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Apparently, you can purchase additional ants to add to the environment but some of the enjoyment is lost as a large part of the fun is watching the ants dig their tunnels. I purchased this as a gift for my 12 year old son for Christmas. I would definitely recommend that you get the lighted version (set up is a breeze) and I followed another reviewer's recommendation and ordered the ants from Life Studies [.]. Several of the ants have died, most recently. When they recommend that you make a couple of starter holes in top of the gel, make them up against the plexiglass and not in the middle, which will make watching their progress even more fun. Just a heads up, I ordered the ants in the middle of a cold spell and then they sat in the mail box for at least 36 hours.
Some of the tunnels were just dug recently, so the process doesn't necessarily come to an end but the life of the ant is short.I have just purchased exactly the same unit for my nephew and can't wait to hear his stories as he watches the ants set up home. I would have to say that this is a truly great gift, for almost any age. In our case, they dug all kinds of neat tunnels that connected in all different locations and it was facinating to watch it take place (thus the name I guess, Fascinations Antworks). I thought they might have been killed by the cold but I transfered them to a bag from the plastic container in which they had arrived and after about 15 or 20 minutes in our home, they revived themselves. Also, as noted in several places, be careful when handling these insects -- the "ant farm" is ideal for any child, no matter the age -- but the ants should only be handled by an adult.Previous reviews have noted that the ants have a limited lifespan and we are experiencing that now, about 6 weeks into our purchase. It is well made -- it has withstood my sons knocking it over on the kitchen counter a few times -- and the accompanying booklet is short, very user friendsly and has some interesting ant facts.
We broke the eye piece that comes w/ it but did use the magnifying glass on occasion.
The hole-poking tool seemed a bit narrow, so we tried the eraser-end of a pencil, and they responded quickly. When lifting the cover, be VERY careful, the ants ALL rush to the top.
We ordered the ants online from Life Science, and they came in about 9 days. I thought they were all dead when we received them, because it was so cold out; but we dumped them in, and within 30 minutes they were all very active (not a single dead ant).
I got this for my 8 year-old son, and I think we enjoy it as much as he does. Once they started, they went really quickly.
This would be a perfect gift. Just a few tips: it took our ants almost 4 days to begin tunneling (I thought for sure they just weren't going to).
Also, they seem to be more willing to dig in tunnels that are started a little bit wider. Have fun.
Got this for my little sister as a Christmas gift. She is fascinated by the gratuitous acts of these animals
I suspect that if they'd arrived a day later, they might not have made it because the weather turned very cold. When Christmas came I got him this one instead, it's the same color but came with LED lights underneath, which I knew he would like. They slow down and you can just dump them into the farm without any escaping.The ants started tunneling after about 12 hours in the farm, and they made at least 12 tunnels, all interlinking. (You can get "ants after Christmas" or "ants right now", too).
The only difficulty is opening the lid to give them air. Ordering online was easy. The ants arrived 3 days before Christmas, all of them alive. My husband joked a couple months ago that he wanted to get an ant farm, specifically a Facinations Antworks blue one he saw in a catalogue. We also give them light with a low-watt reading lamp, making sure the temp doesn't get over about 77F. They were easy to pop into the farm by putting the ants and the tube they came in into the fridge for about 3 minutes.
It only took them about 10 days to tunnel, since then they've been exploring and huddling together in the little room they made at the bottom. The lid fits really well and we haven't had any trouble keeping it on.
So far they've all survived almost 20 days, and the booklet said they could survive up to 3 months.I love this gift, it was by far my husband's favorite, too. Using the order form that came with the farm, I also got him ants from antsalive, getting the "ants just before Christmas" ants.
They are FAST and will zip right out of there when you open the lid. The assembly was easy as was poking holes in the gel.
The ants were great, but note they are larger harvester ants, about 1 to 1.25 cm long, all female, so if larger ants creep you out you may not like this so much. My husband solved this by using an old aquarium pump and GENTLY pumping in a little air through one of the air holes on either side of the lid.
We'll be getting more ants and another farm in the spring.
Best fun we have had with a toy this holidays. Mesmerizing young and old. Make sure you order the ants from a reputable company online ahead of time so that they are ready to install.
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