You need more then vinegar  You need to use red vinegar ,  water  and dish soap they are atracted to the smell of the fruit land on it and the soap brakes the surface tension of the water and they drown .. i dont know if i would use in in cages though

I know vanilla will get rid  of  gnats

Are they gnats or fruit flies?

For fruit flies, I've used apple vinegar within a container that is covered with plastic wrap, held on by a rubber band, and then I poke lots of pin size holes in the wrap... also have put a drop if dish soap in for reasons as Michael described. I think this method you may be able to incorporate/use within an enclosure? I had fruit flies in the room, so I had it sitting on top of the enclosures.

I don't know if they're gnats or fruit flies, what's the difference?   I can stick some dish soap in my vinegar. 

Azriel, how do you use the vanilla? Sprinkle it in the soil, leave a bowl of it out, ?? 

Thanks for the answers so far.

You know, if it's limited to the plant soil... I bet it's fungal gnats that like to breed in houseplant soil... those will feed on the roots, etc of the plants and eventually effect the plants... I think you need to try and have the first couple inches of the soil dry out so the conditions aren't favorable for the eggs to hatch. (Been awhile since I've kept plant..)

VS fruit flies that are going to feed on decaying fruit matter and in your drains, uncleaned counter tops, etc.

perhaps research those and see if you can ID / determine what you have and if the choices for getting rid of them are the same or different.

I bought some organic  potting soil  and I have had quite a few little  flying fuckers bothering me I'm going to put the rest of the bag of soil in the microwave  and kill all the fukkers !!!

I usually just  leave a small vial over it  with seran wrap with small holes doesn't  seem to bother the  animals and it works but make sure  to use  real  vanilla  extract not imitation

+1 to bka, fungus gnat larvae thrive in wet soil.  It might be tough to let your soil dry out in a gtp cage with their high humidity requirements, though.  I've found a natural remedy that works great on houseplants but is cedar oil based, so I don't think it wouldn be safe to use in your snake enclosure.  There are also sticky traps you can use, but again, I'd be hesitant to use them in a snake enclosure.

It would be a pain, but I think your best bet would be to take out all the soil, bake it, and put it back.  And rinse all the soil from the roots of the plants, and continue to rinse thoroughly to try and get all the larvae off.  Fungus gnats are a PIA, and it seems all commercially available plants come with them these days.

Forgot to add - it's also entirely possible that the gnats came from the potting soil you used, and not from the plants.  I used to get this all natural organic potting soil from the local grow shop, only to find that it always came with fungus gnats.  Needless to say, I don't use their soil anymore.

Yeah, I do have organic potting soil--- that's been sitting in the garage all winter, and used before it got warm... but they could have been hibernating all winter. -_-

I'm going to try the vinegar/soap, and do my best to dry out the plants. I may just pull them out of the cages and let them dry out for a while-- but I don't want the gnats spreading to the rest of the room or finding someplace else to start multiplying in.    I'm pretty sure they are gnats and from the soil; I don't have them anywhere else in the kitchen or rest of house. Just the chondro cages. 

As a cactus lover and gecko lover I needed to find something to control mealy bugs and small ants a few years ago.

My new secret weapon is Diatomaceous Earth.

Although this dirt is said ot be harmless to pets it is extremely lethal to insects. I had ants coming into my Crested Cages to raid the CGD. So, I sprinkled this on the shelf area OUTSIDE the base parameter of the cage. This method can also work around your home for piss ants and other bugs. 

When insects come in contact with the Diatomaceous Earth they wriggle in pain as it shreds them to pieces. Imagine walking over crushed glass barefoot and you get the idea. 

EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE and does NOT harm my cacti and succulents. If you apply a thin layer to the top of the soil it will kill the hatching mealy bugs, mites and other creepy pests!

You can do some research before you try and it is available in one pound bags.

Thanks Brett, I wouldn't have thought to use DE. I've never tried it but a lot of raw-feeders swear by it for many uses. Do you think it'd be okay to be in the soil in the snake cages? The chondros do crawl over the dirt at times; I would not want them to inhale it and cause issues. 

DE does NOT work wet! Read the package. Around the cage yes, in the soil no. Michael has the best cure so far. Take out all of the soil, clean the cage, rinse the plant and nuke the dirt.  30 seconds will kill all. the only other "natural" insecticide is nicotine. Put a cigarette but in a cup of warm water then pour it in a sprayer and mist the plant with it. Let it dry before you put it back with the snake.

Josh's Frogs has been saying they're going to start selling a bacteria that attacks fungus gnats but otherwise is harmless.  I read about it on one of the forums... I think it was Geckos Unlimited?

They drive me insane.  Fungus gnats LOVE my Phelsuma vivs.  I keep little dishes of water around with a drop of dish detergent and it definitely gets *some*, but there are always plenty more to keep trying to fly up my nose and in my eyes :/

I'm about to get some carnivorous plants to see if they'll help.

i have them too and there making me crazy !!

http://www.ehow.com/video_3885_rid-indoor-gnats.html

Thanks everyone-- it appears they are gone.

I think it was a combination of the vinegar/soap mixture, plus attempting to dry out the plants, and potentially having slices of potato in the soil for a few days (read that it kills the larvae).