Can dog fleas....?

Question

...transfer onto human hair?? I know that they can live in and around carpets etc. in the home, but do they also live on human hair?

I went to my friend's house yesterday. and her dog had fleas - not many, as the dog had been washed and groomed only last Sunday and flea treatment also put on 2 days ago. I'm just worried if I could get them?

Answer 1

Fleas are not attracted to hair, they are attracted to blood (they eat blood). I would not worry too much, the worst that is going to happen is you might have a few bite marks. In all my years working at the hospital, I have never heard of a human infestation.

Answer 2

Fleas like thick furry stuff like animal fur and carpets to live in, they dont like being exposed and out in the open. People just arn't hairy enough to make for a nice comfy long term home. The little sods however are not fussy about food, all they are interested in is a nice supply of fresh warm blood and will sink the fangs in faster than dracula. The fleas on a dog generally stay where they are, its nice and comfy with food laid on. Fleas living in carpet on the other hand will be after you like a heat seeking missile. I can remember going to clients house and sitting in a room that was rarely used only to be bitten by a flea and I could actually see more fleas jumping accross their carpet toward me!
So far as living in your hair.. no they might move in on a temporary basis if you have an infested animal sleeping near your head or something but but they wont stay for long and as someone else has said I am not sure they they can live on humans anyway.
At worst you may get a few flea bites if you are somewhere in the vicinity of something infested with fleas (so mozzie type repelants can be a good thing) but the fleas are not going to look at you and say "vacant home lets move in", instead they will treat you as a cafe/diner and just keep dropping by for a feed.

Answer 3

The chances of you getting fleas from a friends house or dog is very very small. They can however hide in your clothing and be transfered to your own home. Even living with several dogs and cats who periodically get infested with these pests its rare for the human population of the house to get bitten. The only fleas that live in human hair are human fleas and in this Country they've been virtually wiped out!
I wouldn't worry about it and you certainly wont get infested with them.

Answer 4

you won't have fleas living on you, but you will definately get bit. And as mentioned before those fleas are looking for a new host as the dog has been treated. By the way the fleas will ride home w/you on your clothes and infest your home too. My husband sprays his pants and shoes before going in to clean out a rental house that had pets. We suffered with a flea infestation and finally realized we were bringing the fleas home with us!

Answer 5

Fleas prefer animals with fur to human hosts. They will usually bite and feed off the youngest members of the family if an animal is not present as a host, but in general they will bite anything alive for a tasty meal of blood. If there is a dog with fleas don't worry. The fleas are content to stick to the dog and will not bother with you. You can however take fleas home if they jump on to your clothing via carpets etc in an infested home.

Answer 6

Yes the flea could transfer onto a human, BUT it won't like living on you and should make a swift exit, your friends house would of had to have been infested for you to come away full of fleas so try not to worry to much

Answer 7

Yes fleas can trasfer onto human hair. When I was kid.....way before we had things like Frontline, all we had was flea dips, powders and shampoos, which were almost useless. I can remember my cat who had never been outside, got infested with fleas. I had to stop her from sleeping over my head at night because I would wake up with a flea or 2 in my hair. I can remember getting up in the middle of night to take a shower. I also remember it took us months to get rid of the fleas on her. We spent alot of money on flea dips, which made her lose her fur. We finally found out it was the basement of the apartment we were living in that was infested. Once we treated the basement we never had a problem again.
Fleas will not stay on a human, they need to animals to survive. But you could certainly bring one home from your own hair to your pets.

Answer 8

They are more likely to live in your clothing rather than in your hair. The chances are that your friend has cat fleas as they are more prevalent. You are also more likely to pick them up from the furniture and carpets than the dogs.

They may bite you and can live on human blood but much prefer your pet.

Answer 9

No, fleas will not live on humans because they prefer dogs and other animals. You can pick up fleas from just walking through grass. Hedgehogs are notorious for having fleas! Although animal fleas can bite and the bite will make you itch be assured they will not live on you, including in your hair.

Answer 10

Dog fleas love and crave human company almost as much as dogs do :)
Unfortunately, the fleas are interested in your blood only :)