What and how to get fleas from hamsters
Content
Many animal lovers give birth in the house of rodents, as the animals are not only attractive, but also very clever. Hamsters or chinchillas are animals that do not require special conditions of detention. For the comfortable maintenance of fluffy pets enough to have a cage, feed, water and litter. But not every owner of a small rodent thought about the presence a flea have a hamster. After all, attacks of parasites, which in addition to inconvenience bring the threat of infection with infectious diseases, can be exposed to any warm-blooded animals.
Symptoms of fleas in hamsters
Despite the fact that most rodents are very clean animals, you can often watch them scratch. To make sure that hamsters have fleas, you need to carefully look at the fur of the animal, or take it to a specialist.
Sometimes itching is a sign of stress, which the animal can get when relocating, lack of sufficient space in the cage, or with constant presence in the hands of people. You can change the situation in this case, if you settle it in a more spacious cage and allow the animal to get used to it. Accordingly, many people have a question, do hamsters have fleas?
Rodents also suffer from parasites. It is better for the specialist who is able to recognize with certainty whether it is allergic, flea or pincers.
It can be revealed that hamsters have fleas, according to the following criteria:
- spreading the fur on the abdominal part of the hamster, you can see quickly moving insects;
- the appearance of red itchy spots on the human body, resulting from the bites of bloodsuckers;
- the presence of animal parasite excrement in the fur of an animal resembling fine brown sand;
- baldness of some parts of the body of the rodent;
- obvious damage and peeling on the skin, the presence of crusts and dandruff in the animal;
- hamster restless behavior.
Why does a hamster have fleas
Although not so often, hamsters have fleas. They can easily be found with careful inspection of the animal. Causes of fleas in a hamster may be as follows:
- the animal was infected with bloodsuckers while still in the pet store;
- source of insects can be feline or dog fleasif there are four-legged friends living in the house who occasionally happen on the street;
- fleas can get into the apartment on the clothes of people who have come from the street;
- Availability bloodsuckers in the basement of the house promotes their distribution in all apartments of the lower floors;
- in the summer eggs blood-sucking insects can get into the rodent's cage with grass, which serves as hamster food and bedding.
In order to prevent the need to periodically inspect a fluffy pet for the appearance in its wool parasites.This is especially necessary if there are cats or dogs in the house besides him.
What are dangerous fleas
Fleas, like many other domestic pests, are carriers of various infections such as plague or typhoid. The ability of insects to multiply rapidly can cause insects to infect the entire apartment. And in this case they represent a danger not only for the animal, but also for man. Therefore, when parasites are detected, it is urgent to begin the fight against them.
How to remove fleas from a hamster
The question is what to do if a hamster has a flea, many owners of furry creatures are puzzled. To get rid of the animal from pests by using insecticidal composition of drugs intended specifically for the rodents of this species. The concentration of active ingredients in them is completely harmless to the hamster, for the parasites it is deadly.
Important!
Use hamsters anti-flea drugs intended for handling dogs and cats is prohibited! The use of shampoos is also not recommended due to the fact that it is impossible to wet small rodents.
Remedies for blood-sucking insects are in the form:
- insecticidal powder (powder);
- spray (for processing wool);
- drops (for application on withers).
Today, you can find hamsters food, which has anti-flea components. However, not all rodents such treats come to taste.
The following tools are most popular: Frontline, Stronghold, Ivermectin or BioWax, where the instructions for use describe in detail how to get fleas from a hamster.
Before breeding fleas in a hamster, it is necessary to determine the source of the parasite and treat it. A similar procedure should be carried out in the apartment itself, using special facilities for premises. After that, do a wet cleaning and vacuum the carpet products. Bed linen, blankets and bedspreads must be washed and heat-treated.
And, only after that, you can proceed to the treatment of the rodent itself. Particular attention should also be paid to its cage to prevent the spread of the remaining fleas and their larvae. Household items of the animal (litter, pads, rag balls) must also be processed and replaced as best as possible.
It is advisable to repeat the treatment of the cage and the pet itself in the event of 8–10 days in order to prevent the bloodsuckers from reappearing and spreading.
Prevention
Prevent the spread of fleas in the house will help the following activities.
- Due to the fact that other domestic animals, often leaving the apartment, become a frequent source of infection for fluffy rodents, it is necessary to regularly examine them for the presence of parasites in the fur. If necessary, use special means of struggle.
- Not superfluous as a preventive measure to use strongly smelling plants. An example of this is wormwood. Its specific aroma repels insects. It is enough just to spread the grass near the cage: its smell will not affect the rodent, but the parasites cannot exist there.
- The hamster cage should be regularly cleaned and treated with special means.
- Letting go of a little pet walking around the apartment is likely that he will pick up fleas again. Especially if the housing is located on the lower floor of an apartment building with a neglected basement. Therefore, even in the absence of bloodsuckers in the room, it must be at least occasionally treated with insecticidal preparations.
- Before being “hooked up” to your pet “new neighbor”, it must be treated with an all-round tool.
- Having decided to take out the pet on the nature or the cottage, you should use anti-drop or other means to prevent the animal from being infected with parasites.
Such simple recommendations will help prevent the occurrence of fleas in a hamster and thus protect against unpleasant "surprises".