The reasons for the appearance of fleas in hamsters
- Other rodents. You could buy an animal already infected with parasites. The rodent's neighbors in the pet store (guinea pigs, rabbits or rats) are carriers of small insects. No wonder they jumped onto your pet's fur.
- Pets. Fleas in hamsters could appear from the neighborhood with a cat or dog. Animals that walk freely on the street are potential carriers of afanipterosis. Cats bring insects on their fur, and they find a new habitat - rodent fur.
- Footwear. Breeders, without knowing it, bring flea eggs into the apartment on their soles. In the apartment, insects hatch and attack pets. Flea larvae can be brought in both from the street and from a warm, damp basement.
- Plants. The larvae of parasites can enter the animal's cage with fresh grass, which is fed to the dzungariks. To prevent this from happening, fresh feed must be thoroughly washed.
How does the infection take place
There are a lot of sources from which hamsters can become infected, consider the most common:
- Rodents. Of course, it is quite difficult to get infected from other rodents at home. But if you just bought a pet, then parasites could get on it on the market from other rodents.
- Animals. If you also have a dog or cat that is walking outside, they may bring insects with them. Therefore, these new neighbors will look for food and attack all pets.
- Human. The host can also cause infection, but of course he does not bring them on his body. Infection occurs as follows, when a person walks down the street on shoes, flea eggs can get in, bringing them into the apartment, they fall, for example, into a crack in a wooden floor and grow beautifully into young individuals, and then go around the room in search of food.
- Plants. When freshly harvested grass is brought to the pet, as in the previous version, there may be eggs on it. Without washing it, the eggs enter the apartment and grow into young parasites.
Why are fleas in hamsters dangerous?
Fleas are dangerous not only for the health of the animal, but also for humans. Their bites are uncomfortable and itchy. Parasites' saliva contains enzymes that prevent blood from clotting. This provokes the appearance of edema and inflammation at the site of the bite. In addition, the insect can introduce an infection into the human body, causing inflammation, fever and an allergic reaction. Blood-sucking parasites are carriers of diseases such as rabies, hepatitis, typhoid and others. This is due to the fact that they enter the apartment from the street, from the hair of stray cats and dogs. Dangerous for humans and hamsters is lichen, spread by parasites.
Insects multiply quickly and are able to fill the entire apartment in a short time. Their appearance in hamsters is fraught with:
- The emergence of stressful situations. Itching and anxiety causes stress in the animal. Its consequences are sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, aggression and bad mood.
- The appearance of worms. A flea bite causes severe itching, and hamsters deal with it by biting themselves and scratching their skin. Bites can cause worms, the larvae of which are contained in insect saliva.Dzungariks are recommended to give an anthelmintic after removing parasites.
- The spread of disease. By biting through the skin, fleas bring various infections into the animal's blood, many of which are deadly. At the site of the wounds, bald patches form, and blood is baked.
If you notice that your pet is constantly itching, eating and sleeping poorly, it is necessary to conduct an examination for the presence of parasites.
What is the danger
The bite itself is very unpleasant and itchy. The flea does not disdain the blood of either animals or people. Worst of all, it is not so much the bite itself that is dangerous, but its consequences. Sometimes they bite without pain and without a trace, but often there are sensations that simply cannot be tolerated. Not only is it a terrible itching, but also the bite site is visible with the naked eye.
But that's not the worst of it. Imagine, before getting to your house, a pest has bitten several stray dogs or cats, then your pet, and then you. It is difficult to predict what diseases can be obtained after such a bite, and if there are several of them. This can bring up to the legendary plague.
In addition, if you do not eliminate these parasites, then over time, your life will become unbearable. It will no longer be about pets, but about family members. Since fleas reproduce at an enormous rate. Soon these creatures will live in every corner, which means they will settle in people, you must have something. Based on this information, it is in your best interest to get rid of them as quickly as possible.
It is necessary to rid the rodent of annoying "guests" as soon as possible, since they:
- bothering the hamster with bites;
- make the rodent itch constantly;
- can carry an infection (typhoid, plague).
The hamster becomes nervous due to intense itching. When a flea injects its substance, the body reacts with intense irritation.
Dermatitis appears, which provokes hair loss, inflammation of the skin.
A hamster can have a toxic reaction to the saliva of a flea. In the absence of the necessary measures, dermatophilisis may develop.
Together with fleas, helminths (worms) begin to appear. It turns out that they are quite dangerous for both animals and people. They do not disdain human blood, but they practically do not leave marks on the body.
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Important! Fleas reproduce in a mobile manner. If you do not process the room (and not just the cage) in time, very soon there will be a lot of them in the apartment.
These harmful parasites leave behind wounds that can cause discomfort to animals. With the advent of parasites, constant annoying itching begins. Gradually, it passes into the category of pain. And then there are inflammations, allergic reactions. In some cases, plague or typhoid may develop.
Once you find that your animal has fleas, start hatching them right away. Otherwise, they multiply to such an extent that it will be very difficult to do this.
So, we determine if your hamster has fleas. By themselves, these animals often wash, but if you notice that your pet begins to itch a little more often, then this is a reason to see a doctor.
If you don't have the opportunity to go to the vet, then do the examination yourself. Signs of the presence of parasites in an animal are skin lesions, anxiety of the animal, fast and abrupt movements, dandruff, baldness on some parts of the body.
How to tell if your hamster has fleas
Due to the continuous itching, the animal itches, so the presence of fleas is often confused with skin diseases. Symptoms are almost the same: loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, scratching the skin until it bleeds, dandruff, and aggression. An insect bite can cause complications, the sooner you find them, the better.
During a visual examination, it is necessary to part the coat and examine the skin of the animal. In addition to insects, their excrement remains on the skin, parasites hide in hard-to-reach places. Primarily on the neck, chin and armpits. The denser and longer the hamster's coat, the more difficult it is to spot fleas. If symptoms of aphanipterosis are present, but you have not found parasites, contact your veterinarian. He will not only diagnose but also prescribe treatment.
Hamster treatment
The next steps will depend on whether there are other animals in the house. If there is, then absolutely all pets must undergo processing. If not, then further treatment can be avoided, since the treatment of the room is the determining factor and is most effective, the fleas in the hamster disappear.
The treatment itself causes some difficulties, since you will not find drugs for fleas specifically for hamsters on sale. The most commonly used products are those produced for cats and dogs, but the difficulty is in calculating dosages. After all, the weight of the hamster is very small and only a professional veterinarian should calculate the dose of the pesticide.
The doctor may prescribe injections, but the drug is quite toxic and is rarely used. Sprays can be prescribed, they are applied not to the wool, but to a cotton pad, which is used to wipe the skin, lifting the fur. You can also use a powder that is rubbed into the skin.
Important!
Do not use insecticides in the form of drops, they are intended only for cats and dogs, they are very dangerous for hamsters. It is forbidden to wash rodents with anti-flea shampoo.
How to remove fleas from a hamster
You can remove fleas from a dzhungarik yourself at home. The danger is the external environment in which the insects are. Parasites do not live on the body of a rodent, but only feed. They live in larger areas than the body of a hamster. First you need to identify the carrier of parasites and remove fleas from him. Then you can start removing insects from the upholstery of the sofa, pillows and carpets. Parasites can live behind baseboards, in the hamster's bedding, so it is necessary to treat as many surfaces as possible.
The apartment is processed in two stages: dry and wet cleaning. First you need to vacuum up upholstered furniture, carpets, dusty corners, and where pets sleep. It is necessary to vacuum the apartment 2 times a week using disposable dust bags. After cleaning, the bags should be thrown away.
Then comes the turn of wet cleaning, which must be carried out using special means. Carpet powders and baseboard spray will work well with regular use. The spray is best used in hard-to-reach areas such as crevices in the floor.
Particular attention should be paid to the animal's cage, house, toys and bedding. Remove fleas from your hamster last.
Correct treatment
First of all, you need to understand that parasites do not live on a furry friend, they appear on it only to satisfy hunger. They live and reproduce in the room itself. To get rid of them is not enough to treat the hamster, it will be completely ineffective. Complex processing must be undertaken. If there are other animals in the house, they also need to be treated, in addition to this, the processing of the room itself will be required, this is the only way to achieve a positive result.
Since hamsters can have skin conditions, only a veterinarian can diagnose fleas. You should not diagnose the disease yourself and prescribe treatment, it may be ineffective, and in some cases even dangerous.
What means to use
For treatment of a hamster, preparations for the destruction of insects in cats and dogs are not suitable due to the significant difference in weight.How to remove fleas in this case? Contact a ratologist who will prescribe treatment. If it includes injections, it should be done by professionals. Drops and powder can be applied independently. In most cases, the doctor prescribes injections of ivermectin 1%, sprays "Bars", "BioVax", "Le Artist" and insecticidal powder.
If you use drops to remove parasites, apply them pointwise all over the body. The amount of the drug depends on the size and weight of the animal. The powder should be applied in an even layer to the skin, avoiding contact with the nose and mouth. A spray will help get rid of parasites. If the hamster is small, it is better to wipe it with a cotton swab moistened with a solution. The spray can get into the eyes when spraying, so it is recommended to use it for larger specimens. A week after the first treatment, it is necessary to repeat the set of procedures. During the processing period, it is strictly forbidden to wet the animal and apply drops to the withers.
To remove parasites in a short time, it is necessary to disinfect the cell. Replace the usual filler with wood, preferably coniferous. Wash the cage with hot water and laundry soap.
Now you know what to do if your hamster has fleas.
How to carry out the processing correctly
- The first thing to do is to thoroughly clean the room. To do this, we use a vacuum cleaner, we try to touch hard-to-reach places, be sure to vacuum the carpets, all corners, animal bedding, all upholstered furniture.
- Next, you need to do wet cleaning. For this, special insecticidal agents are used that help to destroy adults, larvae and eggs. The choice of insecticides is now very large, solutions, sprays, and powders can be purchased. Be sure to pay attention to hard-to-reach places when processing a room. Treat cracks, skirting boards, places behind furniture.
- Be sure to rinse the cage and all accessories, for this use soap and hot water, such procedures should be done as often as possible. Change the litter, you can use conifer shavings, the smell will deter vermin.
Flea prevention
By following a few simple steps, you can protect your pet from insects.
- Use a flea collar for pets. Especially when they are walking on the street.
- Bathe animals with anti-parasite shampoo.
- Inspect the fur of the animal as often as possible. The sooner you spot fleas, the faster you get them out.
- Spread mint and wormwood in your hamster's home and cage to repel parasites.
- Clean the apartment regularly and disinfect the animal's cage with insecticides.
Hamsters are very clean. The appearance of fleas in them at home is rare, most often they become infected from other animals. Preventive measures will help prevent unwanted parasites from emerging. Keep your hamster's cage clean and your pet healthy.
Reasons for pet infection
There are several main reasons for the appearance of parasites in a rodent. Very often, infection occurs before the pet settles in a new home. In pet stores, with poor care, the animal can become infected from other neighbors living in showcase cages. It is very important to pay due attention and process the pet in the first days of life in a new place. However, sometimes fleas appear even with perfect care of the hamster.
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Other pets
Hamsters are very clean animals and, under proper conditions, parasitic insects cannot appear on their own. Most often, fleas enter the house with other pets that require daily walks outside. Most often, bloodsuckers enter the house in a soft cat fur coat, but such parasites do not live long on a small hamster.The most difficult thing will be to remove rat or mouse fleas, which can also be "brought" into the home after a walk by a cat or dog.
Footwear
Surprisingly, your shoes can also be the cause of the parasites in the animal.
There are several main factors contributing to the appearance of "intruders" on a pet's fluffy fur:
- rare wet cleaning in the house;
- walking around the apartment in "street" shoes;
- the presence of wood flooring with cracks and crevices.
In such conditions, fleas, the eggs of which you could bring on the sole, will develop and multiply very rapidly.
Grass
Chances are good to "add" parasites to the hamster's cage along with juicy greens, which pets love so much. In order to avoid infection through plant food, which may contain flea larvae, it is imperative to rinse the plucked grass under running warm water.
Did you know? In one night, having fun on a simulator wheel, a hamster is able to run a distance of 10 km.
