Question about flies in my Red Foots indoor enclosure??

[Electronica]

Hey guys. Sorry if someone has already answered this, but I am a brand new member of this site, just registered. I have a red foot tortoise and have had her for about 2 years, and every time it gets warm out (I live in Chicago so that's only about 6 months out of the year), I keep getting these little tiny flies in her indoor tortoise table. I use moist sphagnum moss as subtrate, and change it about once a month. When I change it the flies go away, and then are back within a week. What can I do? Should I change it more often, or is there another remedy that anyone know of to get rid of these nasty little flies?? If anyone has any ideas, please help. Thanks so much, and I'm glad to have found this wonderful site, as I don't know anyone else with a tortoise and it's nice to have somewhere to go when I have questions.
Sincerely,
Luke, Chicago, IL

---

Oops, sorry guys, I guess I should have posted this in the red foot area. Sorry, I didn't really know where, just became a member. Hope I didn't annoy anyone.

 

[terryo]

Hi Luke...I have a little Cherry Head, and sometimes when I leave the food in there and he doesn't finish it I will find them. I forgot what you call them, but they lay eggs and they look like little fruit flies. They are anoying but not harmful. I use soil, mixed with peat moss with some cypruss mulch thrown on top, with lots of plants in there. I have a screen cover with most of it covered with clear tape, so if I see them in there I just let the top stay opened for a bit. There was nother thread about this just recently. Maybe someone will come along and post it.

---

http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-15596.html I think this is it.

 

[Electronica]

Thank you very much for your advice. I will definitely try that. I'm glad to hear that they are not harmful, but yes I agree that they are annoying, as the tortoise table is in my living room, so they get out and fly around the living room sometimes. I have tried those little fly paper strips behind the table, and it seems to catch some but not all. We have tried plants in there as well, but Lilly likes to kill them all within days of them being there, so that has been unsuccessful, as I have quite the climber, and she climbs on EVERYTHING. Her favorite climbing spot is on top of her hide, she does that several times a day, and with the plants she climbs on them so much that they die really quick. Thanks again for your help;-)

 

[N2TORTS]

Here is a simple * safe * trap that works .. you can place ***next to the Tort enclosure. ( Do not place inside where it may be tipped)
1. Pour a cup of apple cider vinegar into a jar or small bowl.

2. Add a couple drops of dish soap to the jar.

3. Cover the container with plastic wrap, and poke a few small holes in the wrap.

4. Place in the area where you've seen the fruit flies, and wait for the trap to do its job.

Replace any moldy moss ,and pick up any remaining foods your tort dosnt eat.
~ ~ ~ this works ...heres why!
Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of the vinegar, and will attempt to land on its surface. However, they're in for a surpise – since the dish soap breaks the surface tension of the vinegar, the fruit flies fall in and drown. Say good-bye to that annoying swarm!
Benefits of Using Vinegar:
•no harsh fumes
•inexpensive
•environmentally-friendly
Happy Tort~N

JD~