Signs of Fleas

When your beloved pet looks to be in discomfort and is scratching or biting their fur, it could be fleas feeding. But what do fleas look like?

Prior to taking your pet to the vet there are a couple of ways to double-check if you have fleas in your home.

Signs of Fleas

If you are concerned about fleas, you can look for these signs:

• Do you spot fleas crawling on your pet’s coat? They are normally reddy-brown in colour and about 2mm long.
• Check the head and neck of your cat and the hind-quarters of your dog. These areas are where you might see signs of flea activity.
• Search your pet’s skin for fine black droppings. This is ‘flea dirt’ or adult flea faeces (similar to ground black pepper). An easy way to see them is to use a flea comb over a piece of white paper in search for small black spots.
• Flea dirt can be found on pet bedding, carpets or rugs.

Looking for Flea Eggs

Flea eggs are very difficult to spot and sometimes it’s easy to think you’ve got rid of the fleas in your home when you haven’t.

Fleas will lay their eggs on your cat or dog’s body, however, the eggs will not stay there. Flea eggs easily fall off and can become hidden in rugs, carpets, gaps, bedding or between floorboards. Flea eggs are white, oval in shape and tiny (only about 0.5mm long). They are almost impossible to see against rough materials and surfaces.

Need help with treating fleas?

Get in touch with our Adelaide Pest Control experts to avoid fleas from coming back and to make sure they are eliminated the first time.