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What is safe? a outbreak of gnats!!!!

Hi everyone,
I have a question regarding cleaning of the cages. Recently we have had an outbreak of little black gnats around the cages.( they tend to be attracted to the water bottles and collected urine) We have used basic cleaning methods clean (no chemicals) on the cages, changing out the hay and pellets etc. The gnats come back almost immediately no matter how many times I change the clean out the wet litter.
We have removed everything from the room ( my daughters bedroom) including the furniture, carpeting etc and we cant find where these gnats are coming from.
What would be safe to clean the cages and floors with? My daughter has been afraid to use any chemical cleaner ( pine-sol, fantastik etc) because at one time one of her birds died and she blaims herself for its death due to using perfume.
We have birds, guinea pigs, bunnies and a hamster in the room. I love them dearly and I dont know what to do! :?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many hugs,
Nicole
 
Try spot cleaning with diluted vinegar, it might make the room smell like a chippy though :shock: Vinegar is a good disinfectant, it also gets rid of the white marks which urine leaves on cage floors. You can also order Dyna-mite off the net, it's safe to use and keeps flies at bay, and it smells lovely.
 
If these insects are gnats, they will be Fungus gnats which are small, non-biting flies that normally go unnoticed. They are usually harmless, except they are an annoyance by their presence.

Fungus gnats are frequently quite plentiful outdoors in fungi, damp soil and decayed vegetable matter. Though fungus gnats occasionally wander in from outdoors, a persistent problem with them indoors indicates an indoor breeding site. The immature stage of the fungus gnat is a small white maggot that lives in very moist areas high in decaying organic matter. According to a website I have found it says that their habitat may include houseplants or in slow-running drains, moisture-accumulating cracks and crevices, refrigerator drain pans, and other places where fungi and slime accumulate.

Indoor household insecticide can be used to control the adult gnats. Treatment has to be repeated to catch all of the gnats as they emerge. Controlling the maggots by locating and eliminating the breeding site gives the best results.

When houseplants are infested, it is usually because they are overwatered. Fungus gnats cannot survive in houseplants if the soil is permitted to dry out almost to the leaf-wilting point between waterings. houseplant insecticide spray can be applied to the surface of the soil and around the edges of the pot.
 
Would hanging sticky fly paper help? You can get ones that are just sticky and don't contain insecticide :)

Tam
 
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