FAQ About Fleas

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FAQ About Fleas

Do fleas jump or fly?                                                                              FAQ about fleas
Do fleas carry disease?
How do fleas end up all over my house?
How long does it take for fleas to lay their eggs?
How many eggs does one flea produce?
What is flea dirt?
Can fleas kill my pet(s)?
How long do fleas live?
What is the flea life cycle?
Can my pet get fleas when it’s cold?
How can I prevent a flea infestation?
How can I tell if my pet(s) have fleas?
Why is the water turning red when giving my pet a bath?
I don’t have any animals, why are there fleas in my house?
How often should I put flea medication on my pet(s)?
How long will it take for fleas to die after applying topical flea medications?
Is there a difference between a cat flea and a dog flea?
Are fleas harmful to humans?
Can you drown fleas?
Can fleas bite humans?


 

FAQ:  Fleas don’t have wings that would allow them to fly.  They jump using their hind legs, to get from place to place. Fleas can jump 100x’s their own height, this means that they can jump 7-8 inches high!  To learn more about how fleas jump visit can fleas fly?

 

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FAQ 2:  Yes, fleas do carry diseases. Fleas are carriers of tapeworm.  When a flea bites their host, usually a dog or cat, they will cause an itching reaction, ( usually in dogs, to have this reaction in cats, they would have to be allergic to the flea saliva).  When the dog or cat chew their skin, they may ultimately end up ingesting the flea.  If the flea is infected with worms usually because it’s bitten another animal that has them, then this would be transmitted to your pet.  The worms that a flea can transfer are, tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms or whip-worms.

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FAQ3:  Fleas end up all over your house because we help them along. When a flea lays eggs, they don’t stay on the host, they are not sticky like the larvae stage so they fall off of their host wherever the host goes. The flea egg is so small, the size of a grain of salt, it’s virtually impossible to see it with the human eye.  We are carriers of the eggs as well, when we walk around the house, eggs can be on our socks or shoes and we wouldn’t even know it.  The same is true with the larvae and pupae stages of the fleas life cycle.  If you can’t see them it definitely doesn’t mean their not there!  This is why it’s very important to treat your pets and your home for fleas.  Only treating one without the other is really just counter-productive.  To learn more about fleas, visit this page, all about the flea life cycle.

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FAQ 4:  The female flea will need to eat hours after hatching from the pupa stage.  She will look for a host immediately, in fact, the hatching from the pupa stage is triggered by a near by host.  After the female flea eats her first meal, she will lay approximately 50 eggs.  The female flea lays her eggs approximately 24-48 hours after her first meal.  To learn more about the flea life stages please visit the page, the flea life cycle.

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FAQ5:  A female flea lays 20- 50 eggs every day. The female will lay approximately 5000 eggs in her lifetime.  Although many of these eggs may not survive, due to vacuuming and flea control procedures you can take, it’s good to realize that a flea pupae, which is a fully developed flea waiting to hatch, can live in your carpet or crevices of your home for up to a year.  To learn more about the fleas life cycle visit,  the flea life cycle.

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FAQ6:  Flea dirt is the flea droppings or poop.  When a flea feeds, it is biting its host for blood.  The flea needs the blood to reproduce and survive.  When a flea excretes, or poops, it is blood that they have digested, so it is blood that they excrete.  You can do a test to see if your pet has fleas.  Put your pet on a white towel, rub their fur vigorously, if there are black droppings on the towel, put some in a dish.  Put a drop of water on the dish, if it turns red, then your pet has flea excretions on his/her body, so they do have fleas.

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FAQ 7:  Yes, fleas can kill your pet(s).  When a flea bites your pet they are depleting their blood supply.  When you consider how quickly a flea reproduces, your pet becoming infested with fleas is highly likely.  When your pet is infested they have 100’s of fleas on them and in their surrounding environment.  Your pet can become severely lethargic and dehydrated in a very short time.  If you have a puppy or a kitten, or a smaller breed of dog, it is very important for you to take the steps necessary to make their environment flea free.  There are step by step instructions available to for your cat, kitten, dog or puppy, to get the fleas off of them and make their environment safe and healthy for them.

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FAQ 8:  Fleas can live generally 100 days with a host, without a host they’ll die within  2-14 days.  This is just the hatched adult flea.  When you consider the flea population in your home, you need to also consider the other stages of the flea that can live much longer without a host.  The flea pupae can live up to a year, ready to hatch as soon as a host, you, or your pet, are near enough to trigger their senses.  To learn more about this you can visit the flea life cycle.

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FAQ 9:  The flea life cycle consists of the egg, larvae, pupae and adult.  The adult female flea will lay approximately 50 eggs within 24-36 hours of  her first feeding.  The flea egg hatches anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks, this depends on the conditions of their environment.  When the egg hatches it is in the larvae stage.  The larvae stage lasts between 5 days to 2 weeks.  After the larvae stage is complete the flea will make a cocoon and begin it’s pupae stage.  A flea in the pupae stage lasts from 2 days to 2 weeks as well.  However if the environment is not ideal for the pupae to emerge it can stay dormant for up to a year, until a host is available for them to attach to.  When the pupae stage is complete, the adult flea will emerge and attach to a host, starting the life cycle again.  To learn more about the life cycle of the flea visit The Flea Life Cycle.

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FAQ 10:  Yes, your animals can get fleas even when it’s cold.  It is very possible for your pet to have fleas in the cold winter months.  The flea can continue it’s life cycle within our heated environments.  When we heat our homes, we are giving the flea the perfect environment to continue it’s life cycle.  It would be a very good idea to continue treating your pet with a topical flea medication, even during the colder times of the year.

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FAQ 11:  You can prevent a flea infestation by following some very easy steps. You will need to treat your pet for fleas first. You can find information to get rid of fleas on your dog,puppy, cat or kitten, by following those links. Then you’ll need to treat the inside of your home and the outside of your home to prevent a flea infestation.

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FAQ 12:  To find out if your pet has fleas, place them on a white towel. Rub their fur very roughly, if the white towel has black dirt on it after your done rubbing your pets fur, take some on the tip of your finger, or a dish and add a little bit of water. If the black dirt turns red, then your pet has flea dirt on them. You’ll need to treat your pet for fleas.

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FAQ 13:  If your pets coat turns red while giving them a flea bath it’s the flea dirt causing it. Flea dirt is essentially blood. When water is added to the flea dirt it turns the color of blood.  If your pet is completely infested with fleas, the flea dirt will be abundantly obvious as soon as you pour water over them.  You may want to drain the water from the bath a few times, being sure that you’re getting all of the flea dirt off their body and rinsing them with clean water.

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FAQ 14:  Whether you have animals or not, anyone could have fleas. Fleas could come in from outside on your clothing. If your neighbours have pets, it’s possible that their animals have fleas.  Fleas can be transferred from outside areas very easily.  Fleas can jump on you and you wouldn’t even realize it, when you go back inside, you’re bringing the flea in with you.  To make your home environment flea free, you will need to treat both the inside and outside of your home for fleas.

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FAQ 15:  Most topical flea medications need to be applied monthly for flea control. Check the box that your pets flea medication came in for complete instructions.  You may want to mark the date that you apply the flea medication to your pet, on your calendar.  This will make sure that you are keeping them treated monthly.  This will ensure your pets protection against fleas.

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FAQ 16:  Fleas should start dying within 24 hours of a topical flea medication being applied. If your pets environment hasn’t been treated for fleas, it’s very likely the topical flea medication alone will not be enough to protect your pet. Follow the steps for your, dog, puppy, cat or kittens, flea control. You should also treat the inside of your home and the outside of your home for fleas.

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FAQ 17:  Your dogs and cats usually have the same type of flea. It’s called Ctenocephalides felis, the cat flea.  This is the most common flea found on our pets and in our homes.  To learn more about the cat fleas life cycle, please visit the flea life cycle.

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FAQ 18:  Fleas aren’t dangerous to humans, they are just annoying. They will bite humans if their prime choice, a cat or dog, isn’t around for them to  feed off of. IF you’re allergic to the fleas saliva, then you may get a rash from the fleas bite. You can get a steroid cream from your doctor to help with the itching if your having a reaction to the flea bites. You should treat your pets, house and outside of your home, if you have fleas in your home.

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FAQ 19:  Yes, you can drown fleas. When you’re giving your a pet a flea bath, keeping them in the water for an extra 10-15 minutes in the water. after the shampoo is rinsed, will help with drowning the fleas.  Keep covering your pet with water, starting at the nose, working all the way down to the tail.  You will probably see fleas coming out around your pets face, they are trying to keep from drowning.  Just take your wet hand, starting at the nose, make a clean stroke across their face.  You are pushing the fleas back into the water, continue doing this until you don’t see any more fleas on your pets face.

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FAQ 20:  Yes, fleas can bite humans.  Although the human is not the first choice as a host for a flea, they will bite you to get their meal and survive.  If you have fleas biting you, then you might want to consider treating the inside of your home for fleas.  Make sure that you vacuum everyday, this is effective in sucking up the flea eggs, larvae and pupae stages of the flea.  Be sure to vacuum furniture as well as any areas of your home that your pet spends their time. Learn how to get rid of fleas in your home here.

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If you don’t see your question here or have any helpful suggestions about these answers, please leave your comment below!  We’d love to help you find the answers you’re looking for 🙂

Here are some articles about fleas that you may like to read through:

What is the best way to get rid of fleas?

Does salt kill fleas?

Do dog fleas bite humans?

Does cedar repel fleas?

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