Flies!!!

[peanut]

Hi guys, all of a sudden I've noticed an increase in flies..there only small but there's quite a few..I use a substrate of play sand/gravel and topsoil,so I can only think they were in the topsoil when I bought it..I just wondered if any one has any suggestions or ideas to get rid of them without harming my little Russian

 

[nate.mann]

first off, your substratr is very bad for your tortoise, theres a good chance it will cause impaction (intestine blockage)..youre going to want to change that ASAP to coco coir, organic top soil, cypress mulch, or any combo of the three (make sure its about 3 inches deep, Russians like to dig). once you change that out, many members add pill bugs (rollie pollies) to their enclosure, as theyre harmless, will eat food scraps, and help with the issue of gnats.

 

[peanut]

Hi thanks for the advice..I used to have that as substrate but soon learnt how bad it was so I now have coco coir and organic top soil,it's 4" deep..by rolie polies,do you mean woodlice?

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

I have a solution!!!! [GRINNING FACE WITH SMILING EYES]

I was given some fresh fruits, and a few days later the fruit flies hatched like crazy, and I suspect some also came in contaminated soil (I'm assuming you mean the tiny flies, not the big house flies).

Take a large drinking glass, drop of few pieces of ripe fruit in them (I used an apple core and a cantaloupe rind). Take kitchen plastic wrap and rubber band it over the top to seal it.
Then take a small knife and poke holes all over, especially along the rim where they walk. They will crawl in to get the fruit, and get trapped. A few will make it out, but 90% of them can't and die. Place on trap in each enclosure.
They have 2-3 day hatching cycle, so leave it out a few days, chuck it, and make a new one.

My infestation got be biblical before I discovered this trick. Overnight my infestation was gone, just a few stragglers and new youngins.


For substrate, I've been beyond happy with a huge $7 bag of peat. Then a bought a few $3 bags of sphagnum, soaked the entire bag worth overnight, then piled it up and spread it around my enclosures, even made caves and mounds. They love it and it keeps things humid, even with an open table. I pour a pitcher of water all over twice a week to maintain humidity.


This is a Rollie Polie,


I pay the neighbor kid to catch them for me. He loves it! A job!




-------
Sandy
Oregon-Washington Tortoise Rescue

Mo the Sulcata (4.8 lbs)
Oliver the Sulcata (50 lbs)
Larry the Jordanian Greek
Curly the Eastern Hermanni
....baby Sulcata Franklin on the way!
Lola the Basenji
Dexter the Basenji
John the boyfriend stuck in Kansas...so I get more tortoises!

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I like that fruit fly trap.

I've had house flies hatch in one of my chambers twice now. Yuck... They fly up to the top and walk around by the lights. I slip a vacuum hose in and suck them up. I'll do it each day until they are all gone.

I also keep roly poly bugs in my chambers.

Sent from my TFOapp

 

[peanut]

Hey thanks for the great advice,I'm going to try all your suggestions..hopefully the fly trap will work