# Fleas and Tarantulas



## Mamisha-X (Sep 11, 2010)

I just found out my cat has Fleas. he is constantly around my T's.. Can fleas hurt T's?


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## Mamisha-X (Sep 11, 2010)

Also I want to Bug bomb my room. Obviously I would remove my T's from the room but how long would I have to wait before I put them back in my room? I was thinking a week. any ideas?


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## redrumpslump (Sep 11, 2010)

Yea I would love to hear the answer to this. I've wondered if fleas could harms ts


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## whitewolf (Sep 11, 2010)

No idea. I wouldn't think they would bite a T but I have no clue. Evil monsters. If you set off a bomb close the room for 24 to 48 hours before you go back in and do your clean up. It'd be best if you could do the whole house for that long but I know that is easier said than done. You can also use boric acid in the carpets and fabrics. Sweep it in and walk on it for a week before you vacuum. Always worked for me and I still use it. I'm back to having to do it now. 

This is not really a question just a gripe: How is it the dogs don't track them in all the time but we take in my grandmas cat and they are everywhere. Yes I know the dogs bring them in but bathe the cat see 100 fleas bathe the dog get 1-10. As if sneezing and itchy eyes weren't enough.


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## Mamisha-X (Sep 11, 2010)

haha I dont even know how my cat got fleas! he is strictly indoor and hasnt ever been out doors!


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## odiakkoh (Sep 11, 2010)

Hughes1312 said:


> haha I dont even know how my cat got fleas! he is strictly indoor and hasnt ever been out doors!


You could've brought them in. They jump onto you, jump onto your cat, breed and have a good time.

Reactions: Like 1


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## redrumpslump (Sep 11, 2010)

I've heard that bombing doesn't work to well. Everyone I know always uses powder. Let it set on the floor for like a day then vacuum it up.

Matt


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## Neill (Sep 11, 2010)

I would have thought that fleas, being a parasite that lives on Mammals, wouldn't be able to survive on T's.. different blood and all that.

The bug bomb question... It isn't something I could contemplate personally, in case it has lingering effects.. and also with the debate regarding types of flea treatment and the effects on T's, I would just try to keep the T's away from the animals. 
I know this isn't possible for those that don't have dedicated rooms.. and if I am honest, and I had to 'bomb' the room, I wouldn't have the T's in there for a week or so.


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## MOBugGuy (Sep 11, 2010)

They can get in the cages easy... my buddy had a python and his cat had fleas and they repoduced like mad in the cage.


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## Bill S (Sep 11, 2010)

Neill said:


> I would have thought that fleas, being a parasite that lives on Mammals, wouldn't be able to survive on T's.. different blood and all that.


Correct.  Fleas will only go for warm blooded prey.  And not all kinds of warm blooded animals.  If you sprinkled a bunch of fleas on a tarantula they would not see the tarantula as anything more than substrate and would jump off in search of real food.  And if by some misguided miracle a flea tried to feed off a tarantula they'd immediately run into problems.  The exoskeleton is not something they're equipped to bite through - that takes specialized mouth parts that fleas don't have.  And if by another miracle they managed to bite through the exoskeleton they would not recognize the tarantula's hemolymph as a blood meal - it's quite different than mammal blood.

So...  No, fleas won't hurt your tarantula.  But the bug bomb could.  Be very careful with that.


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## Bill S (Sep 11, 2010)

MOBugGuy said:


> They can get in the cages easy... my buddy had a python and his cat had fleas and they repoduced like mad in the cage.


I can easily picture that.  About every python cage I've seen gets messy and slightly damp in short order - providing an excellent place for fleas to lay eggs.  Add the fact that most python cages are in some manner heated and you've got (from the flea's point of view) a simulated warm-blooded animal.  No, they won't feed on the python - but the warmth of the cage plus the moisture will at least draw fleas.  Shell No-Pest strips could be useful in a situation like this.  (But don't use them around tarantulas.)


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## syndicate (Sep 11, 2010)

My cat got fleas this year and it was awful!Go to the vet and get Advantage.it works awesome and in under 24 hours almost all fleas were off the cat.


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## webbedone (Sep 11, 2010)

The more threads i read the more i get convinced that cats = bad, not only i am allergic to them they also cause all sorts of social problems if you have Ts.


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## curiousme (Sep 11, 2010)

We went to Oklahoma this summer and had a friend feed our 2 cats.  When we got home, both were completely eaten up with fleas.  The fleas were in the carpet so much that our biggest cat, Ozma, would run through a room or jump on the furniture to avoid the carpet.  I immediately sought the net and found some Frontline spray on ebay for a good price, ordered it on Saturday and it arrived on Monday.  Sprayed the cats down as soon as it arrived and locked them in the bathroom until they dried.  We also moved their food and water location, but we didn't do anything else.  No bombs, no carpet powder, just the Frontline spray and it was loads cheaper than anything else.(in the long run)  The fleas cannot live off of you and they will die if they are on/ try to get on the cat.  Their life cycle is fairly short, so vacume often, like multiple times a day and the fleas will be gone in a week or so.  

We do not handle often and wash our hands before we do so, which makes the worry of harming them with the Frontline basically nil.


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## bengalfan (Sep 11, 2010)

curiousme said:


> We went to Oklahoma this summer and had a friend feed our 2 cats.  When we got home, both were completely eaten up with fleas.  The fleas were in the carpet so much that our biggest cat, Ozma, would run through a room or jump on the furniture to avoid the carpet.  I immediately sought the net and found some Frontline spray on ebay for a good price, ordered it on Saturday and it arrived on Monday.  Sprayed the cats down as soon as it arrived and locked them in the bathroom until they dried.  We also moved their food and water location, but we didn't do anything else.  No bombs, no carpet powder, just the Frontline spray and it was loads cheaper than anything else.(in the long run)  The fleas cannot live off of you and they will die if they are on/ try to get on the cat.  Their life cycle is fairly short, so vacume often, like multiple times a day and the fleas will be gone in a week or so.
> 
> We do not handle often and wash our hands before we do so, which makes the worry of harming them with the Frontline basically nil.


I use the frontline on the dog every 6 weeks havent seen a flea on him all year. I woundnt bomb unless the house is got a lot of fleas.If you are just know seeing them its probably not nessesary to bomb. I also have a shop vac and put flea powder in the bottom put a damp rag over the exhaust  and use that instead of the regular vacumm every few weeks.


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## XzotticAnimal420 (Sep 11, 2010)

I am happy to see a thread about this...as I have been battling fleas all year long this year..talk about frustrating! Anyhow, Id have to agree with the fact that T's have a different type of blood than mammals, so therefore I dont think that the fleas themselves pose a threat of biting. In my case, I used Capstar tablets on the dogs and cats and then two days later removed all of the pets and bombed the house. I waited 4 days and then came back and although the fleas were gone for quite awhile, they have returned and I am continueing to battle them today. So, with that being said, Id have to say that IME, the fleas havent posed any sort of threat to my T's...IMO the things we use to get rid of and prevent the fleas are far worse for our T's than the fleas themselves.


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## AprilH (Sep 14, 2010)

Capstar works immediately to kill the fleas when they bite, but only acts short-term. There is another oral treatment you can use - Program is a monthly tablet for long term control and prevents fleas from reproducing successfully. I would definitely use that, in your case. It'll take a little longer, but should end your flea problem.


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## Shell (Sep 15, 2010)

syndicate said:


> My cat got fleas this year and it was awful!Go to the vet and get Advantage.it works awesome and in under 24 hours almost all fleas were off the cat.


This is what you want to do! I was a vet tech for years, and saw so many people waste money on all kinds of treatments that didn't work.

 Advantage works wonderfully and as long as you treat all dogs, cats, rabbits (they get a special dose, must be worked out by the vet) etc, then you are good to go. It works by killing all the adult fleas, and since fleas needs an animal host to live, they will die once they go to the cat. The eggs will still be present where they have been laid, so 3 mths of treatment is required to make sure every life cycle is dealt with. There is no need to use bug bombs or sprays, just treat all warm blooded pets and you can vacumn as well, it will take care of alot of the eggs. Within days of the first treatment, the majority of the fleas will be gone, you will only continue to see the odd one as it hatches and finds a host (who is treated and the flea will die.)

Fleas can't live on us, or inverts etc. They can bite us, but we aren't a host, and they won't bother with reptiles or inverts.

As far as being an indoor cat, well they get them all the time. Fleas can hitch a ride on us, and then jump to them, or come through a window screen at ground level, many ways for indoor cats to pick them up. Good luck 

Edit* I should add that REAL advantage has to be purchased at a vet's. Do NOT buy the pet store stuff, it claims to be the same, but it's not. The drugs in it are very different then the ones used in advantage that make it so effective, as they are prescription only. Seeing a vet will ensure that they get the correct dose and it is effective. If you buy the pet store/walmart stuff, you will save money at first, but it won't kill the fleas, and as the battle continues you will end up spending far more on treatment.


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## AprilH (Sep 15, 2010)

I don't trust using topical treatments around tarantulas. That's why I suggest the oral meds. It's what I will use if I ever need to.


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## Shell (Sep 15, 2010)

opiate said:


> I don't trust using topical treatments around tarantulas. That's why I suggest the oral meds. It's what I will use if I ever need to.


I use the topical on my cats, they have access to the room my spiders are in, but only when I am in it. As long as your hands are washed and the animals aren't near the tarantulas before the product is totally dry and absorbed into their system (24hrs) then you are safe. Even then, the animal would have to have direct contact with the tarantula to be a concern.

The oral meds actually work pretty much the same once ingested, so the primary concern is the inital 24 hrs that the topical is being absorbed and drying.

I do understand the hesitation with using it, maybe it's just that I am so familiar with this product that I'm so comfortable with it.


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## AudreyElizabeth (Sep 17, 2010)

opiate said:


> I don't trust using topical treatments around tarantulas. That's why I suggest the oral meds. It's what I will use if I ever need to.


I don't either. Call me paranoid or whatever . 
I use Comfortis for the dogs, which is oral. Not effective against ticks, but it takes care of fleas nicely. Since the dogs live in the house I'm not overly concerned about ticks, I just pull them off when I see them. 
Seems like this has been an especially bad year for fleas in my area, and pollen, and flies, and just about every other kind of nuisance. I'll actually be glad when winter gets here.


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## Evil Seedlet (Sep 17, 2010)

Our cats had fleas from our former roomate's stupid dog (she claimed the cats gave her dog fleas, but they don't go outside and she didn't bathe her dog nearly as often as she should have). After we moved we used a topical on the cats, two rounds so far, we might do a third but I haven't found a flea on the cats in weeks. In relation to the T's, I always just wash my hands before I mess with the T's in any way and everything's been fine so far, and all my T's are slings. It makes sens that you wouldn't need to bomb, just get rid of the fleas on your pets and the rest will die. You just gotta keep at it.


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## smrich (Sep 18, 2010)

*Flea Treatment*

Please treat your cats with Frontline or Advantage for at least 4 months to rid them of fleas.  The flea larva can live in your rugs for a few months and if you only treat for one month or only use capstar, the fleas with just jump on your pet again.  Ideally use frontline or advantage once a month all year unless the ground is frozen.  Also please don't bomb or spray any flea chemicals in your house, especially if you have T's.  Most of those products do not work, but can possibly be harmful.  Also, pets can get tape worms from eating fleas, gross!


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