Flies in enclosure

zackary2431

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Hello hope everyone is doing ok ! I’m interested in knowing, if anyone of you guys have had flies in your tortoises enclosure, my brother has been informing me saying he sees flies in the tank , I’m very clean in the sense that I completely throw away the previous substrate, vacuum and sanitize with this zoomed cleaning liquid! I spot clean Everyday , I’ll post enclosure when I get home currently out of town ! Thank you !
 

Cherryshell

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I wonder if the tort wouldn't munch on a Venus flytrap if kept out of reach, may help with pest control. I guess it would depend on what kind of enclosure the tort is in though
 

Blackdog1714

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ZenHerper

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VFTs only eat a fly occasionally...insects are basically fertilizer, so they are not wildly eating a lot of them. lol Fun idea!

OP:
I'm concerned that house flies gathering in an enclosure is signaling that something has gone seriously wrong. If your brother has a smart phone, you really want some close up photos all around the habitat.
 

ZEROPILOT

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VFTs only eat a fly occasionally...insects are basically fertilizer, so they are not wildly eating a lot of them. lol Fun idea!

OP:
I'm concerned that house flies gathering in an enclosure is signaling that something has gone seriously wrong. If your brother has a smart phone, you really want some close up photos all around the habitat.
That was my thought too.
Either there is some SERIOUS poop in that enclosure that needs to be removed or there is something rotting or other food in there.
Are there any maggots in the substrate if you stir it up?
How long has it been since you replaced it?
 

Byron Todd

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forsure house flies
Cleaning the cage should really help.

I live in an area of the country with hella houseflies. Sometimes cleaning isnt enough. To kill them, I've had success with a neonicotinoide mixed with a fly bait. A good product is musca-cide.
https://www.domyown.com/muscacide-fly-bait-spray-p-17559.html

(Z)-9 Tricosene, is the active ingredient in basically all fly baits. It is a hormone they discovered in houseflies that signals mating. The tricosene will attract them to where one sprays the bait, then the neonicotinoide will cause hyperagitation til they seize and die.

Theres not much research into tortoises specifically but other reptiles show low toxicity to neonicotinoides and I've had good success with it personally. I don't spray the cage directly. I spray an empty flower pot, then wait til it dries, then invert the pot and hang it upside down in the cage. I know other users are paranoid of pesticides, but I suspect the risks of exposure to an endemic fly population far outweighs the exposure to low concentrations of an established chemical that would take care of the problem.
 

zackary2431

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Cleaning the cage should really help.

I live in an area of the country with hella houseflies. Sometimes cleaning isnt enough. To kill them, I've had success with a neonicotinoide mixed with a fly bait. A good product is musca-cide.
https://www.domyown.com/muscacide-fly-bait-spray-p-17559.html

(Z)-9 Tricosene, is the active ingredient in basically all fly baits. It is a hormone they discovered in houseflies that signals mating. The tricosene will attract them to where one sprays the bait, then the neonicotinoide will cause hyperagitation til they seize and die.

Theres not much research into tortoises specifically but other reptiles show low toxicity to neonicotinoides and I've had good success with it personally. I don't spray the cage directly. I spray an empty flower pot, then wait til it dries, then invert the pot and hang it upside down in the cage. I know other users are paranoid of pesticides, but I suspect the risks of exposure to an endemic fly population far outweighs the exposure to low concentrations of an established chemical that would take care of the problem.
Thank you all for the amazing advice especially the Venus fly trap, I clean the cage often because they are in my room and when they poop you can smell it, so everyday around 5-6 I spot clean AND ABOUT every 2 weeks I clean out the tank with new substate. I've had great success with fly tape so far so thank you to the person who advised me!!
 

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