Nats everywhere!

[Palespider]

For the past 2 months I've had a serious nat (or gnat?) problem in my T enclosures. I've tried changing out the substrate of the cages they seem to be in, but they just come back in a few days.

Can nats pose any problems for my T's? If they are in fact nats (tiny pin head size flies) I haven't had any problems with my T's so far. Could they be anything else?

Any advice or suggestions?
Thanks a lot,
Jim B.

 

[Neo]

Gnats are said to come when there are some rotting stuff lying around or fungus. Take out the uneaten stuff and clean the container and they will all go away.

Only thing I heard is that gnats might bring fungus into the container or diseases and they can dirty it with fecel matter(droppings) so in other words, don't let them stay, they're not part of your pets. Flies!! grr.

 

[defour]

These are probably phorid flys. In most cases they feed on leftover prey remains, but occasionally they will parasitize tarantulas. The best defense against them is to maintain your tarantulas in as dry and clean an environment as they can handle and to provide water in a dish rather than by wetting the substrate; changing the substrate was a good idea, too. Do they tend to run rather than fly? Phorids seem to prefer to move around on the substrate rather than to fly.

The other main possibilities are fruit flies and fungus gnats. Fruit flies are similar in size to phorids, but fly more. Phorids have a "hump-backed" appearance that fruit flies lack, too. Fungus gnats are smaller than fruit/phorid flies and have proportionately smaller bodies, having a more mosquito-like appearance. Neither fruit flies nor fungus gnats pose a direct threat to tarantulas and can usually be kept in check by limiting substrate moisture and cleaning out prey remains.

Steve

 

[Neo]

Kind of weird how the things you don't want comes unintentionally and the things you want take forever?

For example, i'm trying to raise fruit flies myself. Before when i didn't want them, they came all over. Now I'm trying to catch some by leaving out a bucket of rotting bananas and only 3 showed up. Thats not enough for my 100+ jumping spider slings!!

Life is such a d**k....grrrr

Clean the container and if problem persist, change everything. Freaken pests....arggghhasdhfshafhas

 

[Palespider]

I have been keeping my cages pretty clean. I've been keeping my cages pretty clean, so I don't think it's the food remains. But, after changing out the infested cages they seem to have gone away.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Jim B.

 

[sunnymarcie]

Probably NOT phorid flys.

Most likely it is fungus gnats.

Get a good look at one, if it has a hump back appearance its
a phorid, if not then its just fungus gnats/fruit flies.