Flies/Nats

I have notice that latey I have alot of flies/nats. I don't have any dead rats laying around. Anyone have an idea to why all of a sudden I am having this issue. Anyway to resolve it?

Probably because of dirty bedding. I have this problem with flies around my rabbits.

How often do you change the bedding? I can't say I've had an issue like this so I'll share my schedule with you, if it helps.

Every week I change the whole bedding. Regardless if a new litter is born or anything, I change it every Thursday or Friday. Beginning of each month the tubs are sprayed down with diluted bleach and rinsed out well before new bedding is put back in. When I change the tubs each week I wear gloves so I can really scrape off the corners where they urinate the most. It tends to stick to the pan.

My guess is the corners are really wet which is attracting the gnats. Or double check your water system, make sure it's not leaking. Even a few drips a minute can add up to a really moist substrate.

I use a wide "paint scraper-putty knife" when I clean my rodent cages...it's fast & easy to dislodge debris from the corners & helps me steer it into the trash bag- without
getting my hands in it...;)...then I spray with diluted chlorhexidine & wipe dry w/ paper towels.

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Originally Posted by Naginii

How often do you change the bedding? I can't say I've had an issue like this so I'll share my schedule with you, if it helps.

Every week I change the whole bedding. Regardless if a new litter is born or anything, I change it every Thursday or Friday. Beginning of each month the tubs are sprayed down with diluted bleach and rinsed out well before new bedding is put back in. When I change the tubs each week I wear gloves so I can really scrape off the corners where they urinate the most. It tends to stick to the pan.

My guess is the corners are really wet which is attracting the gnats. Or double check your water system, make sure it's not leaking. Even a few drips a minute can add up to a really moist substrate.

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I change it every 2 weeks, but I'll try your schedule out. First time I have noticed so many flies and gnats though since I have been breeding. Thanks for the reply!

My rodent cleaning days are every Monday. I do Mondays because my trash gets picked up on Tuesday mornings. That way used bedding isn't staying around any longer than needed. Even if a trash bag isn't full it will still get taken out.

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Originally Posted by BRD

I change it every 2 weeks, but I'll try your schedule out. First time I have noticed so many flies and gnats though since I have been breeding. Thanks for the reply!

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No problem! I would recommend when you change it next to spray with a little bleach mix if you can, just so that if there is any issue that it gets taken care of. I hope it goes away for you though! Coming from a 2 week cleaning to every week you might be able to use less substrate too. I use just enough to cover the bottom of my tubs and make sure to change it more often, compared to using more substrate and letting it go longer. Just something to think about anyways. :)

Besides cleaning more often, you could try hanging or setting sticky traps around your cages. When I get a sudden infestation of insects, it's usually because one gravid female bug decided to slip in and lay her eggs somewhere. The sticky traps will attract the gnats/flies and stop them in their tracks, so to speak. Good luck!