Urgh, fleas! Any chin-safe flea remedies?

[Newt]

So recently I've adopted two stray cats. They aren't allowed in the house, but have taken to dashing through the front door every time it opens... hoping for more food I guess!

Anyways, for whatever reason (I'm dumb, I know), I didn't think to treat them for fleas, and the inevitable has happened: my house now has fleas in it :banghead:

How do I get rid of these aggressive ankle-chewing, neck-munching, arm-chomping, belly-biting arthropods, in a manner that will be safe for my chin and guinea pigs?

HELP ME, I BEG OF YOU!!!

 

[halfstache]

Having to deal with fleas is never fun for anyone. There are a few options that you have of things you can do yourself but I'd need to know a little bit more about your home and how it is set up. Is the house carpeted, tiled, or have hardwood flooring? Generally speaking homes with carpets are going to have a highly likelihood of having fleas. The number one thing you can do, and I can't stress this enough, is to vacuum relentlessly. If you have a vacuum with a canister it needs to be emptied immediately after every use. If you have one of the older bag style vacuums, the bag must be thrown away after every use. You should be running the vacuum over all the carpeted areas slowly 3 to 4 times a day. This will get rid of about 90% of the flea problem. After that the carpets would need to be sprayed with an insect growth regulator called Precor http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/precor-igr-concentrate-p-72.html That will stop them from being able to reproduce. You will also want to mix in a product called Dragnet SFR http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/dragnet-sfr-p-967.html This has a pretty decent knockdown for fleas. Whatever room you use those in though, keep the chinchillas off the floor. If you have hardwood or tile in every room of the home, the process is going to be completely different. In that situation you would have to fog the house. That means you, your family, and all your pets would have to be out of the house for four hours. (If you end up spraying the carpet you'll have to be out for at least 4 hours then too) But fogging fills the entire air space of the house. Fortunately it dissipates and leaves behind no residual. But fogging will do no good in a home with carpet. http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/precor-plus-fogger-with-igr-oz-p-390.html No matter what chemical treatment you consider, read the label fully before attempting to treat your own home. Let me say that again, because it bears repeating. READ THE WHOLE LABEL. Even all the stuff that seems unimportant. You can PM me if you have questions. I'm a licensed pest control technician.

 

[halfstache]

Actually, what you may need to do is simply concentrate your efforts on running the vacuum and then consider hiring a pest control company to do the rest of the service for you. By the time you pay for products to spray with including the precor and dragnet, plus the spraying equipment you'd be out about as much money as it would take to have someone else do it for you. Explain to the technician that you have chinchillas and they should be able to work with you to come up with a solution for your home that is safe for everyone. They may want to use different products though. I'm not sure what products are and are not legal in your area as I just noticed you are not in the US.

 

[Newt]

We have hardwood floors, with one large rug in the living room, and one rug in the nursery. I guess that means we need to take the fogging route, and treat the rugs separately?
Thanks for the links and all the info...Ill look over it all ASAP! Might have to get my poor animals to spend a night at my sister's house :/

Thanks again for the info!

 

[halfstache]

Fogging is easier in a lot of ways, but be sure to not have any open flames or other sources of ignition. Fogging can cause an explosion if done too heavily and there is an open flame like from a water heater or a pilot light on some older stoves, ovens, or other gas powered items. Most of the newer appliances have electronic ignitions that you wouldn't have to worry about. Put all food items either inside a cabinet or in the refrigerator prior to fogging. Cover all babies toys if there are any. If you have dogs or cats, launder all of their bedding. If you do all that, and end up still having problems you may need the exterior of the house treated as well. For that it'd be better to hire someone with the proper equipment.

 

[Newt]

I'm pretty sure everything in or house is electric, so no pilot lights that I'm aware of....will check with hubby though, just in case.

Gosh I really hope we dont need to do the outside of the house too...that's gotta be expensive!!