Tiny fleas in sulcata enclosure

[JoshSloane]

Hey All,

So I have noticed that I have a few small winged flea-like bugs in my sulcata enclosure. These are definitely NOT mites. I have waged war on reptile mites in years past with my snakes, and these are not the same. They buzz around the enclosure, and I see some dead on the CHE. They don't seem to be on my sulcata, but rather in the substrate.

So my question is, do these 'fleas' pose a threat to the tortoise? Or is this just a byproduct of having a giant enclosure filled with substrate and organic food items? In the past I used Natural Chemistry to rid my snake cages of mites, would that work for these fleas?

 

[MPRC]

I just live with them. We clean out all of the leftover food daily and stir up the substrate now and again. Ruby doesn't even know they are there.

 

[wellington]

If you bake, boil or freeze your substrate before using it, it will help on keeping these from coming or keep them away longer. Baking for 3 hours at 250 works the best, boiling too. Kills and eggs, etc. freezing just delays them from hatching, what I have found.
They don't really hurt anything and usually dies off. They are just a pain for us humans.

 

[W Shaw]

I've seen no sign of anything like them in the couple of months I've had Ronan. Are they associated with a particular type of substrate?

 

[Speedy-1]

I see them in Speedys tank from time to time , they don't seem to bother him at all . I had decided they were part of the high temps / and humid conditions we create !