You probably know about the importance of protecting your pets from fleas, but how much do you actually know about them?
- Fleas have four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, biting adult. Fleas can remain in the pupa stage for up to eight months if necessary. Environmental factors that trigger a pupa to emerge include vibration, heat, carbon dioxide, and warm, moist environments. This can make it very difficult to get rid of a flea infestation.
- Adult fleas need a host to lay eggs. Almost any warm-blooded animal can become a host and fleas commonly are found on cats, dogs and other mammals as well as on birds.
- The female flea can lay 2,000 eggs in her lifetime. That’s a lot of fleas to protect your pet against!
- Fleas feed on the blood of their host – humans, birds, reptiles, and wild and domestic animals.
- A flea can live more than 100 days without a blood meal.
- Flea bodies are specially designed to be able to withstand difficult conditions. They have a hard outer coating which means that they are not easily crushed. Additionally they easily guide their small flat bodies through hair, feathers and animal fur.
- The best way to check for fleas is with a flea comb.
- A flea can jump up to 8 inches high, or approximately 150 times its own height. That would be like you jumping over tall buildings in a single bound.
- The female flea consumes 15 times her own body weight in blood daily.
- Some pets may develop an allergy to flea saliva, which causes severe irritation and itchiness. If you think your cat or dog might suffer from an allergy, speak to your vet.
Now that you know everything there is to know about fleas, test your knowledge and take our quiz!
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