Ants are not often kept as pets, but these little social creatures can be fascinating to watch and can provide a learning experience for you and your child. Being able to build ant farms from kits can be a cheap and fulfilling alternative to buying ant farms or even to keeping other much larger pets.

When keeping ants, you must remember that they are not a hands-on pet like a dog, or a fish when cleaning and maintaining. Any movement or disturbance of the farm can cause it to cave it, proving fatal to the colony.

First, there is the basic ant farm kit. There are various types available and by building the ants’ home yourself you can save on the initial costs as well as gain from quality and size of the farm. Then there are illuminated ant farms, which allow you to see the ants day or night. These come in a plastic home with blue or green lights usually incorporated into the base.

Gel ant farms are a clear plastic environment with a solid gel composite inside. The ants can build and tunnel within the gel, while providing them with a great nutritious food source.

Finally, there are giant ant farms which create the ideal environment for keeping ants. This environment allows them to nest and flourish, all while providing you with the opportunity to watch them on a much larger scale.

So if you’re thinking about caring for an animal, or want to keep your child busy with a nearly zero investment on your part, consider an ant farm.