bugs in the enclosure?

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Sep 1, 2014
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I have recently built my redfoot a new enclosure, and upgraded is substrate from just sphagnum moss to organic top soil and coconut coir fiber. He seems to love being able to dig now, but I'm having a terrible time with fruit flies I think? They are small little white things that I see climbing in the mulch, and then every day more fruit fly sized black bugs fly around. Sometimes they even crawl on my tortoise. They don't bother him but what do I do?
 

SarahChelonoidis

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The fruit fly like flies are called fungus gnats. Many people on the forum and elsewhere on the Internet (they're common in house plant pots kept moist) have suggestions on how to get rid of them.
 

CanadianTestudo

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I have them in my box turtle enclosure (because of the humidity and amount of greens in the cage each day). From what I know they are harmless (just unpleasant to look at). If you have a spike in their population look for left over food and poop
 

Angel Carrion

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I have them in my box turtle enclosure (because of the humidity and amount of greens in the cage each day). From what I know they are harmless (just unpleasant to look at). If you have a spike in their population look for left over food and poop
I'm glad to hear harmless because I'm having a problem with them as well
 

CanadianTestudo

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The animals themselves are completely harmless. However they could potentially indicate spoiled food or poop. I remove my food bowl after 24h (every morning) and there are always little gnats all over the food bowl. Since I replace the food with new food every morning (appart from one day off) there is really no way to get these guys out of the enclosure. As long as you make sure old food is removed they are not a problem
 

Angel Carrion

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The animals themselves are completely harmless. However they could potentially indicate spoiled food or poop. I remove my food bowl after 24h (every morning) and there are always little gnats all over the food bowl. Since I replace the food with new food every morning (appart from one day off) there is really no way to get these guys out of the enclosure. As long as you make sure old food is removed they are not a problem
I don't have a bunch myself, but there's always 2-5 flying out of the hospital tank when I mist it down during the day or pour a gallon all over the substrate to rehydrate it every week. They're annoying to me. My turtle doesn't seem to care.
 

MPRC

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I'm got a TON of them. When Ruby is in her outside tank I'll take the top off the indoor enclosure and point a fan in there to blow them around - they don't seem keen on airflow. After I do that the fly strip above the tank becomes peppered with them.
 
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