Mystery pests on the wall!!

Question
Thank you!
I have never seen a flea before, so I hadn't ruled anything in or out. :o)
I thought they only jumped, but while trying to capture them for my daughter's science class (am I nuts!!!), I discovered that they fly quite well. I am very familiar with fruit flies (and I'm breeding some even as we speak) :o), and these look different.

Where do they come from? We've had guinea pigs for 2 years, and we have never seen this before.  Why did they just show up like an explosion today?  My daughter's room, with the exception of the overdue cage, is normally quite clean.

Thank you very, very much!
-------------------------

Followup To

Question -
Our 11 year old has 2 guinea pigs which are kept in a large open cage in her room.

Tonight, while cleaning the cage, she screamed for us to come, and when we did, we noticed that her wall, directly above the cage, was covered in tiny black bugs which jump. (We're not sure).  They seemed to emanate from the cage, but they were spreading all over her walls. Her room, with the exception of the overdue cage, is normally quite clean.

I looked up flies, jumping flies, fleas, vermin on the internet along with the word guinea pigs, and I couldn't find a thing.

What could this be?

Thank you in advance for your help. We're all a little grossed out!!!

Answer -
Hello Lori,

I'm assuming you have ruled out young fleas? For hopping insects they would be my first guess. If it's not fleas (also, if it were fleas they piggies would be itching) it's most likely fruit flies. They find the cage the second it has a damp corner (it doesn't even have to be very dirty) and reproduce very quickly. Just be warned if it IS fruit flies (and it most likely is), the cleaner of the cage will most likely find maggots nesting under the bedding. You can get rid of them by simply cleaning the cage. Without the cage to nest and feed in the adults will either move on to better ground or die (they don't live very long). They are harmless to your piggies and your daughter. They can carry disease however so it is advised to clean the cage as soon as you can.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs

Answer
Hello Lori,

There are several species of fruit fly and some look vastly different. We have mostly Red Eyed Fruit Flies in my area. I have also bred White Eyed Fruit Flies as well as Wingless Fruit Flies for scince class when I was in High School during genetics studies. Those 3 are actually mutations of the Red Eyed but they look quite different. If they are flying, they aren't fleas. I'm still guessing fruit flies, though they could also be a species of tiny beetle that is most common on rotting fruits or veggies (and sometimes not rotten, just available). As for where they could have come from, it's beyond me. I mean, they come from other fruit flies (or beetles) of course but sometimes it appears they come from nowhere. It usually all starts with a damp spot in the cage which happens the second a water bottle is attached to a clean cage. This doesn't mean your daughter has neccessarily neglected her cleaning (though it will happen if she does too), it just means her piggies peed or pooed or didn't finish every speck of veggies and whereever these waste seeking bugs where, they smelled it and came running. If they resembled your breeding flies I'd suggest possible escapees but you said they were different. As for the sudden explosion, it's probably just one hatching that reached adulthood today. As larvae they went unnoticed until they grew up. The same thing happened with fruit flies in my nephew's cages a while back. He's 8 and nearly had a panic attack. The cages had just been cleaned but there was some dirty bedding that had gotten shoved behind the cage and apparently that made a good nest for them. His room was suddenly swarming with them. I cleaned his cage (and the mess behind it) and they were all gone before evening. Also if it has been hot or humid in your area lately, they tend to be more abundant then. Good luck catching some, I'm sure your daughter's class will be thrilled.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs