Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK, I posted something similar to this on the general forum but I need more answers. My 13 year old cat is back at home after spending 2 days at the vet's for severe dehydration and anemia, which was quite possibly flea induced as she had a heavy flea infestation. She's been treated with Frontline, and now we have to treat our house for fleas as well, or else her situation won't get any better. My problem is my reptiles- in addition to a ball, I have a corn and a leopard gecko. My dad is adamant that we flea bomb the house (please understand I don't really have a say in this- I know there are other things to do but he insists this is the ONLY way to get rid of the fleas- and after all I am a far inferior college student). What he wants to use is Raid Concentrated Deep Reach Fogger, it contains 1.716% cypermethrin. Will this be harmful to my reptiles? I can probably move them out of the house for a while (it'll be a pain but I can do it)- should I do this? And for how long? Is this chemical even toxic to them? If so, are there any foggers out there that are safe for use around reptiles?

Also, if it turns out I can't move them out of the house, could I seal off a room effectively enough so that the chemical doesn't harm them? I really appreciate any information and replies, as this has to be done by this weekend.
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0.1 ball python (Kilimanjaro)
1.0 amel corn snake (Houdini)
0.0.1 leopard gecko (Charlie)
1.1 cats (Kitty & Milo)
0.1 mouse (Creepers)

If you're going to fleabomb, take the snakes out of the house, along with any other reptiles, amphibians, or birds. If you can at all avoid it, AVOID IT. Bug bombs will kill reptiles, too. We've found dead lizards in our barn before after bug-bombing to get rid of black widows. I can't imagine flea bombs are much better.

What will be a pain, but will fix your problem without harm to the snakes and crew, vacuum. Vacuum every day, or at least every other day, and keep all the animals clean. Frontline is extremely effective stuff, and as long as you vacuum regularly and wash all your bedding regularly, the problem will be taken care of between a couple weeks to a month. Yes, you have to be extremely anal retentive about vacuuming, and yes, it is going to be a pain in the A$$ (trust me, I've had to do this), but it'll take care of the fleas with the least potential harm to the reptiles in your life.

If you do have to bug bomb, and your father can't see any alternatives, get the snakes out of there. I'd keep them out for at least a week, longer (like until after the fleas are gone) if at all possible. I would not use the same vacuum that you normally use to vacuum after the flea bomb; residue can stay behind and come back to haunt your snakes. Someone on this forum experienced something like that almost a year ago. So nothing that your snakes could breathe or come into contact with should be in or used around rooms that have been bug bombed.

Honestly, frequent vacuuming and the frontline on the cat will take care of your flea problem. I'd wash your bedsheets every few days as well, though, if the cat sleeps on your bed at all.

Good luck!

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

You do not want your reptiles to be exposed to the fleabomb at all. They're going to have to be out of the house for a while. That stuff is so toxic, I don't use it at all. Frontline and frequent vacuuming really will work. I have 4 dogs and 4 cats (in FL, lots of bugs) and I never have a serious flea problem.

And Jenny, thanks for reminding us about the residue being left in the vacuum. I'd forgotten about that until you mentioned it. If I remember correctly, that was the carpet powder (although I'm sure the flea bombs could cause the same problem). I think it was even used in a different house, but enough residue was left in the vacuum to kill the snakes. It just goes to show you how bad those pest control products are. I won't even spray the yard for pests or weeds with the snakes in the house since the house isn't airtight.

Hope this helps,
Shelly

Thanks. I've already started washing everything my cat slept on- clothes and blankets- and have vacuumed a couple times already. My mom and I don't think its necessary to use the flea bombs, but my dad is convinced its the only way to go. So I can't jeopardize my cat's health by not doing it, and I can't jeopardize the reptiles by doing it when they're here. My boyfriend will take them, but he's an hour away and its gonna be a pain cause I think he'll have to take them by himself as I have to work on Saturday and Saturday's the day we're gonna bomb.

I remember reading that story about that person's snakes all dying because of the chemical residue in the vacuum and that's why I'm really paranoid. When we vacuum after the flea bomb, do you think it'll be ok if we just change the bag?
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0.1 ball python (Kilimanjaro)
1.0 amel corn snake (Houdini)
0.0.1 leopard gecko (Charlie)
1.1 cats (Kitty & Milo)
0.1 mouse (Creepers)

Just use your parents vacuum if they don't have any reptiles. There's lots of parts inbetween the bag and the part that sucks up dirt, and flea bomb residue can get stuck in there.

I had friends who had a mother cat and kittens that were infested with fleas, and the kittens started becoming anemic, and almost died. They managed to take care of their flea problem with just frontline and vacuuming. They didn't even have reptiles - they just couldn't find a way to get everyone out of the apartment for long enough to let the bomb work.

Good luck!

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

if Dad still insists you flea bomb tell him to look into a product called flea busters. Its a powder that contains borax and diatonacous earth. (no poisons) You follow directions and sprinkle around all the cracks etc. then vacume it up. If you follow the instructions they will guarantee it for one year. You will still want to take your reptiles and others outside until your done with the treatment but there is no residual bad stuff to linger around in thier cages. My vet carry flea busters. If Dad sez bomb anyway then not only remove your animals but cover thier cages with damp towels. This will help the air born toxins stick to the towel and not penetrate to the cage bottom. Works for fish tanks too. Good luck.

To be honest - I have been flea bombing my house for years without issue. Remove all animals, bomb, air out the house, vacuum, clean any surfaces in the snake room, racks, etc. run the heat tape/rope in the racks for a few hours replace animals at the end of the day.

As with all pesticides you need to use caution - I know some breeders that use Frontline directly on their snakes safely - not sure if the same stuff is what would be used for bombs tho. I think we mostly use zodiac from what I understand there is one particular brand you need to stay away from and I think it's Adams - for some reason people have had problems with that particular brand and snakes.
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Tosha
JET Pythons

Insert Silly Quote Here

Hartz also has had a lot of problems reported, especially with the animals it's supposed to treat!

What brand of flea bomb do you use? Zodiac, you said?

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

Although it sounds like you'll be doing the bombing, I figured it can't hurt to pass on this info.
Don't forget, when using vacuuming as your treatment for fleas,
take the vacuum bag outside & dispose of it afterwards, start anew with a new bag daily if you can afford it, every few days if you can't. Fleas can (& will) crawl right the heck out of the vacuum & reinfest your house. It only takes one flea. & one blood meal is all that one flea needs to be able to lay eggs (hundreds at a time!).
Flea infestations suck, but they're fixable. Good luck!

-Tami*