Meet Caramel

[the reluctant farmer]

I don't know about salt. Fleas can be stubborn. I'd moved into an apartment years ago that turned out to be infested with eggs, and when they hatched my cats were infested. I tried the old folk remedy of putting a light at night over a pan of water (supposedly the fleas jump for the light and fall in the water then drown.).got some, but not highly effective. I ended up using chemical treatment, then retreating at 10 days and 21 for any eggs that hatched out. The DE rubbed through her fur will also help. You can try calling pet stores and seeing if they have smaller and less expensive options than the first you found.

REALLY glad it's not bedbugs. You may be sick of hearing it, but they are wicked. They'd crawl from the bun on to you, and get in your furniture that way. Be aware the fleas might try to hitch a ride on you and lay eggs elsewhere. Vacuum the floor or carpet by the bun & dump the bag outside immediately, or vacuum DE into the bag with any fallen bugs. Hope all goes well!

Did you figure out what the worms were?

 

[Zass]

My husband and I paid over $1000 to get the bedbugs out of the mother-in-law's house.
She couldn't afford it herself, but she was so bitten up it was horrible.

We just handled it for her, because no one should have to suffer that even for a short amount of time.

 

[funnies50]

REALLY glad it's not bedbugs. You may be sick of hearing it, but they are wicked. They'd crawl from the bun on to you, and get in your furniture that way. Be aware the fleas might try to hitch a ride on you and lay eggs elsewhere. Vacuum the floor or carpet by the bun & dump the bag outside immediately, or vacuum DE into the bag with any fallen bugs. Hope all goes well!

Did you figure out what the worms were?

Thank you. So glad you're all here to help :yes:
I have no idea what the worms are. :shock:
Will definitely do the vacuum thingamajig. I'd also ask Petco for help, but as I've said ten times before, it's Petco...
The best option for me would be a vet, but I may have to go to San Diego tomorrow so that may not be an option just yet. I'm ordering the DE, bought pellets and hay this morning, and have squished 2 fleas. With my fingers. *blurg!*
Oh well, if the fleas just go away in the end, I will be the happiest person on earth. :roll:

 

[FourRingCircus]

The "worms" are probably flea larvae. If you put a white towel or sheet underneath her you might see some drop off onto it (along with the flea poop - if you get it wet it will turn red). Not sure about the yellow dots - the ticks I have seen are dark...

I definitely think getting her out of the house would be the best option until you get things cleared up. A flea infestation, though not as difficult to eradicate as bed bugs, is still not a fun adventure.

 

[funnies50]

Yeah, I put her on a bench, some red splatter stuff came off, and I freaked because I thought it was blood. :x

 

[Dood]

Fleas (and ticks) do not lay their eggs on their host but in the environment so I highly doubt they are flea larva

Flea poop is dark brown and dry so it should NOT "splatter" :shock: it resembles black pepper - only when wet will the colour change to a reddish brown.

I'm very concerned about your rabbit and think you should take her to a veterinarian as soon as possible

 

[funnies50]

Yeah, definitely will asap. Getting really worried.

 

[cmfarm]

I really doubt it is bed bugs because they don't live on animals and there food source is humans.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't read all the replies about it being fleas.

 

[FourRingCircus]

Fleas (and ticks) do not lay their eggs on their host but in the environment so I highly doubt they are flea larva

Flea poop is dark brown and dry so it should NOT "splatter" :shock: it resembles black pepper - only when wet will the colour change to a reddish brown.

I'm very concerned about your rabbit and think you should take her to a veterinarian as soon as possible

When our cat had them really bad, she would lay on something and when she got up you could see wiggling things that had fallen off of her... so I think it's possible that some can hatch on the host.

 

[MaggieJ]

I really doubt it is bed bugs because they don't live on animals and there food source is humans.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't read all the replies about it being fleas.

According to one of the links I posted above, bedbugs can live on animals. They just prefer people. I have no personal experience of the creepy little pests, I am glad to say.

 

[funnies50]

Guys, I'm sorry that this picture is so darned blurry. Anyway, I caught one of those ticks with a good deal of trouble and some silent screaming because I thought it had jumped on me (Sweet Santa those things can jump pretty crackin' high) and dropped it in a bowl of water for further observation.

As you can [vaguely ] see, it does look like a flea. The worms are super small so not sure about a picture for those (they're the size of a pencil-tip).
I am SUPER relieved to hear the black dots are flea poop. I was worrying they were ticks, or worse, eggs. While I'm sure tick poop isn't all that great either, I'm just glad it's not something worse. :shock:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

cmfarm wrote:
I really doubt it is bed bugs because they don't live on animals and there food source is humans.

EDIT: Sorry, didn't read all the replies about it being fleas.



According to one of the links I posted above, bedbugs can live on animals.

The link that Maggie posted mentions that one of the preferred animal hosts for bedbugs is rabbits. Who knew?!? :shock:

From personal experience I know that animals can carry and transmit bedbugs. We have a a couple of maternal bat colonies that roost in the space in our ceiling in the peaks of our roofline. Several years ago we were getting bitten repeatedly by something, and had no idea what. Hubs kept finding little bugs on his desk, and being a nice guy, would take them out and release them. :roll:

I had an "Aha!" moment one morning and stopped him so I could look at the bug- and then googled bedbugs. Sure enough, there is a variety that is carried by bats. :x

Every cloud has a silver lining, and bedbugs do too- they are what prompted me to start using Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth! We sprinkled it around the legs of the bed and along the baseboards, and also applied it to the areas where the bats enter the house so they get "powdered" as they come and go.

I am pleased to say that our bat colonies have benefited from the D.E., and so have we. Now we might find a half dozen or so bedbugs while the bats are in residence, so their annual D.E. treatment has reduced their parasite load and consequently ours. Thank heavens. :roll:

Update:
The bugs are fleas. Definitely fleas. They look as if they're running on their sides.
I found a site where it said salt could be used to treat fleas? :shrug: Your opinion, please.

Salt can be used in the carpeting but I would not recommend it on the animal itself. You are better off getting D.E. or buying a flea comb at a pet store and simply combing them off.

*Just saw the picture you posted- definitely fleas.

I would much rather deal with fleas than bedbugs, so consider yourself lucky.

 

[funnies50]

Really?? :lol: Idk, but I almost feel right now as if I'd rather deal with bedbugs than these nasty little jumping things. *shudders* Well, if the bedbugs are as bad as you guys all say they are, then....!

 

[Zass]

From personal experience I know that animals can carry and transmit bedbugs. We have a a couple of maternal bat colonies that roost in the space in our ceiling in the peaks of our roofline. Several years ago we were getting bitten repeatedly by something, and had no idea what. Hubs kept finding little bugs on his desk, and being a nice guy, would take them out and release them. :roll:

I had an "Aha!" moment one morning and stopped him so I could look at the bug- and then googled bedbugs. Sure enough, there is a variety that is carried by bats. :x

Every cloud has a silver lining, and bedbugs do too- they are what prompted me to start using Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth! We sprinkled it around the legs of the bed and along the baseboards, and also applied it to the areas where the bats enter the house so they get "powdered" as they come and go.

I am pleased to say that our bat colonies have benefited from the D.E., and so have we. Now we might find a half dozen or so bedbugs while the bats are in residence, so their annual D.E. treatment has reduced their parasite load and consequently ours. Thank heavens. :roll:

You are now my personal hero.

 

[FourRingCircus]

I have heard of people having to spend thousands of dollars trying to get rid of bedbugs (extermination, new furniture, etc.) - definitely would prefer fleas.

If the stuff coming off looks like salt and pepper the black dots are the poop, the white dots are eggs.

Dawn dish soap (the regular blue kind) will kill them instantly. You can get a bowl of water, put in some soap, then as you comb/pick them off, just drop them in the bowl.

 

[Dood]

Is it just me or does that bug have antenna?

It looks more like a spring tail to me :shrug:

Try putting the glass of water on something white or light coloured or use s white bowl or mug

 

[FourRingCircus]

Is it just me or does that bug have antenna?

It looks more like a spring tail to me :shrug:

Try putting the glass of water on something white or light coloured or use s white bowl or mug

It does look bigger than a flea to me... hmmm...

 

[Dood]

Never mind - I rotated and tweaked the photo and I think I can see it now and it does sorta look like a flea

 

[funnies50]

Yeah, sorry about the bad quality :roll: I zoomed it in too much, I think.
That was a blackish flea; there are others that have a yellow-gold tint to them and are about 1/2 millimeter larger, but they're too hard to catch. And they freak me out.

 

[Susie570]

The bugs are probably fleas, but could also be bed bugs, which is what Susie posted pictures of.

I posted a picture of rabbit lice.
Bedbugs are also a possibility as they CAN live on and travel on critters, but it's unlikely unless the buns were kept in a house.

__________ Mon Jul 13, 2015 3:37 pm __________

Granted, the image is really blurry, but that looks NOTHING like a flea... or a tick.
I don't know what it is. :x
And ticks don't jump, but fleas do.

Ok, nvm... it kind of does look like a flea... sort of... :shock:

It definitely SOUNDS like fleas (especially with being all around her eyes and such). Fleas also like to hang around on the belly and in the folds between the legs, where it's warm and moist.