Reptile & Amphibian Forums

does anybody out there have a problem with small flies in their cages? i don't know if the ones i'm seeing are fruit flies or what. i almost always see them after my snakes void waste. what can you do about them? thanks for any help!

greg

Hi. I use bark chips as substrate and I get swarms of these in my vivs unless I bake it before use. What substrate are you using?

aspen.

Guess they might be coming from that then. Do you bake it first?

When I first started using bark, I didn't have a problem. The flies just started appearing about five years ago and every batch I've bought since has been a nightmare unless I do something to sort the little beggars out before it goes in the viv. If I swap to newspaper/paper towels, I never have the problem, so I'm sure it's the bark that brings them in.

no, i don't bake it.

They sound like Phorid flies to me. They are tough, but they can be handled in much the same way as you take care of mites.

Good luck!
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Darin Chappell
Hillbilly Herps
PO Box 254
Rogersville, MO 65742