Reptile safe flea treatment.

Ok this might be a long shot, but I am looking for something similar to an in home flea treatment, bomb or spray. The problem is, I have 27 balls, 2 beardies, and 8 leo’s. On top of that we have 4 dogs, 4 indoor cats and a mini pig. All 4 legged furry animals have been treated with frontline, and the capstar pills, haven’t found fleas on them in a few days but I found some in the carpet. Idk how we got infested so bad but I need to pretty much bomb the house. With that many pets it’s hard to evacuate the house for several hours. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Fleas and reptile mites are different, one feed on warm blooded animals the other on cold blooded.

For cold blooded animals you want to use something that takes care of eggs and adults, people usually do their own mix (I do not recommend it if you do not know what you are doing)

or use Provent A Mite or a cheaper Alternative and it is of course important to treat all animals not just the one that have the issue.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stewart_Reptiles

Fleas and reptile mites are different, one feed on warm blooded animals the other on cold blooded.

For cold blooded animals you want to use something that takes care of eggs and adults, people usually do their own mix (I do not recommend it if you do not know what you are doing)

or use Provent A Mite or a cheaper Alternative and it is of course important to treat all animals not just the one that have the issue.

---

Maybe we both read it differently but I think the OP was asking about flea bombing (fogging) the the whole house and how to do it with reptiles or if it's safe to do so. If I'm wrong sorry for trying to correct you!:confusd:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stewart_Reptiles

Fleas and reptile mites are different, one feed on warm blooded animals the other on cold blooded.

For cold blooded animals you want to use something that takes care of eggs and adults, people usually do their own mix (I do not recommend it if you do not know what you are doing)

or use Provent A Mite or a cheaper Alternative and it is of course important to treat all animals not just the one that have the issue.

---

I think what OP is asking about suggestions on what they can use like a big bomb to kill the fleas in house without harming their reptiles. Doesn’t sound like they have mites.

Edit: toad and I posted at the same time. I think we’re both reading OPs question the same way


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't think there are any flea killing pesticides that are safe for reptiles, are there? I think some ppl use Frontline on snakes but dosage not the same? :confusd:

Frontline is not that effective on fleas, in my experience. My dogs are on Nexguard chewables & haven't seen a flea since...but it's expensive, especially for
that many dogs/cats. Yikes!

To "bomb the house for fleas" I think all the reptiles should be on vacation at another location for a while, for their health & safety.

That's what happen when you are not paying attention :rofl:

There is no sage bombing type fleas product usually when you have cold blooded animals even fish it is recommended to either no spray or bomb the area those animals are located or move them to another location.

The issue with not doing the whole house will be it will just keep happening every area must be treated.

So while it might not be fun the best would be to spend a night somewhere and take everyone along with you so long they are all maintained over 75 degrees if possible 80 for 24 hours they will be fine so stack up on snake bag and shoe boxes.

Or treat all the room but one and after 24 hours move everyone and do the last room (that means make sure the AC vent of that particular room is blocked off if you do this)

For the life of me I cant remember what it's called but we had a flea problem a few years ago before I had reptiles and I bombed the house and it did NOTHING! I went to my local vet and got some aerosol spray for the carpets. Safe for animals and children. Worked like magic!!! It's a bit pricey but it's definitely worth it. No fog and it's works instantly.

This is a furry, 4 legged, warm blooded flea issue, not mites. Had this been a couple weeks ago I could have moved everyone from my fiancée’s house to my apartment (no pets) but over night I don’t think anyone would notice, but we had a building fire last week. My only other option would possibly be into the garage which isn’t attached to the house. I live in western Pennsylvania so our temps have been low 70’s at night and mid 80’s-low 90’s during the day. I will have to call my vet and ask what he recommends. Thanks

If you have a number of ice chests or large styro-foam food shipping boxes, you could bag your snakes & put them into the "ice chests" in garage. Be sure you
don't crowd them or over-lap bags. If you need more warmth, a bottle of hot water will do it, as will ice water if it's too warm. I'd open them about every 8 hours
for fresh air & to change water if needed; not sure how well your lizards will like this idea, but probably OK for them too? I've had to do this for moving cross country
as well as for long power outage (ice storm), all my snakes were fine & stayed healthy...didn't seem to faze them. Sure is safer than pesticide exposure, good luck.

And incidentally, the flea nightmare you're having is why my dogs are on Nexguard...fleas are not an option for my house, & they're spread easily when our pets go outside, from roaming cats & squirrels as well as neighbor dogs. Some areas are much worse than others. When I lived in So. Calif. the more populated areas were awful (with fleas) but in the high desert (with no close neighbors) fleas were non-existent. How I miss those days...(no ticks either).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Toad37

For the life of me I cant remember what it's called but we had a flea problem a few years ago before I had reptiles and I bombed the house and it did NOTHING! I went to my local vet and got some aerosol spray for the carpets. Safe for animals and children. Worked like magic!!! It's a bit pricey but it's definitely worth it. No fog and it's works instantly.

---

That's well-worth asking the vets about. I can remember using a kitchen/pets/kids-safe spray for ants that had wintergreen & rosemary oils in it, can't recall what else but it smelled wonderful & deeply offended the ants it didn't kill...some died, the rest left for good. So of course that product disappeared -probably bought out to silence it by a big chemical company. :(

But ask the vets- just in case there's something safe to use...it's always good to know. I don't know if diatomaceous earth would work on fleas, especially this bad, or not? -that's possibly a safer option?

Mostly, I can only second the suggestions you've already been given. I was in a similar situation last year/year before last with a really bad infestation after a few weak batches of Advantage. It was bad. Like, the cats wouldn't walk on the carpet bad. I refused to let us flea bomb because of the snakes.

It was a lot of work, but daily vacuuming (weekly wasn't enough), Advantage from a different source, and a flea trap won the war. The trap would've been tricky with more than cats, but it was very satisfying. Also, very low-cost solution, aside from another box of the flea drops. Dunno if that helps, but it worked.

With the suggestion of nexguard, I might have to try that. We had a mild winter so fleas and ticks are really bad this year. I’ve tried the frontline, k9 advantage, and seresto collars and nothing has helped this year. We have at least 12 free roaming cats in our neighborhood (back road drop offs) so I’m assuming they are probably how they got close to the house. As for the essential oils we have to be careful with what we use since some are toxic to cats. I’m going to call the vet in the morning and see what they recommend I don’t care about the price if it will be non toxic to my reptiles

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jmpalazzo

With the suggestion of nexguard, I might have to try that. We had a mild winter so fleas and ticks are really bad this year. I’ve tried the frontline, k9 advantage, and seresto collars and nothing has helped this year. We have at least 12 free roaming cats in our neighborhood (back road drop offs) so I’m assuming they are probably how they got close to the house. As for the essential oils we have to be careful with what we use since some are toxic to cats. I’m going to call the vet in the morning and see what they recommend I don’t care about the price if it will be non toxic to my reptiles

---

I'm in the mid-South & yes, mild winter didn't help. I gave up on the topical stuff & tried Nexguard a few years ago...my dogs think it's just a tasty little treat they get
once a month ;) so it's easy as well as effective. I think there are a couple of similar medications out now too, but your vet will know what's best. I'm not sure if that
alone will rid your house of fleas though, since in a pinch I think they'll bite you too?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jmpalazzo

With the suggestion of nexguard, I might have to try that. We had a mild winter so fleas and ticks are really bad this year. I’ve tried the frontline, k9 advantage, and seresto collars and nothing has helped this year. We have at least 12 free roaming cats in our neighborhood (back road drop offs) so I’m assuming they are probably how they got close to the house. As for the essential oils we have to be careful with what we use since some are toxic to cats. I’m going to call the vet in the morning and see what they recommend I don’t care about the price if it will be non toxic to my reptiles

---

Hope you don't faint when you figure out how much the Nexguard will cost you. I have one dog ( 10 pounds ) I have to use it because my wife say's the other things cause her breathing/asthma issues. It cost me 26 dollars a pill for ONE MONTH. So I hope you have lots of money to be able to treat all that you have. It does work good though will admit to that.
Think I would work on another solution but up to you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ballpythonsrock2

Hope you don't faint when you figure out how much the Nexguard will cost you. I have one dog ( 10 pounds ) I have to use it because my wife say's the other things cause her breathing/asthma issues. It cost me 26 dollars a pill for ONE MONTH. So I hope you have lots of money to be able to treat all that you have. It does work good though will admit to that.
Think I would work on another solution but up to you.

---

I buy 6 mos. at a time for each of my 2 dogs, & it amounts to about $16-17 per pill (which I agree is absurd & takes advantage of dog owners). My vet generally adds a
bonus dose for each 6-pack I buy as well, so I'm getting 7 mos. at a time (& therefore less $ per pill, about $15 apiece). I assume the extra doses were supplied to the vets as trial samples & he shares them with good customers. :) You're paying way too much, ballpythonsrock2! Shame on your vet! :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ballpythonsrock2

Hope you don't faint when you figure out how much the Nexguard will cost you. I have one dog ( 10 pounds ) I have to use it because my wife say's the other things cause her breathing/asthma issues. It cost me 26 dollars a pill for ONE MONTH. So I hope you have lots of money to be able to treat all that you have. It does work good though will admit to that.
Think I would work on another solution but up to you.

---

And in your shoes, I'd see if the vet would write me a prescription for the medication & fill it from a business that doesn't price-gouge...;) Your vet won't appreciate the
loss of business, but I'd be discussing the fact that others don't pay this much for the same drug. BTW, I have 2 dogs, one 46 lbs and one 20 lbs, in case you're wondering, & the larger dog's dose appears to be roughly twice what the smaller dog gets, but as I recall they're priced the same, or close?

I'd also be wondering if there is another option, something generic at a lower cost that is just as effective (-as there is for heartworm prevention medication that my dogs also get- I save a lot on that, so I don't mind as much the cost of Nexguard) but the trick is to find the right vet who will tell you about it.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/pix11.c...dications/amp/

There are side effects to all flea preventatives. For Nextgard, make sure you read that article.

I recommend Revolution because it stops eggs from hatching whereas Frontline stops the larvae from growing. Revolution is a better choice for an already established infestation.

Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, especially the rugs and carpets. Toss the pet beds out just to be safe. Use your flea comb as much as you can.

Flea bombs might not work because eggs can survive them.

Treat all rooms but try to keep the pets from moving from room to room too much.

Lastly, after the fleas are gone, you will need to check for tapeworms. Fleas carry these suckers as a host which passes on to dogs and cats.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cheesenugget

https://www.google.com/amp/s/pix11.c...dications/amp/

There are side effects to all flea preventatives. For Nextgard, make sure you read that article.

I recommend Revolution because it stops eggs from hatching whereas Frontline stops the larvae from growing. Revolution is a better choice for an already established infestation.

Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum, especially the rugs and carpets. Toss the pet beds out just to be safe. Use your flea comb as much as you can.

Flea bombs might not work because eggs can survive them.

Treat all rooms but try to keep the pets from moving from room to room too much.

Lastly, after the fleas are gone, you will need to check for tapeworms. Fleas carry these suckers as a host which passes on to dogs and cats.

---

Adding to the vacuum thing. Make sure that after you vacuum each time you dump the bag or plastic container depending on which one you have. Don't just vacuum the floors and put it back in the closet. Dump it into a plastic bag and tie it tight and take it outside.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cheesenugget

https://www.google.com/amp/s/pix11.c...dications/amp/

There are side effects to all flea preventatives. For Nextgard, make sure you read that article...

---

That's very sad that some react so horribly to these medications. And yes, I knew about the risk of seizures, it's greater with certain breeds that your vet should
be aware of, and both of my dogs are sturdy mutts. Neither of my dogs show any reaction from taking Nexgard, but that doesn't mean every one should assume
they'll have the same outcome. Topical flea prevention has problems too though, & can be ingested by a dog's playing partner, even if a dog cannot reach their own,
& it also rubs off on us. Everything has a downside...at least for what's available now, and my dogs got fleas with Frontline, but never while on Nexgard.