Fruit flies!?

Jenni

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What do I do? All of the sudden I have fruit flies in the enclosure and I'm afraid they are going to get out of hand, just noticed one flying round the kitchen today. Ughhhhhh
 

Slow and steady

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If you're changing your food daily, and removing the old (I assume you are), then your fruit fly source is likely old food tidbits that have gotten lost in the substrate. I've had this happen. They're laying eggs in the substrate and hatching out. Try changing out the substrate, and using a larger/wider feeding plate. The wider plate will help keep your little one from pushing his food off the plate into the substrate. BTW, I didn't change out all of my substrate, just the area around the plate. A fruit fly's life cycle is pretty quick, so I'd expect you to see the end of this in a week or so. Be forewarned, you'll likely encounter gross little fly larvae wriggling around (blech!) I suggest wearing latex gloves. Good luck.
 

wellington

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These usually aren't really fruit flies. Almost everyone gets them now and then. They usually appear with heat and humidity.
To help prevent them, you can bake or boil your substrate before using it.
For now, hang fly strips or try fruit fly or fly bait traps. They are usually a bag or container that you put some water in and then the food that comes with them. They small bad but will help.
 

JoesMum

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They are detrivores and an inevitable result of the warm humidity your tort needs for good help. They are completely harmless.

Clean up poop quickly. Clear out food after 24 hours and introduce a few roly-polies to act as natural control. You will find them under rocks and logs outside
 

Clamhandsmcgee

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I don't know if someone else has mentioned it in this thread, but what I do to combat the little bugs is add pill bugs (rollie pollies) in the enclosure. If you have those in your enclosure you won't have the "fruit flies."
 

PJay

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You most likely have fungus gnats. In addition to roly-polys, springtails also help eliminate fungus gnats when added to the substrate and are readily available online.
 

Clamhandsmcgee

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I collect a few pill bugs from a pile of leaves and they breed in the enclosure. I haven't had any flying bugs since then.
 

Anyfoot

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I use sticky fly tape. I hang them horizontal and well out of the tortoises reach. Not be long before it's full of flies.

IMG_1253.jpg
 

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