Brittany asked 6 years ago
So we had a rat infestation under our house and by our shed and 2 weeks after the rats where discovered and treated by best control I saw flea dirt on my pups chest, so I examined her asap and saw she had 3 fleas around her groin area, I immediately gave her a flea bath and her treatment and the next day started cleaning my house baseboards, beds, sheets, clothing you name it I was cleaning, in the 3 weeks of cleaning I’ve only seen them on her, her bed, and 2 jumping in the guest room, and a few dead ones, I’ll add that she is only in the living room laying in front of the couch and my room in her own bed never on mine! I also haven’t let her in the back yard anymore I walk her and flea comb her and for 3 days she’s been flea free! Anywho I have bites on my legs and my son who is 11 months had a few on him, so my questions are this, how long do the bites itch because at night when I’m relaxing I’m itsching like crazy all up and down my legs and thighs? Can fleas be in my dresser? And how long should i continue cleaning and treating my home?
Side note my neighbor said he has a flea problem and only treated his dog and is not worried about cleaning or treating the inside of his home!
Adam Retzer Staff answered 6 years ago
Brittany,
Fleas that infest rats are different than the species that infest dogs and cats, so I am not sure those two things are related. Rodent fleas may incidentally bite dogs and cats, but the infestation probably won’t continue. I am guessing the fleas on your dog are cat fleas (C. felis), especially if your neighbor’s dog was infested too.
Flea bites should only itch for a few days. They are similar to mosquito bites. Please see our page on how long do flea bites last. Itchiness can increase at night, as you’ve experienced.
Fleas shouldn’t be in the dresser. Adult fleas are attracted to warm-blooded hosts. Once on a host, they stay there. Eggs are laid on the host, but they aren’t sticky and soon fall off. So, fleas would only be in the dresser if the animal host laid in there and eggs fell there.
Continue with control efforts until you no longer see any fleas for a couple weeks. Fleas traps are useful for monitoring flea populations and determining when an infestation is over. Most infestations end in around 8 weeks. Keep in mind, the bulk of infestations (95-99%) are eggs, larvae, and pupae living unseen in the environment.
Please see our page on how to get rid of fleas for more control information.
Warm regards,
Adam
