Small flies in Panther's Cage

[PaulZarate]

Hey guys, I can't help but notice that there are flies in my Panther's Cage. They're very small and i don't know if they're harmful. They were never there before.

Chameleon Info:
Your Chameleon - Male Ambilobe Panther Chameleon, 4 months old, I've had him for a month.
Handling - Not often, I've handled him once.
Feeding - About 5-7 crickets a day, gut loaded with a blend of various vegetables. Also get's some wax worms now and then.
Supplements - I'm in the process of buying more supplements but at the moment it's only Calcium D3 1x a week.
Watering - I hand mist about 4-6x a day.
Fecal Description - The poop and urine are normal.
History - He was purchased from Screameleons.

Cage Info:
Cage Type - Screen Cage 30x18x30
Lighting - One UVb 18" linear fixture. Two UVA 60W
Temperature - Temperature is usually around 77-81º. Basking spot is about 88º
Humidity - Humidity remains around 38%-60% before misting. I'm also using a humidifier.
Plants - One Pothos and One Umbrella (From my understanding it's an umbrella.)
Placement - It's in my room on a dresser, The top of the cage is about 4.5ft high.
Location - New York City.

 

[tkilgour]

Vince at Screameleons is a great guy and his chameleons are amazing so you made a great choice. He will provide you a life time of support for your new friend. As far as flies go it really depends what it is your talking about. Are they flies or gnats? Chams. will eat flies like house flies etc. However, wild flies could carry parasites. If they are fungus gnats they could be coming from the soil for your plants. If they are fungus gnats, you can re-pot the plant, clean the roots off, and put an inch of sand at the base of the pot, then new sterile soil and your plant, then another inch of sand over the soil, then a layer of rock. This will block off the gnats from getting into the soil and laying eggs. However, help us determine the type of flies you are talking about.

 

[PaulZarate]

I'm not 100% sure what they are, I'm thinking they might be gnats. You think I could hold off the plants for about a week or so? I was thinking about buying his adult home now and moving him in there now. (2'x2'x4') You think it's too big for him now? I was going to but a ficus and move him in there, and also do what you said to the soil.

 

[tkilgour]

You can put him in a larger enclosure but, you have to monitor that he is eating and not letting his food get lost. Sometimes, when you put a little guy in a large enclosure they have trouble finding food. However, with close monitoring you should be okay but I'd wait. It will not hurt the chameleon to put the plant in the new enclosure. One thing is if you don't take care of the gnats now they will just get into the new plant. I use that technique I mentioned w/ all my plants and no more gnats. The gnats are more a pest and annoying over anything else. They like warm, moist soil and a humid environment.

 

[PardalisGirl]

I'd wait........

I'd wait to move him to that big cage. That's really going to be a great adult cage. Your boy is in a critical growth time for his bones. Your cage is so big that he won't spend as much time as he needs in range of the UVB. I think you really risk a set back in health and growth if you change now. His current cage is plenty big for months. I'd keep him there where he is now stable under your care and just solve the gnat issue. Fungus gnats are pretty common. You may cut back on the watering of that plant or the ability for mist to reach it.

 

[kinyonga]

Do they move with a jerky motion when they walk?

 

[Carlton]

Might be fungus gnats from saturated potting soil. They are more of a nuisance than a danger.

 

[PaulZarate]

Do they move with a jerky motion when they walk?

No not at all.

 

[sandrachameleon]

then it does sound like gnats. Let the plant soil dry out. the eggs and maggots only like damp soil and the fungus growing on the over watered roots. Add a 1-2inch layer of rocks over the soil, or cover it with plastic wrap - either of these prevent the flies from laying more eggs in the soil.

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

then it does sound like gnats. Let the plant soil dry out. the eggs and maggots only like damp soil and the fungus growing on the over watered roots. Add a 1-2inch layer of rocks over the soil, or cover it with plastic wrap - either of these prevent the flies from laying more eggs in the soil.

Wont this elimate the chances of the plant to grow? I need to do this. I noticed them yesterday in Cleas cage and im going to do something about it today

 

[sandrachameleon]

Wont this elimate the chances of the plant to grow? I need to do this. I noticed them yesterday in Cleas cage and im going to do something about it today

The types of plants you have can stand a dry spell. It may droop and look unhappy, but You'll start watering again after the plant has been bone dry for a few days, and the plant will perk up again then.

Pothos doesnt really start new shoots from the dirt, it just grows longer vines, so putting rocks or plastic wrap over the dirt (with holes/spaces for the vines that exist to poke out) wont hurt anything.

another option is beneficial nemotodes. I used these in my greenhouse when the combo of watering and humidity resulted in an infestation of gnats. worked a charm.

another option might be a carnivourous pitcher plant. this might be a slow solution, but it would be kewl.

use the search function on this site, and you will find lots of previous threads on the same topic from which you may get more ideas.

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

The types of plants you have can stand a dry spell. It may droop and look unhappy, but You'll start watering again after the plant has been bone dry for a few days, and the plant will perk up again then.

Pothos doesnt really start new shoots from the dirt, it just grows longer vines, so putting rocks or plastic wrap over the dirt (with holes/spaces for the vines that exist to poke out) wont hurt anything.

another option is beneficial nemotodes. I used these in my greenhouse when the combo of watering and humidity resulted in an infestation of gnats. worked a charm.

another option might be a carnivourous pitcher plant. this might be a slow solution, but it would be kewl.

use the search function on this site, and you will find lots of previous threads on the same topic from which you may get more ideas.

Thank you for the info. I have just cleaned out my chameleon plants really well and i covered the dirt with rocks and i made sure there wasnt even a small little hole of dirt showing

 

[EpicWin]

Hey guys, I know this is probably an old thread but wanted to resurface this for anyone who might find the trouble later down the road... I found a good piece of instruction on this from another forum involving gardening and growing food.

They have a few tricks up their sleeves as well! So I read that fungus gnats are irrationally attracted to yellow. I put some doubled-over clear sticky tape on a yellow manilla folder (it's actually yellow, not beige like typical manilla folders). So far there is 1 gnat on the tape, and that's just like 10 minutes of waiting.

Once the gnats are on there, you can prevent further growth of the infestation by mixing 1 part H2O2 (2-3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution) with 4 parts H2O (Water) and spraying directly into the soil of your plants.

Turns out, your plants will enjoy this, as the H2O2 turns into O and H2O and the solution kills the larvae on contact. I just did the regimen today and I'll report back when I see some results

Hope this helps someone.

-Travis & Heisenberg