Fleas....

kewp

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My indoor cat has fleas. I’m trying to work out where they are coming from. I bring the tortoise in sometimes. Can they carry them in?
 

Tom

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No. Fleas are very host specific. Even my local rabbit fleas won't get on the dogs or cats. Mammal fleas won't get on a reptile, and I don't think any flea species goes after tortoises.

The fleas are likely coming from the environment around you. Neighbors with pets, or possibly wild rats? To successfully treat them, you must treat your animal, any other host near you, and the environment both inside and out.
 

Maro2Bear

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Your tort might be carrying a few in, a lot depends ( it only takes a few to breed & spread).

After getting rid of all the fleas inside your home and on your pets, you might think you’re safe. Unfortunately this is usually not the case, because you haven’t treated the root of the problem yet. The article below focuses on how to get rid of fleas in the yard and how to prevent future flea infestations in your lawn. After all, this is the place where the fleas got to your pets and caught a free ride into your home.

Some ideas.. https://www.fleabites.net/how-to-get-rid-of-fleas-in-the-yard-5-effective-ways/
 
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ZEROPILOT

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I used to bring fleas home with me when I worked.
At one point, I removed the carpeting from my house and put down wooden floors.
Eventually it was discovered that raccoons had been living in the space above my office.
I never would have thought that I was the source.
If all of us hadn't mentioned that we all had fleas at home. We'd probably all still be wondering what was going on.
 

Yvonne G

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Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum! Keep those rugs and carpets vacuumed and you soon get rid of house fleas. But you have to keep after it, because if you have mice (and you may not even know you have mice), they'll bring the fleas and flea eggs back indoors.
 

Tim Carlisle

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Fleas are absolutely HORRIBLE this year, especially here in the midwest. Very hot and dry this year. Perfect conditions for them. I've bombed my house 3 times since June. My dogs have had a veritable cocktail of flea treatments, both prescription and OTC. I'm praying for our first deep-freeze to get rig of the ones in the yard so that I can bomb the house again. Through all of this, I have yet to see any fleas in my tortoise enclosure, or even on my tort. I might just have to shave my dogs and glue scales to their skin. Maybe the fleas will avoid them then. lol
 

Toddrickfl1

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I got Trifexis from the vet for my dog. All the fleas were gone within 2 days and I never had them again ever since he's been taking it.
 

Tim Carlisle

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I got Trifexis from the vet for my dog. All the fleas were gone within 2 days and I never had them again ever since he's been taking it.
Yep. All 3 of my dogs were on it. Killed them within a couple or few days. Within a week, they were back in force.
 

Toddrickfl1

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Yep. All 3 of my dogs were on it. Killed them within a couple or few days. Within a week, they were back in force.
Interesting, I never had them come back. I even quit giving my dog the Trifexis.
 

Yvonne G

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I got Trifexis from the vet for my dog. All the fleas were gone within 2 days and I never had them again ever since he's been taking it.
A hundred bucks?????? I'll stick with Advantage. It works very well for Misty and all my cats.
 

Toddrickfl1

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A hundred bucks?????? I'll stick with Advantage. It works very well for Misty and all my cats.
I tried the advantage and front line, neither worked. I think they work better to prevent them, rather than get rid of them once there's an infestation.
 

Tim Carlisle

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I've spent over $900 this season fighting fleas. They disappear for a few days, then come back.We have hardwood throughout, and the only upholstery is the living room furniture and the beds. We vacuum daily, but admittedly we did that even before the fleas.Short of setting my property on fire, I'm at a loss as to what to do. Thankfully, Ghost has not been affected. I keep very close tabs on him since I am still administering ointment to his shell.
 

Yvonne G

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I wonder if the fleas develop an immunity. I usually buy whichever topical is on sale, so I switch out between Advantage, Frontline, etc. Sometimes I've even used the store's brand, but they don't work as well. Last year I used an expensive flea collar that @Turtulas-Len told me about. It worked ok, but didn't last as long as the topicals do.
 

Tom

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I've spent over $900 this season fighting fleas. They disappear for a few days, then come back.We have hardwood throughout, and the only upholstery is the living room furniture and the beds. We vacuum daily, but admittedly we did that even before the fleas.Short of setting my property on fire, I'm at a loss as to what to do. Thankfully, Ghost has not been affected. I keep very close tabs on him since I am still administering ointment to his shell.
What is happening is you have all the adults dropping thousands of eggs. You successfully kill off all the adults, the chemicals dissipate, and then the eggs begin to hatch and the cycle starts over again. And/or reinfection is coming in from wild animals or neighbor's pets.
 

Tim Carlisle

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What is happening is you have all the adults dropping thousands of eggs. You successfully kill off all the adults, the chemicals dissipate, and then the eggs begin to hatch and the cycle starts over again. And/or reinfection is coming in from wild animals or neighbor's pets.
Sooo.... what's best to kill the eggs? I've even had pro exterminators out but to no avail.
 

Tom

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Sooo.... what's best to kill the eggs? I've even had pro exterminators out but to no avail.
Reapplication. Flea eggs take anywhere from two days to two weeks to hatch, depending on temperature and humidity. If a particular insecticide was effective on the adults, then it will be effective on their babies too. In cooler, drier times, you might want to do it once a week. In warmer more humid months, you'll need to do it every two or three days. In time, this should break the life cycle, but if hundreds of fleas are riding in on rodents, or flooding in from neighboring properties, you will have a tough time.

The link Mark posted in post number three here, also gives some useful tips for managing this problem.
 

Len B

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I wonder if the fleas develop an immunity. I usually buy whichever topical is on sale, so I switch out between Advantage, Frontline, etc. Sometimes I've even used the store's brand, but they don't work as well. Last year I used an expensive flea collar that @Turtulas-Len told me about. It worked ok, but didn't last as long as the topicals do.
Your bug guy Dave was out here last Saturday and he believes they are building up immunity to some of the available products. He is having a problem with fleas on his Rottweiler. I told him about the Seresto collars that I've been using for years and haven't seen a flea since I started using them.When I started using the Seresto collars I had 7 dogs and 4 cats and everyone of them had fleas even though the cats never go outside. I put collars on the dogs only and everyone lost their fleas. Dave was reading the can that the collars come in and he said he didn't know the drug that kills the fleas so must be something fairly new. He took the can with him. Also every collar I've bought has lasted at least 8 months, most even longer. I'm down to 2 dogs and 1 cat. At $52 each It's still cheaper than anything else I used to use before, either over the counter or from the Vet. I've looked online at some of the different prices and I believe some of what people are selling are knockoffs and fake.
 

Toddrickfl1

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Your bug guy Dave was out here last Saturday and he believes they are building up immunity to some of the available products. He is having a problem with fleas on his Rottweiler. I told him about the Seresto collars that I've been using for years and haven't seen a flea since I started using them.When I started using the Seresto collars I had 7 dogs and 4 cats and everyone of them had fleas even though the cats never go outside. I put collars on the dogs only and everyone lost their fleas. Dave was reading the can that the collars come in and he said he didn't know the drug that kills the fleas so must be something fairly new. He took the can with him. Also every collar I've bought has lasted at least 8 months, most even longer. I'm down to 2 dogs and 1 cat. At $52 each It's still cheaper than anything else I used to use before, either over the counter or from the Vet. I've looked online at some of the different prices and I believe some of what people are selling are knockoffs and fake.
I tried the Seresto collar for my dog. It did kill the fleas in a day or two but my dog developed a really bad rash on his neck and I had to stop using it. Allergic reaction I guess, but the collars do work great.
 

MPappagallo

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We use the Seresto collars on our dogs, and they seem to be the only thing that works for us so far. Our vet told us one source of fleas in our area is the wild squirrels that run through our yard and raid our bird feeders.
 

Yvonne G

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We use the Seresto collars on our dogs, and they seem to be the only thing that works for us so far. Our vet told us one source of fleas in our area is the wild squirrels that run through our yard and raid our bird feeders.
Here is's opossum. I've seen freshly dead opossum just covered in fleas.
 
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