Hamsters can be delicate fur babies that we must constantly watch. But can a hamster get fleas yet constantly spend its time in a cage?
The possibility that your fur baby gets infested with fleas is not something we can imagine. Don’t they spend their time indoors locked in a cage all day? So where do these flees come from?
In the same way, we wonder do hamsters smell, and yet they are indoors. We also need to figure out the flea’s situation.
Fleas are tiny insects that inhabit animals. They cannot fly and can only move a few inches at most, which makes it difficult for them to escape from the animals.
Fleas eat blood from the host animal and give off droplets of anticoagulant so that as soon as you pick up your hamster, it will start bleeding again.
How Hamster Fleas Inhabit Their Hosts
Fleas will infest a hamster, not just because it is near other pets. Which is how many people think about this issue. But also because it may have simply walked through some droplets left by another pet with fleas.
Hamster fleas can be checked by gently using two fingers. Simply part and look at the base of its hair parts across the body. When the fleas are shaken off the body, they immediately find new hosts.
If your pet has fleas and you pick it up, it will feel pain and tense.
Flea saliva dries up the skin, causing irritation. It is why your pet will often try to scratch its skin by pulling its hind legs together or rubbing its head or ear. You will notice them doing this against walls or other objects for friction.
Matters will not always go the way it is described above, however. Fleas may not have enough space to shake off or be too nervous and jump into a tiny area.
The Use Of Pesticides On Hamster
If you try to use pesticides on your pet, it might die because they contain carcinogenic chemicals. It can also be harmful to humans. Especially if they eat vegetables treated with pesticides, and these chemicals get into the human body.
The most appropriate way to deal with the hamster fleas problem is to remove the fleas by hand.
If pets have fleas, you should hand-pick them out of their fur. Once picked, put it in a water container, and use a flea comb to clean the rest off.
Use a cotton swab or an alcohol-dipped stick to get into their ears and nose. Some people use petroleum jelly or Neosporin instead of water, which are ineffective in killing off fleas.
Because the flea will not jump into these substances. As a result, you’ll only be removing the fleas closest to your pet’s body.
They will breed if you don’t remove all adult fleas within a few hours. The breeding starts from your pet’s environment and slowly infests your house.
So try your best to kill all of them at once.
If you have fleas in your house, wash up the place. If you have outside pets, they also need to be checked.
You’ll have to go further than that and vacuum the carpet and all corners.
Fleas love to live in your house’s carpets because they can use them to lay eggs. They also prefer carpets because they find them easy to jump up.
If a few flea eggs are left after, these eggs can hatch into adult fleas again.
You can avoid this by washing up the area of your house and yard. It is important to get rid of all the eggs to avoid the growth of a flea colony.
If you use flea powder on your carpet, make sure that you wear gloves. Additionally, put a plastic bag over your head so that you don’t breathe in any dust.
You will also have to research whether fleas are living in your home before using any treatments there.
Hamster Fleas’ Powder Resistance
If you use a flea powder and the fleas become more active despite your attempts to kill them, you may have to treat your house differently.
If they’re still there after a while, spray them with another pesticide. It can work if you’ve only got a few fleas still alive. But chances are that lots of eggs will hatch if this happens.
You don’t want to apply the pesticide on top of an existing population, though.
The standard recommendation is to use a flea comb to clean your pet’s fur. It will help you remove most of the fleas.
When you notice there are a few left, switch to a comb dipped in water.
If you’re treating your house with pesticides and other chemicals for fleas, make sure that pets are not allowed back in after treatment is complete.
The day after spraying should not be used as a ‘test run’. It is because it can take up to 3 weeks for the chemicals to clear the fleas from their surroundings.
Remember that fleas are very hardy. Don’t be surprised if they survive even after a few days of insecticides or other chemicals exposure.
If your pet got fleas from other pets in your home, then you can try using a dryer or hot water to kill off all of the fleas at once.
The problem with this method is that you’ll have to wait until the weather is warmer. It also has to be a day you have unlimited time to give your hamster the needed care while it dries.
Final Thoughts
After you’ve removed the fleas, you should be able to kill off all of the remaining eggs and larvae.
But you can’t expect it to be gone within a few days. These fleas are mischievous and could still be inside your pet’s ears or nose.
Make sure your pet is clean, but ask your vet what kind of medicine to use first. The rest is up to you.
Getting fleas out is tedious but not an impossible task.