  I don't know why.  We'll see how that goes. 

Mom's verdict:  These are the most entertaining pets, with the least amount of work or clean up involved.  And since a new batch of ants is about $5, I am not overly concerned with their survival.  I can replace them easily.  Heck, I can even replace the blue goo and do the whole thing over again!  I love this.  

P.S.  It's educational, too.

P.S. #2  Thank you, Emily and Caroline!