# ... Fruitflies?



## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

Yesterday I noticed there's a bunch of fruit flies around Pepper's cage. I have no idea why. We have no fruit flies in any other part of the house, he rarely has fruit (doesn't like it) and definitely hasn't since I last cleaned his cage (which was recently), they aren't even around his food or water, just... flying around his cage. They really look like fruit flies... 

Pepper doesn't seem to notice and they don't seem to be on or around him, but I think it's kind of, well, gross. I assume it isn't dangerous for him (though correct me if I'm wrong) but does anyone have any idea why this is happening and how I could get it to stop? Or if there's another kind of fly that looks like a fruit fly that might be attracted to... poop smells, maybe? We have had the windows open a lot lately because of the heat and our screens aren't that tight, so flies have been getting in. But I really think they're fruit flies... I just don't get it!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Do you give him canned food? Whenever I have someone on canned food I end up with sort of overgrown fruit flies in their room.


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

Nancy said:


> Do you give him canned food? Whenever I have someone on canned food I end up with sort of overgrown fruit flies in their room.


No, he just has kibble... and they're not even around his food. It's really weird. Am I right that they're not dangerous, though?


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Fruit flies are not generally considered harmful... just an annoyance. By any chance do you have any house plants in the area? Are the flies on them? If so you may have fungus gnats instead of fruit flies. 

For fruit flies try putting some apple cider vinegar in a glass. Add a couple of drops of dish detergent, swirl to mix and leave over night. They love the smell of the apple cider vinegar and the detergent breaks the surface tension, making them sink.


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

Kalandra said:


> Fruit flies are not generally considered harmful... just an annoyance. By any chance do you have any house plants in the area? Are the flies on them? If so you may have fungus gnats instead of fruit flies.
> 
> For fruit flies try putting some apple cider vinegar in a glass. Add a couple of drops of dish detergent, swirl to mix and leave over night. They love the smell of the apple cider vinegar and the detergent breaks the surface tension, making them sink.


Well good, as long as they're not harmful, I won't worry. They are annoying, though! The only plants I have nearby are some baby cacti, but they're in a greenhouse type enclosure.

I'll give that a try! Thanks.


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