OFF insect repellent?

[mlee5457]

Hey everyone! I have been noticing a lot of gnats in my cage in the soil pot and they are starting to fly arounf the house! Getting on my nerves! I have repotted twice, used soapy water but they wont go away! So i had an idea and couldnt find anywhere if it has been posted! but what if i spray some OFF in the base around the rocks? I purchased the kind that says its not harmful to pets or humans! would this work maybe??

 

[Pure]

Last time I checked Off wasn't an insecticide, so I don't know how much it would help.

If the gnats are persistent, you have a drainage problem. Try potting the plants with rocks in the bottom of the pot, also get the pot up off the floor of the cage to allow for better drainage.

 

[slowfoot]

If the product contains DEET, then do not use it anywhere near your chams. Although it says it's not harmful to pets and humans, DEET is still extremely toxic to reptiles - even the fumes alone are enough to kill.

I believe it is also specific only to mosquitoes, so won't do anything for gnats.

 

[xanthoman]

those sticky fly paper strips are non toxic and dont smell , you can get 3or4 rolls for about $2 just dont put them anywhere where you or your chams will accidentally touch them

 

[mlee5457]

Well I checked and it doesn't have any deet at all! I think I may try it a little just in rocks! As for sticky paper the dang crix keep getting in there!

 

[sandrachameleon]

There are much safer and more effective ways to deal with gnats. Do a search on this site on the word Gnat and you will find solutions a plenty.

 

[Olowanpi]

I wouldn't do it!!! Is it worth the chance that it might be a problem? If you don't know for sure, why risk the health of your Cham?

I'd take the plant out, treat it, and give it time to dry out, air out... then put it back in your Cham's cage. Get him a fake tree for a while.

 

[cushcameleon]

Ditch the OFF! idea, you wouldn't want to risk the possibilities of making your chameleon, feeders or plant sick. Nat's like stagnant water and wet soil; you most likely have an improper drainage system (if you even do have a drainage system setup), poor air circulation, no elevation between your pot and the floor of your cage, or all the above. Got any pictures of your current plant setup? I think a critique is needed

 

[Malicious]

The Gnats you are refering to are known as Fungus Gnats.

They lay their eggs in the damp potting soil, and will be there untill the soil dries out. Spraying insect repellents and bug killers are not the best way to get rid of them.

The adult Gnats only live for about 2 days and then perish, you have to take care of the egg infestation to cure the problem.

Allowing the potting soil to dry between mistings is the best way, however not really practical when you have chameleons.


From what I have found scouring the internet on various gardening forums. The best bet would be to place a 1/4" layer of play sand over the soil in the pot followed by river rock on top. The Gnats cannot, and will not lay in the sand. that should take care of the issue.




-Jay

 

[cushcameleon]

The best bet would be to place a 1/4" layer of play sand over the soil in the pot followed by river rock on top. The Gnats cannot, and will not lay in the sand. that should take care of the issue.
-Jay

I am currently using play sand soil mixtures in my pots, they with allowing plants and drain water faster and as malicious said they do help with preventing nats. You can find my current results/successes and predictions in a section of my blog; https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/cushcameleon/131-custom-plant-soils.html. Plants in chameleon cages need proper air circulation since they are frequently sprayed with water and from my experience I have noticed that river rock on top of the soil increases the chances of leaves drooping, because it makes it harder for the plant soil to dry out.

 

[chameleon97]

If the product contains DEET, then do not use it anywhere near your chams. Although it says it's not harmful to pets and humans, DEET is still extremely toxic to reptiles - even the fumes alone are enough to kill.

I believe it is also specific only to mosquitoes, so won't do anything for gnats.

I agree. Its so bad its spelled with capital letters!

 

[slowfoot]

I agree. Its so bad its spelled with capital letters!

I didn't feel like typing out N, N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide