Small black flies

[kjphoto04]

I just noticed a few little black flies in Petunia's cage. Why?
I change her cypress once a month.

 

[dragonqueen4]

do you feed her crickets?
the only time i have had little flies, they came from the crickets

 

[crimsonrazac]

Arggg, I started getting those flys about two weeks ago. I think they are gnats? I solved the problem when I baked the substrate and cleaned the cage. Hope they don't come back.

 

[DaveDragon]

They could be fruit flies. Put a small plate or bowl of apple cider vinegar, with a couple of drops of dish washing soap in it, near the enclosure. They'll be drawn to the sweet smell and get stuck in the surface tension the soap creates.

 

[kjphoto04]

Thanks Dave I will try that.

 

[crimsonrazac]

Thanks for the Idea dave :-D If I get those again I'll check if they are fruit flies.

 

[Realitynh]

Now I have the flies! I tried the vinegar last night & not a single one was in the bowl this morning! I'm almost 100% sure that they're fruit flies. I had 10 large crickets in his cage about a month & a half ago (when we first got him). He didn't seem too interested in them so they did stay in his cage for a while. I'm wondering if they're fruit flies or gnats or WHAT!? And how to get rid of them!

 

[jondancer]

They multiply fast, I found if I let the substrate dry out they go away. While the substrate isn't moist I soak my tegu everyday . Good luck

 

[Johnnydr]

I had an outbreak of them a month or so ago. I hung some fly tape around the cage to help a little, and also changed all substrates on my herps and kept them dry for a week. Also, they feed on just about everything your tegu does, so making sure every tiny piece of food is out of there right after feeding is necessary. They are a big pain. In the end I got rid of them fully but letting my house get cold for a couple days.

 

[laurarfl]

I have them this time of year, too. The weather is nice so I open my house. They like it warm and moist. The ones I have aren't fruit flies, but are all black, slow, and triangle shaped. They are just annoying.

 

[Realitynh]

No doubt, well the gu's been asleep for weeks under the couch, so I suppose I could trash the cypress I got in there now & get some fresh stuff...

 

[Maro1]

definatley annoying! I get them this time of the year especially when you heat the whole room

 

[got10]

I have them this time of year, too. The weather is nice so I open my house. They like it warm and moist. The ones I have aren't fruit flies, but are all black, slow, and triangle shaped. They are just annoying.

Those flys will breed in standing water and open sewage lines . Check out around your house for open drains . Those are called "Sh*t flies" because they are often found near stinky water and sewage drains.
A drop of dawn dishsoap in the water will drown them. good luck

 

[Johnnydr]

I've always called them "carrion gnats".

 

[james.w]

I had them in my monitors cages, I think they came in with the dirt. I used a small condiment cup with a 1" square of a No-Pest Strip inside. Poke a few holes in the cup and hang it out of the lizards reach from the top of the cage. It got rid of them in a few weeks.

Off-topic but kjphoto04, do you mind posting some pics of your Sphynx?

 

[Kebechet]

Sound like fungus flies, also known as peat flies to me. I have them right now too. They're annoying little bastards, but harmless. I think they came in my block of peat moss. They breed in moist areas, fly very erratically compared to normal fruit flies, and are smaller than a lot of fruit flies I've seen.