Fleas in coir? Maybe

[cassieopia]

Can Kronk be bothered if there are fleas in his coir? There "may be" some, according to my kid- which is why I am asking. There is no way to change the coir out at the moment...

 

[Maro2Bear]

I doubt they are fleas, but are probably gnats or fruit flies. Regardless, they are prbably a lot more annoying to the keeper, vice your tort.

 

[Tom]

Can Kronk be bothered if there are fleas in his coir? There "may be" some, according to my kid- which is why I am asking. There is no way to change the coir out at the moment...

It is physically possible for fleas to lay eggs in your tortoise enclosure, but unlikely. Fleas that prey upon mammals will not be the least bit interested in your tortoise.

I think Maro is probably right in that you have one of the several species of harmless substrate flies.

 

[wellington]

I agree, probably not fleas. When you can, either buy new coir and bake or boil it before using. This helps to kill any bugs and eggs. It holds them off for some time, but not forever. You can do the same to the coir you are using, most don't want to put used coir in their ovens or pot to boil.
I found do bake it, 200-250 for 2-3 hours.

 

[Yvonne G]

It's probably harmless springtails.

 

[JoesMum]

Some people add roly polies to their tort enclosure as they're good at bug control.

I agree with others the bugs won't harm your tort. They'll be detrivores and harmless to you or your tort.

 

[cassieopia]

Thanks so much! We have no carpet, and just 1 rug, right in front of Kronk enclosure. I'm thinkinG she got a flea on her from the rug, and didn't notice til she was playing with Kronk... I thought I had read somewhere they wouldn't bother him, so I just thought I'd check.