Parasites Fleas!

[merrycat]

I was cleaning the boys' cage yesterday when I noticed fine black crumbs I thought were dirt. When I went to clean it up the 'dirt' hopped away! So yeah, I'm pretty sure we've got fleas now I can't imagine where they got it. All my pets are indoor only, and we don't have other pets visit us. It must either be from the hay or from the grass I sometimes bring in from my parent's garden.

1. My questions are - will it be safe to use Frontline or something similar on the boys? Do I need to go to a vet to get it, or can I just pick it up at a pet store?

2. I know I need to de-flea their bedding, the carpet around their cage, and pretty much everywhere else. Besides washing it, would it be safe to use flea-killing sprays on the stuff they boys come into contact with? Or should I just stick to washing all their stuff?

3. How do I keep the fleas from coming back? I can stop giving them grass from outside, but I still have 60 pounds of hay sitting on my balcony. Mind you, I've had the hay for a long time and this is the first I've seen any fleas, so it might not be coming from there. But should I throw it out just to be on the safe side?

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Are you sure they were fleas? They could have been fungus gnats or fruit flies.

If they are fleas, it's doubtful they came from the hay. However, it is possible they came from the grass. Don't use Frontline on pigs. You can use the cat or kitten Advantage, following the dosing directions at www.Guinealynx.info . You can use it preventively once a month but I wouldn't unless you actually turn out to have a major flea problem.

I would not use any of the poison flea products in their environment. If you do, re,ove the pigs for a few days.

 

[merrycat]

To bo honest, I'm not 100% sure that it was fleas. We have had an infestation of fruit flies in the building. But, do fruit flies hop? Or look like they hop (you know, take off a sort distance and land again?) They were really tiny so I couldn't see if they had wings or not. Honestly, I just freaked out and vacuumed them up. I did give the boys a bath afterwards and found one of the things in the sink later. It was neither flying nor hopping but sort of crawling.

 

[SurfingPigs]

This doesn't sound like fruit flies. By the time they are out of larval stages, they have wings and you would have seen at least some flying. Also, they are larger than "fine black crumbs".

 

[merrycat]

So it probably is fleas then. Yay. Well, I think I've caught it early enough that it isn't a full fledged infestation yet. I'll use the advantage on them, wash all their stuff, vacuum everything, and hopefully that will take care of it. If not the boys and the cats will have to go somewhere for a while as I wage chemical warfare on the little buggers.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

Yes, treat your cats with the Advantage, too. Fleas usually don't live on guinea pigs, but they will get on them to feed. Do a lot of vacuuming and treat the animals with Advantage, and hopefully you won't have to resort to chemical warfare.

 

[SweetiePig]

Do you think they could be lice? When my guinea pigs had lice they were suppppper tiny black things...They crawled around...??

 

[merrycat]

They could be lice, as I said I couldn't identify them. But they did jump, which makes me think fleas. Either way, the Advantage should kill those too, right?

 

[SurfingPigs]

Yes, treating with Advantage will kill both fleas and lice.

 

[SweetiePig]

Yeah that should work for both

 

[merrycat]

Ugh, the petstore didn't have advantage. They did have generic version of Frontline, so I got that for the cats. There is one place that will have Advantage for sure, but they're not open by the time I get off work. So it will probably be first thing Saturday before I can get stuff for the boys.

If I bathe them and clean out all their bedding will that keep them comfortable in the meanwhile? Good news is that I don't think there's a lot of fleas. I only saw a couple, and the boys don't seem itchy. I, on the other hand, can't stop scratching. I keep imagining fleas crawling all over me >.<

 

[SweetiePig]

Yeah you'll have to clean EVERYTHING

 

[foggycreekcavy]

It's possible you won't need to treat the pigs. Like I said before, fleas don't usually live on pigs. You can keep examining them and remove any fleas you see and continue with yor plan for the cats. Lots of vacuuming! If you still see fleas on them by Saturday go ahead and get the Advantage.