# Fruit flies



## Leonor (Feb 17, 2021)

Hello!
The enclosure of my red tegu, Luciano, has became the habitat of many fruit flies!!! There is no food in it, and I don't know how to give rid of them without harming him!!! Help!!!! Thanks in advance!!!!


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## TheTeguNovice (Feb 17, 2021)

Fruit flies usually lay there eggs in moist locations, or anything that maybe fermenting in your enclosure. When's the last time you changed out your substrate? also do you house live plants in your enclosure?


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## Leonor (Feb 17, 2021)

TheTeguNovice said:


> Fruit flies usually lay there eggs in moist locations, or anything that maybe fermenting in your enclosure. When's the last time you changed out your substrate? also do you house live plants in your enclosure?


I changed all the substrate couple months ago, and there are no plants on the enclosure!!! I keep the substrate moist, and as far as I can see there is nothing that looks like fermenting... I set natural traps with vinager and soap in the room, but not in the enclosure, but the flies don't fall for them...


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## TheTeguNovice (Feb 17, 2021)

hmmmm,......Are fruit flies an issue in other parts of your home?, Does it seem that they are being produce in the enclosure or are they just gathering there due to humidity levels? If you changed the substrate and there was an increase in fruit flies it may have been the substrate but if not then my guess is maybe something else is producing them and there hangout is your enclosure.


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## rantology (Feb 17, 2021)

Are you sure they are fruit flies or are they fungus gnats? Fungus gnats are smaller than FFs and the most common. FFs tend to need a source of... well, fruit or food of some kind. Fungus gnats show up on almost all newly setup terrariums. I had a huge fungus gnat bloom for a couple of months when I first setup Darrow's enclosure - they just come with the substrate. I dutifully changed out big fly paper sheets I hung on the ceiling for about 2 months and now they are pretty much all gone. 

Don't panic, they are annoying but they will not harm anything. If you can safely hang fly paper traps in the enclosure it helps quite a bit. Outside of the enclosure I found these kind of traps work really well too (but dont buy the expensive refill insterts, just buy normal fly paper and cut to size)


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## Leonor (Feb 17, 2021)

rantology said:


> Are you sure they are fruit flies or are they fungus gnats? Fungus gnats are smaller than FFs and the most common. FFs tend to need a source of... well, fruit or food of some kind. Fungus gnats show up on almost all newly setup terrariums. I had a huge fungus gnat bloom for a couple of months when I first setup Darrow's enclosure - they just come with the substrate. I dutifully changed out big fly paper sheets I hung on the ceiling for about 2 months and now they are pretty much all gone.
> 
> Don't panic, they are annoying but they will not harm anything. If you can safely hang fly paper traps in the enclosure it helps quite a bit. Outside of the enclosure I found these kind of traps work really well too (but dont buy the expensive refill insterts, just buy normal fly paper and cut to size)


Thank you so much!!! I cannot tell the difference between many bugs, but I will defintely get the fly paper sheets!!!! It's also good to know that they are not harmful to Luciano!!!!!


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