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Home flea treatments and effects on axies

cadams87

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Hi, im about to spray my home for fleas as i have dogs. However all the sprays say theyre harmful to aquatic life. I worked at a vets for a short while and remember them saying to just cover up tanks, and wondered if anyones had this problem and what they did. i dont know what to cover the tank up with, or for how long. I did ask my current vet and they said they didnt know and to just research the sprays or ring up the manufacturer...a general search online hasnt brought up much...

thanks!
 

blueberlin

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Hi cadams87,

Amphibians are even more sensitive to water than most fish because they breathe through their skin as well as their gills. You are about to spray a pesticide - a chemical deadly to certain life forms. You definitely need to cover your tanks.

The fogger (I am assuming that is what you mean?) will have directions on how long to leave them alone before re-entering the room, right? You should cover the tanks for at least that long, maybe an additional hour or two just to be sure. It is not enough just to lay something over the tank; you should also seal it (duct tape to the rescue! :D ).

The best thing I can think of would be to move the entire aquarium somewhere else for the fleas treatment. Barring that, I image I would try to make a cover out of something that extends beyond the perimeter of the tank. A blanket or towel or something would not be enough cover; I should think something more like plywood would be better?

I am also wondering about the filter - if you have an external filter, they have air slits in the sides. I am not sure, but I suspect that might pose a problem, too?

Maybe a tarp laid over the entire system and then taped to the floor?

The only other suggestion I have would be to use something other than a fogger - like a floor mop pesticide or something. I can't see where you are from (nationality) so I can't begin to guess what products are available.

Please do update on what you decide.

-Eva
 

Jennewt

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I'd suggest a plastic tarp. Be sure to turn off the air pump, if you have one. I have no idea for how long you'd need to keep it covered.

Have you considered treating just the dogs, rather than the whole house? It's worth discussing the sitution (both the flea situation and the amphibian situation) with your vet, as there may be better options than spraying.

Please add a country to your profile, as it's required by forum rules. People's answers to your questions often vary, depending on what country you consider home.
 

Kaysie

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I would seriously consider removing the tanks from the house for the duration of treatment, plus a few days to clean things of residue.
 

Abrahm

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I would seriously consider removing the tanks from the house for the duration of treatment, plus a few days to clean things of residue.

This would be best, but Jen's advice is also sound. Talk to your vet about other options before you nuke everything from orbit.

If you have to leave the axies in the house use a heavy plastic sheet like a painter's drop cloth you can pick up at most home supply stores. Cut a piece bigger than the tank and then tape it around the edges.
 

Bellabelloo

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I have needed to use a flea treatment as my ' pesky cats ' brought home little unwanted guests last autumn.My tank is in the kitchen,I covered my tank and filter with a sheet , shut doors and sprayed all the soft furnishings.... I then proceeded to worry and fret that I wasn't going to harm my pets/children and unborn child . After spraying , I left it the given time and then opened all windows and doors to air for approx 8 hours ..I would have left it longer but hubby likes his warmth. All seems well to date, but this spray is supposed to be effective for approx a year so I can not assure you that all will be well.
 

pete

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The safest thing would be to move the tank or find an alternative to the spray. If I was in your shoes though, I would probably, take the axolotl out and move him to a temporary home like the fridge. Then I would take out/off the filter/lid and completely plastic wrap/tape off the aquarium and cover it with a blanket. Then once you feel that it's safe and well aired-out put things back together. This may mess with your cycle, especially if you have plants, since there won't be any light for a few days, so you may want to remove them with the axolotl.
 

ferret_corner

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i shut down filtration, put filter media in water, then wrapped all tanks in saranwrap and used packing tape to hold it securely down.

no one died.

fyi i didn't want to use the spray - my husband insisted on it.

the next time we had a flea infestation I used powder on the carpet and a pump spray under the couches and under cushions & treated the pets. my husband never had a clue.
 

Darkmaverick

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Hi Cadams,

I would actually recommend you not to fumigate or flea bomb the house. If you are treating against fleas/ectoparasites, i recommend you give a spot on monthly treatment to all your pets. They are many available commercial products that are quite effective such as Revolution, Advocate, Frontline etc.

In terms of environmental control of fleas, fumigation and flea bombs are highly inefficient and ineffective. The reason being the majority of flea eggs, larvae and pupae all tend to hide within floor board cracks and crevices (on the ground/floor). Fumigation and flea bombs tend to disperse the chemical aerosols or particulates upwards in an air 'plume' that would not reach these target areas. They will only reach the fleas/ticks crawling up on wall corners.

A much more effective, cheaper and safer method is to use a regular insecticidal spray and spray into the cracks and crevices in your house, including under furniture and carpeting. Do this regularly on a daily basis for 1 week and you should effectively remove household flea infestation provided you also give a spot on treatment to your pets.

Fleas react to vibrations so if you have carpeting, regular vacuuming will actually lure hiding fleas out which you can then remove of effectively by vacuuming.

In the event you still prefer fumigation, and you can't move your tank elsewhere, you can consider draping over the tank a car protection covering. The big 'rug' that you cover your car with to protect from dirt and rain etc. I find them easy to use and clean.

Cheers
 

cadams87

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Thanks for the quick responses.
I am in England.
I already do use spot on for my dogs, but this does not treat fleas in the home, and so the home also has to be sprayed. I know vets recommend the sprays over powders, and i cant say ive even seen powders in the shops. Its not a bomb...its like an aerosol.
My tank is quite large so i cant move the whole thing, and i am reluctant to take the axies out, as i dont like messing around with them, and putting them in the fridge just feels wrong to me.
The instructions do not say how long to leave things covered or how long to leave the house with the windows closed.
My filter isnt external, but i think ill have to turn it off anyway.
 

Darkmaverick

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Hi cadams,

Yes it is essential to treat the home environment to break the flea cycle. As mentioned in my earlier post, most people use fumigation or flea bombs which are basically aerosols being projected into the air. I was trying to explain that this method is not effective. It is much better to use a regular insecticide spray (mortein, baygon etc) to specifically spray into the cracks and crevices on the floor boards. Therefore spraying directly onto the ground and not upwards into the air. Powders are never recommended simply because they don't work, at least not as a permanent fix.

In essence, there really is no necessity for you to resort to using an aerosol to spray into the air when there are easier more effective methods. Could save your axies from the trouble too.

Cheers
 

LippyNix

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I adopted a cat once with fleas and I followed my vet's advice, which meant I didn't use a fogger or aerosol. I used Frontline (bought as a prescription, not online or in the store as those can be fake) on the pets for 3 months. I used a non-aerosol flea spray for furniture and along the edges of the carpet/walls, and then vacuumed everything, including my bed, with a flea collar in the vacuum to kill anything vacuumed up. I washed all bedding and such in the hottest water I could and dried it on the highest setting possible without ruining the fabrics. I repeated the spray one week later. Make sure you get in the creases and under furniture, remove cushions and spray under them, etc. Unless you have a SERIOUS infestation, that's all you need to do.

EDIT: I just realized this is a seriously OLD post! Oh well.
 

Bellabelloo

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Please remember that if you have aquatic animals in the the home, some of these treatments can be fatal on the aquatic animals too.
 

Nebuchadnezzar

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I adopted a cat once with fleas and I followed my vet's advice, which meant I didn't use a fogger or aerosol. I used Frontline (bought as a prescription, not online or in the store as those can be fake) on the pets for 3 months. I used a non-aerosol flea spray for furniture and along the edges of the carpet/walls, and then vacuumed everything, including my bed, with a flea collar in the vacuum to kill anything vacuumed up. I washed all bedding and such in the hottest water I could and dried it on the highest setting possible without ruining the fabrics. I repeated the spray one week later. Make sure you get in the creases and under furniture, remove cushions and spray under them, etc. Unless you have a SERIOUS infestation, that's all you need to do.

EDIT: I just realized this is a seriously OLD post! Oh well.

Bump from me, sorry :eek:

I had a similar story with an adopted cat too. Since I had a fish tank at home, I also gave up on aerosols and other volatiles; went with Seresto collar and shampoos for the kitty. I vacuumed and washed everything I could, but it was not enough. So I found mentioned on some site, like this one I think, about wormwood decoction. That sounded useful for me and later I picked a bunch in a local park. Worked great :rolleyes:
 
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