Are you ready for all the spring critters coming out to feast on your pets? Don’t let ticks and fleas ruin the beautiful weather. Here is a few questions and answers on how to combat these parasites.
Feed me!
Q: What do ticks and fleas feed on?
A: Both ticks and fleas need blood to survive, and both will feed on animals and humans. A tick will attach itself to his new host by ‘burying’ its head in the host’s skin. The tick will stay there for an average of seven to 10 days, depending on its life stage. While the tick is there, it will keep on feeding, until it is full.
Adult fleas also suck the blood of their hosts, but they prefer to stay on animals with fur coats – the longer the coat, the more comfortable the stay is. A female flea will start laying eggs two days after its first blood meal, and it takes two to three weeks for a flea to reach adulthood.
Hiding places
Q: Where do ticks and fleas normally hide?
A: Wherever there is tall grass and wooded areas, there is a chance of encountering at least one tick. It will wait for a host to pass by and then attach itself somewhere out of sight where it is warm. Fleas can be found almost anywhere. They populate and then hide in tall grass and bushy areas in gardens. Inside the house, you might find fleas in common places, like your pet’s bedding, your couches, carpets and even in cracks and crevices in the walls.
Ticks and fleas don’t smell blood; they react to the smell of carbon dioxide, which tells them that there is a host in the vicinity.
Deworming
Q: Why should I deworm my dog regularly to get rid of fleas?
A: Worms and fleas have a good relationship, where infected fleas will transfer worm eggs to your pet. In most cases, where there are fleas present, there is a good possibility that your pet has worms as well. Therefore, it is important to deworm your pet every three months. But don’t stop there – also deworm the rest of the family every six months.
Early treatments
Q: What were some of the first products developed against ticks and fleas?
A: In 1893, arsenic was first used for tick control in South Africa. Then, later, a range of organic acaricides, which included compounds like organochlorines, organophosphates and carbamates, were used separately. Acaricides are substances that are poisonous to arachnids in the subclass that includes mites and ticks. All these compounds are or were used in dips. Tick grease is an old method, but is still used on livestock.
Most of these compounds were very toxic to the animals and/or the environment. Over a period of time, the development of environmentally safer acaricides, such as formamidines and synthetic pyrethroids, reached the market, due to market pressure because of the harmful effects caused by a build-up of residues.
Parasites may also develop a resistance to acaricides, and this necessitates the continual search for new and safer active ingredients, and these have enabled easier forms of application to be introduced, for example, pour-ons, products that are administered orally to pets and the patented Afrivet Acaricidal Balls (like paintballs) for heavy infestation on animals (game) who cannot easily be treated with other products.
Creepy-crawlies on your rat
Q: Do rats also get ticks and fleas? Should I treat my rat against these parasites?
A: Pet rats can become infested with external parasites, but ticks and fleas are seen very rarely. The only time a pet rat would get them is if there was another pet in the household, such as a dog or cat, who had these parasites. There are, however, other more common rat parasites. Mange mites cause itching and can cause scabby, cauliflower-like growths on the ears, nose and tail. Fur lice can be seen crawling about in the fur and tropical rat mites appear as tiny black or dark red spots that move over the rat. These mites live in the environment and only climb onto the host to feed. They will also bite people if given the chance.
It is a good idea to get any recently acquired pet rat checked out by an exotic animal veterinarian. They can then be treated for all the common parasites to prevent them from bringing pests into your home. Healthy pet rats should not need regular parasite treatments, as long as they are not exposed to sources of infestation.
Would you like to read the rest of this interesting article? Get the September October 2023 edition of Animaltalk magazine now from retailers or order a digital or printed version from www.coolmags.co.za.
