Tarantula and Invertebrate Record
Record feeding and moult cycles so that a long fast can be recognised as normal for your animal rather than worried about.
XP-11 1 page
Exotic and small pets · XP-12
Ant Colony Observation Record
A free printable ant keeping log — worker estimates, brood, queen sightings, feeding, water and temperature over the life of a colony.
Download Free · no sign-up
One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Track a colony from founding through to establishment, which is the period where most of them are lost.
Who it is for
Ant keepers, from a first test tube setup to an established formicarium.
How to use it
- Estimate worker numbers rather than counting; consistency matters more than accuracy.
- Record brood stages when you can see them.
- Note temperature — it drives development speed entirely.
- Record the move to a larger setup and how it went.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: Colony growth, brood, feeding and the founding stage that decides whether it survives.
Founding and established colonies are different animals. No feeding schedules, temperatures or humidity figures are printed. They differ by genus and by stage, and a founding queen needs something very different from an established colony. Get your figures from a species source and record against them.
Write-on lines: Species or genus · Colony ID · Founded or acquired · Setup
Table, 13 rows: Date · Workers, estimated · Brood seen · Queen seen · Fed · Water · Temperature · Behaviour and notes
Write-on lines: Moved to a larger setup on · Hibernation, if used
Questions
How often should I feed a colony?
No schedule is printed. It differs by genus and by stage — a founding queen usually needs nothing at all, which is the thing new keepers most often get wrong. Use a species source.
Are there rules about keeping ants?
In some countries there are real restrictions on keeping or importing non-native species, and releasing them is an offence. Check before acquiring a colony from abroad.
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