Scratch, Scratch, Scratch

Britain has always been know as a pet loving nation, keeping domestic animals such as cats, dogs, and hamsters. Some of us prefer exotic pets like snakes, chinchillas and tropical spiders. No matter which type of pet we keep, many of these animals need a great amount of looking after such as washing, grooming and cleaning. If this is neglected then you are not only putting your family pet in extreme danger but also health of your family.

Pets have a habit of collecting parasites on their bodies, parasites such as Ctenocephalides felis on cats and Ctenocephalides canis on dogs, or more commonly known as fleas. If left unattended a flea infestation will cause great discomfort to all that come in contact with the infested animal.

Fleas will jump (normally over 200 times their own body height) from host to host often using dogs & cats to transport them to another suitable host. However they will host, infest and drink the blood of a human. Fleas are a nuisance parasite often causing animals & humans to scratch themselves senseless to combat the itching that the biting causes.

Female fleas will lay about four eggs, hatching in anything from two days to two weeks. So, if left untreated an area could soon be infested with these blood sucking insects. These insects fall into the holometabolism category which mean they hatch into lava, pupa then adult. Once they reach adult stage they will measure around 1.5 – 3.3mm in length and are normally a reddish-brown in colour.

Getting rid of a flea infestation can be very difficult as you have to get rid of every flea, pupa and egg, this is made more difficult as some eggs may be in your bed, your dogs bed and in your carpets. Using a good vacuum is a good way to start this will get rid of some of the fleas and pupa that are in your carpet and upholstery, on your pets there are treatments that you can buy from your local vet which will eliminate and stop the life cycle of these parasites. Once this has been done you can contact a reputable pest control company which will come out and destroy the remainder of the pests making your home a more comfortable place to be.