Flea-bombing with snakes in the house?

[Lolo76]

I had NO idea where to post this, so feel free to move if it's on the wrong forum.

I'm just wondering how to flea-bomb my house, without killing or endangering the snake collection. I have 3 cats and a dog, who have recently infested our house with fleas - yippee. I treated the furry critters themselves, but the fleas seem to have settled in permanently. Could I just close the door to my bedroom (where the snakes live), and leave it closed until the other rooms are chemical-free? Or would this defeat the purpose of bombing altogether? I can't figure out how to move 20+ snakes (plus a clutch in the incubator), especially since half the tubs don't have lids. Not to mention, where the heck would I put them for 24 hours? Most of my friends are scared/nervous around snakes, and my mother wouldn't appreciate the intrusion. Any tips?

[Lolo76]

P.S. Despite being mid-July, it isn't nearly warm enough to stash them outside or in my car... I live on the coast, so it stays around 60-65 even in the summer.

[Vypyrz]

well the only thing I can think of is to close the door to the snake room, block it off with some towels or plastic bags or something, bomb the rest of the house. When the fumes are gone and the pesticide has settled, move the snakes and bomb the last room...

[Punkymom]

I would be VERY wary of doing this. When we would flea bomb and I had fish tanks we would even have to cover the tank with a trash bag and tape it so no pesticide could get to it. Then when we came back we aired the house out. And that was just for fish! You don't have anywhere you can take them until the process is finished? I personally would NOT do it, even if you attempted to block the room they're in. This is just my opinion and if you choose to do it with the snakes in the house I wish you and your snakes the best!

[Lolo76]

I won't do it if there's ANY chance it will hurt them... so thanks for the warning, and I'll see if I can find a better solution. Seriously though, I can't think of a single place to take them! Most of my friends & family live far away, live in tiny places, or they're scared of snakes.

Oh wait, I did just think of somebody! One of my friends is only 20 minutes away, and has a snake himself... he's actually coming over today, so maybe I can ask him to "snake-sit" for a day? Still a major hassle, though, to move 21 snakes anywhere - so I might try one more round of Frontline (cat/dog treatment) first, and see if the house fleas die off.

[kellysballs]

I have never attempted this but if I had to this is what I would do. Hope it helps.

I would not bomb the house unless you have the snakes out of it as well as any other living creatures. The "easy" way to do this IMO is to bag all the snakes up and take them in bags to your friends. Ideally you would set the bombs as you are leaving. Then after the bombs are done air out the house for 24 hrs like the person with the fish tank did. Wash all the tubs and bowls and bring your snakes back in. Going 24hrs with out water will not hurt your snakes. I would say just make sure they are 5 days or more with out food before you take them off heat for the 24hrs. For the eggs, if the incubator is sealed like an old fridge you should be fine. If not, as long as your egg box is sealed it should be fine inside the incubator.

Hopefully this helps. Keep us updated!

[mikes]

Hi. I have gone through this situation before.

Fortunately, I never let the dog into my room (where I keep my snake) and I work to keep any kind of bugs out of my room. So my room was practically free of fleas (there might have some sneaky ones in there, but nothing too bad), while the rest of the house was noticeably flea-infested.

I sealed my room with towels covering the ventilation system on the inside and used duct tape to seal my door (also using a towel on the ground in front of the door) from the outside. I think I also turned the air off (SOP when bombing? i can't remember) and opened my window.

My snake made it fine through the ordeal. You could also just use flea traps in the in snake's room instead of bombing their room in turn. I think it be would safer for your reptiles.

Good luck w/your flea problem. Annoying critters

[sarahlovesmiike]

I flea bombed my house last summer. I just put a towel and a blanket over their tanks and left that door open. They were fine, but they weren't in tubs yet either.

[mikes]

Edit: We used some sort of bomb that took a couple of hours before the house was safe again. So my seals didn't have to hold for more than the working day. Also, I'm not recommending anything. I'm just letting you know what I did to minimize my risk. Our situations are different. Its definitely safer to move your snakes out of the house if you have that option

[Brunoheart]

You could use diatomaceous earth to de-flea the house and the pets and the yard! I personally have not used it yet (no fleas), but have heard great things from people I know personally (not just through the net). You have to be careful not make sure you and your pets do not breath in the dust, but it is non-toxic and safe to use. Make sure you get Food Grade diatomaceous earth and not Pool Grade. Sprinkle it onto your carpets, floors, yard and even (carefully) onto your pets. Leave sit for several days and vaccuum well (you do not need to vaccuum pets, of course). Make sure you empty your vaccuum immediately and take debris to outside trash and repeat as needed. The diatomaceous earth works by piercing the parasites and causing them to dehydrate. It is safe to take internally to fight internal parasites, you just have to be careful about not breathing it in due to the fact that it is sharp little particles that can damage your lungs similar to fiberglass. Good luck fighting the fleas, I know how difficult and frustrating it can be...