Never been so disgusted... (not graphic)

[Dezzi]

I did my daily check of the hamsters and their bedding yesterday morning, and I noticed a strange sight. Darko was sleeping in his bathroom. I had changed their bedding about 5 days ago, and didn't remember seeing anything weird when I had checked the day before. (actually it would have been Saturday when I last checked it, as I forgot to the day before.) Anyways, it smelled really gross, so I decided to do a full cage clean. I opened up his igloo where he usually sleeps and it was full of fly larvae! I threw out the igloo, all of his bedding, scrubbed and bleached his cage, and then put in fresh aspen and a new house.

I don't know what to do to prevent it happening again, though. I change the cages every Wednesday, and do a full scrub and bleach once a month. I change their bathrooms every second day and I don't know what else to do! We have an automatic fly spray thing upstairs, but it's not helping the ones down here. I'm scared to have one put in down here, because I don't want it to be bad for the hamsters. Anyone know what to do? How do you get rid of flies!?

[Die Fledermaus]

>> How do you get rid of flies!? <<

LOL Oh, the irony. Kate knows my yearly Summer battles with flies. They are ubiquitous and prolific. And I despise them with a passion second only to al-Qaeda!

I have six GPs and they are poop machines and that does not help.

I have to put up dozens of sticky fly ribbons hanging down from the ceiling, replaced every few weeks. I also leave out a dozen or so glue boards for flies to get stuck on.

I buy a can of Raid bug spray every week, and I am a crack shot picking them off walls with a short burst. Pssst!

Leave no old can of food or evaporated milk or anything out for any length of time. Nor standing water.

Most of all, bedding has to be changed at least weekly and habitats thoroughly cleaned. This takes the most work and is the most expensive. For all my many habitats it is quite a pain. I hate Summer.
I have also taken to using the a/c more to better keep windows secure from wandering flies.

Put a glue board on the habitat .

I also have moths.

If it all does not work, change the bedding every five days. They are not THAT prolific!

Easy for you compared to me. I have dozens of habitats.

NOTE: I have found online OUTDOORS fly catchers that are baited with pheremones or something and the flies go in and get drowned in the liquid. For some reason it did not work at all indoors. I have seen many things for horses and livestock. What do you do for the horses regarding flies??

[Dezzi]

>>What do you do for the horses regarding flies??<<
Our horses are all outdoors and they can go in the shelters if they want to. We put fly spray on them, and there's a bug-lamp in the tack room. Otherwise, we let them be.

I do clean my habitats weekly and still had a problem. We have this thing called "Konk" upstairs, it's an automatic fly sprayer. I just am worried about putting one downstairs because I don't want it to hurt the hams. (I guess if it was in the living room it wouldn't hurt them though...) Looks like I'll be making a trip into town to get those sticky things.

[Die Fledermaus]

Try cleaning, as I said, every FIVE days.

Once glue boards get some flies on them others are attracted and they build up fast. "Painting" some sugar-sweetened milk (just a bit), or ice cream or wet cat food, around the edges of the sticky part helps attract flies.

I cannot use fly ribbons or boards in this room as Heather the cockatiel is loose. But I keep the GPs out.

Glad your horses are doing OK; there are many online remedies. MANY FLY REMEDIES HERE

The "Trap 'n Toss" was what I referred to above--great for outdoors; did nothing indoors.

Hmmm. Fly granules. I was looking for those. . . I GOTTA GET THIS!

[Andrea]

Nasty.
I don't have a problem with larva, but do have flied come in the house and annoy everyone. If i was in the city I'm sure it wouldn't be near as bad.
I use the fly tape that hangs from the ceiling if things get bad, i used that all the time when i had my handicap bunny as she would get urine scald and I had to protect her from flies.

I get the moths too, they re grain moths and come in with the feed. Nasty little buggers those ones, I think they are my arch nemesis LOL. I've been told the feed store carried a remedy for them.

[Die Fledermaus]

I am expecting those fly granules at any time. When I get them I will let you know about how well they work. If we can lure them to smoothing that kills them, well,

Andrea, I am in the city and it is bad enough. How people made do in the days of horses and manure a century ago I will never know.

[Die Fledermaus]

They're here!

The fly granules mentioned above have arrived!

Fifteen minutes ago I deployed, safely, the fly bait granules. One such is in an empty old bird cage. I already see several dead flies and others there staggering about! I think this is going to work. Check it out.

[Dezzi]

Ugh, the flies are still an issue. I have to fully clean the cages every 3 days and spot clean every day it seems. Thankfully Aspen is fairly cheap here.

[Die Fledermaus]

Three days seems pointless. But I don't know. It seems impossible flies can lay eggs and have them hatch in three days. I would think five days is adequate.

The fly granules help. But flies are not drawn to them like steel filings to a magnet. They help, but are no cure all.

Good luck. The sooner Autumn comes the better!

[Dezzi]

>>Three days seems pointless.<<
Within 3 days the flies are back in the cages bugging the hams, which is why I'm cleaning them so often. I have fly paper sitting near the cages and I have a konk in the hallway. Summer needs to be over sooner! (Then again, when it's -40 I'll be wishing for the heat)

[Die Fledermaus]

I see. In three days there is not yet any eggs hatching, but the poops attract flies.

I will photo my fly granules which I leave near cages. They are helpful and worth using.

I hate Summer.

[Die Fledermaus]

This is the bottle of fly granules.

[Die Fledermaus]

This is what they look like after a few days:

[hamgermourat]

>>Easy for you compared to me. I have dozens of habitats<<
How many? I want to know so that I know just how hard it is to deeal with flies in your house.