What to do about fleas?

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

So, first of all, we currently have five cats. Two are indoor outdoor, and the other three are indoor. We believe one of the indoor outdoor cats brought the fleas in, and now we're dealing with a flea problem. we treated them with flea and tick killer, which seemed to eliminate the problem, but just recently I've noticed my gerbils scratching more than they should. I'm fairly positive that it's fleas, but I just don't know how to treat them for it. 
They sell a flea and tick killer for small animals at PetSmart, but I know for cats they have to be alone, so that another cat doesn't ingest any of the jell you put on their neck, and I think that might be difficult to achieve with the number of gerbils I have right now. That may not be the case with small animals, but I'm not even sure the stuff is made for gerbils, and therefore safe for gerbils. 
I have one female who's about to give birth, so I'm in kind of a panic zone, since the fleas have to be eliminated before the babies arrive. 
Just wondering if anyone has any advice, or if I should go ahead with what they sell at PetSmart. 

Any advice is welcome, 

Thanks in advance. 

[LilyandDaisy]

I'm not sure what the Petsmart product is, but I've used a topical ivermectin product for (adult, non-pregnant) rodents without any issues. I'm unsure whether it's safe for pregnant or newborn rodents so it might be best to consult a vet on that.

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Okay, thank you.
I looked up threads concerning fleas on the forum, and found some interesting posts.
So far, I've brushed them all out and cleaned their enclosure vigorously, and the scratching seems to have reduced a considerable amount. Our cats have all been treated, so we're just waiting it out now.
The fleas are slowly dying off, but it's under control.

Thank you again for the advice, I'll ask about the topical ivermectin.

[LilyandDaisy]

It's possible that the fleas are too big to properly infest the gerbils, so treating the cats may be enough.

Fleas may bite hairless pups and potentially cause anaemia so keep an eye out once they are born. Hopefully it will all be sorted before they are born though

[betty]

Fleas are very much an environmental issue - so are best dealt with that way - as you have already done with the total clear out and restarting afresh.

If it was just the odd flea/s coming in that was the issue with the cat/s then a prompt topical remedy on the cat/s may well be enough.

If the fleas have been around a while - then topical alone will not solve the problem (as adult fleas have to bite the cat to become treated/poisoned with the chemical). This can still cause a potential issue short term for the gerbils also as any fleas in you home - relaxing 'off cat' as it were (after a good meal) - could hop back on at any time and get carried into your gerbil room/area and potentially then get dropped/scratched off closer to your enclosures. Fleas are always attracted to warmth and increased CO2 concentrations, and so your gerbils MAY become a point of focus instead of the cat (especially if you let your gerbils run on the same carpets as your cat during this time).

So in the short of it - if you can keep your cats away from your gerbil zone (or your gerbils away from your cat-zone) for as long as possible after their treatment - you are reducing the chances of any fleas getting into their enclosure or irritating them (and us) with their creepy-crawly-ness.


If, however, you notice more than 4 fleas in your home on any one day - especially if they are small fleas - then you may want to treat your home with a 4-stage flea and larva treatment as well (as this means that they have most likely already been in your home long enough to breed and so there could be a few dozen/hundred in your carpets waiting to hatch out!

Fleas are grim...


PS - as said above - ivermectin itself - at the correct dose - is safe to be applied to standard adult healthy gerbils living only with other standard healthy adult gerbils. Any other combinations of gerbils (or other rodents) would need either a vet or SQP (Suitably Qualified Person (in the UK)) to confirm.

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Thank you for all the replies.

I think that the cats dealt with the majority of them, I actually haven't seen a single flea in a day or two.
The gerbils aren't scratching at all that I've noticed anymore, especially after I changed their bedding.

I actually haven't taken them out fully since the flea problem, since I've been careful not to let them catch them. I think only one of the tanks has them, which is the mom's tank, so at least they're not everywhere, if they're still in there.

[betty]

Well that is a great start for sure. Let's hope that is the last you see of them...

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Success!

No more fleas! Our cats seem to have completely eradicated them in our main household, and I've been watching the gerbils like a hawk, and haven't seen any scratching.
Still keeping my eye out, but it seems we have been successful.

[betty]

Yay!!!!

Great news.