Reptile & Amphibian Forums

over the past few weeks there have been these little winged insects in my alligator lizards cage. i cleaned the cage and they were gone for a few days and them returned. they seem smaller than fruit flies but buzz around in a similar fashion. they even crawl around on the rocks and wood in the cage. what are they? why do i have them? will they harm or affect my lizards?

HELP!!! I ve got them too! Did you use bed-a-beast? or some other brand of coconut rind? If you have house plants you will have a fly farm soon. I sugest getting the cage cleaned asap.
Chuck

They sound like a type of gnat. Their larvae feed on moist rotting material such as feces or decaying vegetation. They will not harm your lizard. If you want to get rid of them you can remove the moist substrate and replace it with a dry one and restrict the moist stuff to the hide box which can be cleaned regularly. I have them in my day gecko tank and they come from the potted plants. Since I don't want to eliminate the plants, I just live with them in that tank.

-Alice

My orchids, which love warm humid conditions, get them too.
they are annoying but I dont think detrimental.

Perhaps you could put a circle of cloth or fine netting inside the plant pot, over the dirt, with a hole for the plant to poke out. Maybe put gravel over the cloth if it looks unsightly, but not enough to retain water over the cloth. that way, the bugs cant get in to the damp media to reproduce,and if the larva got in, the adults couldnt get out, but you can still water your plant in your terrarium. (I've never tried this, just an idea)

laneante