Fleas are not polite enough to ring your doorbell or even knock before entering your home. Instead, the sneaky parasites get inside by hitching a ride on the backs of your pets. Once inside your home, the blood-suckers can grow into a full infestation in no time because one adult female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day! While fleas most likely enter your home by attaching themselves to your dog or cat’s fur, there are a few other wild ways they can get in your home.
Ways Fleas Can Infest
A common way that fleas can access your home is by stowing away on wild animals that have managed to invade your property. Opossums, rats, and raccoons are known carriers of fleas and diseases such as hantavirus, leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, and rabies, among others. Flea-infested wildlife in your home can give you a double infestation that poses great risks to you, your children, and your pets.
The Dangers of Fleas
Fleas will not only chew on your pets, but they’ll chew on you, as well, and a flea infestation can be life-threatening to small animals like kittens and puppies. Because of their tiny size and ability to jump, fleas are very hard to catch before they bite.
Flea bites have been known to spread diseases such as typhus, tularemia, tungiasis, and the bubonic plague, and can transmit “cat scratch disease” to cats who can then spread the disease to their humans.
Fleas can also cause:
- Tapeworms
- Flea allergy dermatitis (FAD)
- Hair loss from constant scratching
- Secondary skin sensitivity
- Anemia from excessive blood loss
- Asthmatic reactions to flea feces
Stop an Infestation Before It Starts
If you’re worried that you may have fleas in your home, Critter Control® of Orlando can help. Our experienced technicians are equipped to handle even the most challenging pest infestations. Call us today at 407-295-7194 to schedule your free home consultation.
