Pet medicine portal - We have no pets but our kids have flea bites?

We have no pets but our kids have flea bites?

Hi wondered if someone could help me out. Me and my partner have two children who have been suffering with red itchy spots all over their body now since they were young. We visited the doctor two weeks ago due to my son having an enormous amount of these spots on his body (i lost count at 55). I was given various creams and medicines and told to re-visit one of the skin specialist a week later. I did this and was told they were flea bites, we were told to keep the kids away from their nans house (who has 3 cats) for 4 weeks. One week on and the bites are still appearing!!(however i was told this is normal). Two days ago my son said he noticed a small insect in his room on a piece of white paper that jumped 3-4 times before disapearing. This evening he came rushing into our room with one of these insects on his arm, i removed it and it immediately jumped off my hand - could this be fleas? We dont have any animals and only moved into our home 18 months ago - help!!! Just to point out one of our carpets (which was laid in our son's room) was given to us by my mom (who owns 3 cats). The carpet itself was bought brand new and stored (rolled up in plastic) at the edge of her stairway for 6 months before it was given to us and laid in our sons room 18 months ago. Can flea's live that long and breed with no animals present in our household? My son will be nine years old in january and he has been having these re-accuring bites now since he was two years old - i doubt that every single house we have lived in has had a flea problem before we moved in. The house we moved in to had no carpets down when we moved in and was cleaned and decorated. The house itself is privately owned by a housing association who have very strict policies on pets (you have to get written consent if you want to own a cat/dog). Furthermore we were asked prior to moving in if we had any pets, on this basis i would presume they knew the previous occupier and if she owned any pets would have taken all appropriate action to ensure we (with 2 children) are moving into a clean house.

Public Comments

The fleas probably came with the house. Call an exterminator. They'll take care of the problem.
Give your kids a bath...it works wonders. Fleas are attracted to filth.
Yes, Fleas can live that long. Call an exterminator they can take care of the problem right away. Fleas are not drawn to filth. The are attracted by the warmth of the body. Our house was infested when we bought it 10 years ago. The exterminator took care of it right away.
It’s hard to get rid of fleas because they multiply fast and can go long periods of time without food. In the right environment, a flea can transform from egg to adult in less than 30 days. Fleas have four life cycles and during these cycles the flea can lay dormant, waiting for the right time to make its metamorphosis to the next cycle. The life cycle includes egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The survival and lifespan of a flea relies heavily on its environment and its ability to adapt to the environment. The amount of time required to complete a life cycle depends on temperature, humidity, and the availability of food.Adult Fleas are hard to kill because they can hide and can become dormant for long periods of time, instead of dying off when conditions are not right. Fleas, in their different stages, adapt to their environment in order to survive. For example, if the conditions are not right for the larvae and adult flea, then they stay in the same state or stage until the conditions are favorable. Adults will not emerge from the pupae state into adulthood until they hear vibrations or movement, detect levels of oxygen, or sense a warm-blooded animal by temperature. Until it knows the environment is right for survival, the flea can stay in the pupae stage for as long as 20 weeks. Once an adult flea has emerged, he can go up to two months in hot conditions or longer during humid or moderate temperatures without food. With adequate blood meals and the right humid temperature the adult flea can live from a month to a year. of time without food. In the right environment, a flea can transform from egg to adult in less than 30 days. To completely get rid of fleas, you have to treat your home inside and out and treat your pets, preferably, all on the same day. Often, even with a three-sided attack, you may have to treat the areas two or three times because fleas in their different life stages can lie dormant and unaffected by pesticides. Make sure to treat the carpets, all the linens in the house, furniture and even the yard. I would also suggest talking to their childrens nan about treating the cats with advantage a flea prevention program that also works on a number of other parasites. You may want to assist her in treating her house as well to kill all of the fleas. Fleas are attracted to heat, cats have a high body temperature than humans but if the cat is treated the fleas will not pause to jump on you. Using Skin So Soft from Avon will keep fleas off of you and your family. You can also thin slice a lemon or lime (peals and all) into two cups of water. Heat the water to boiling and let sit overnight. Sponge or spray the mixture onto you and your family in the morning, and let it dry. It will soothe the skin, smell really nice, and keep the fleas off for about 1/2 a day.
The fleas probably came from your moms house. Could be from the carpet could be the children had flea eggs on them or live fleas once they came home. Regardless the problem needs to be resolved. The first step is to deal with your house. You have to options. The first and easiest is to call an exterminator. I know alot of people don't want those chemicals in their house with children so you can also take measure to rid the problem yourself. First launder all bedding then vaccuum your house daily for 1 week. When you vaccuum take the bag outside immediatley. Unless you have a very severe infestation this usually takes care of the issue. The second step is to talk to your mom. Her house will have to be dealt with as well and those kittes are going to need to be on a flea preventative. Your mom may not even know the cats have fleas.
It is possible you guys have fleas even if you don't have pets. The simple answer? Without a big long explaination for you to read? Buy some food grade diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle it all around your house, carpets, beds, closets, everywhere! Then wait a day and vacuum. IT's cheaper than an exterminator and the least amount of rouble. Oh, and it's perfectly safe for your kids to be around. You don't have to worry about leaving your house for hours or poison.
If your children go to someones house the flea will jump on the clothes and they will bite the person that they are on. The fleas will jump on peoples clothes and travel until the flea will jump off. My ex landlords daughter has kittens and if I left the house the flea would be on my clothes and jump off at the place I went to after he had bitten me. I wonder if your house has fleas from the former owner. What I used when I got bitten by the flea was Benedryl stick and in three days the bite was gone. Fleas can travel on clothes. I hope this will help. Here is a link that will tell you about fleas http://www.flea-info.com/about_fleas/en/life_cycle.shtml
Fleas can live for a very long time (years) if there is nothing around for them to bite/feed on. They go into suspended animation. So, they may have been in the house since you bought it, or they may have been in that carpet while at your mothers, or you may have carried one into your home when returning from visiting someone with pets. Before calling an exterminator, I would suggest that you go to a pet store, and pick up a couple of canisters of really good flea spray (the one designed for your rooms/home, NOT for a pet). And spray the perimeter of all rooms (along baseboards) and under your couch, bed, etc. Keep kids off the surface until it dries. This may take care of the problem, and you'll only be out $40 instead of hundreds for an exterminator.
You can find information on getting rid of fleas at http://pests.in/fleas.html
Best also check with the school. They could be human fleas passed from one child to another. When i was a chiild ths happen to me and my sister. A kid at school had passed them onto everyone else. If not then yes it is quite possible that the flea eggs have laid dormant in carpets or furniture for a while. You will have to treat the whole house with flea powders and vacuum twice a day for a few days. Animal fleas will bite us but will not live on us as they are species specific.