Animal Planet Ant Farm

Ant farm includes way to send away for live ants.

The big viewing surface of this ant farm is perfect for group ant watching. The farm comes complete with a year supply of ant food, water feeder, clean tunneling sand, illustrated Ant Watcher's Handbook, and a mail-in coupon for live ants. Some people buy Uncle Milton's ant farms out of nostalgia, having been ant farmers themselves as kids. Others are charmed by the odd perspective created as the ants build outsize tunnels beneath a replica of a bucolic little farm.

What is an ant farm?

An ant farm, also known as a formicarium, is a vivarium, or enclosed space, designed to house and observe ant colonies and their behavior. The ant farm toy is a version of this designed for educational and entertainment purposes, often targeted towards children.

Traditional ant farm toys consist of two thin, transparent plastic or glass plates held a small distance apart, often with a green or blue background to create a visually appealing and easy-to-observe environment. The space between these plates is filled with a substrate such as sand or gel, which the ants can tunnel through. The transparency of the setup allows observers to watch the ants as they dig tunnels, care for their colony, and go about their daily routines.

Ant farm toys typically come with instructions on how to introduce ants to their new environment. Some kits might include a voucher to receive live ants by mail (since it's not always practical or legal to include live ants in the package), while others might instruct users to catch their own ants.

These toys can provide a fascinating look into the world of ants, offering lessons in biology, ecology, and even teamwork. It's important to note, however, that ants are live creatures and keeping them requires a degree of responsibility. It's necessary to provide the ants with food and water (if not using a gel medium which acts as both), and to handle the farm carefully to avoid harming the ants.