We’ve all seen it but wonder what exactly flea dirt is. I’m going to explain what it is but brace yourself because this is vital to know, but pretty gross.

Flea dirt is basically Flea poop. Flea dirt is just a more pleasant way of saying it. When fleas bite you they drink your blood and use that to make more little baby fleas. Not all of the blood is used though just like when we eat something our body doesn’t use all of it. So what happens to the stuff we don’t use? It’s pooped out.

Fleas in a way are a little like humans when it comes to using the restroom. We usually relieve ourselves in an area that’s comfortable to us, or somewhere we visit a lot like work, home, or sometimes a friend’s house just so we can steal all of their toilet paper. Fleas are the same way, they only poop in an area they spend a lot of time in so when you find flea dirt there are probably fleas nearby.

Flea dirt is mostly females. This is because female fleas consume the most blood. They can consume up to 20 times their weight in food. If your pet has too many fleas on them it can result in noticeable blood decrease just because they can consume so much blood. Some of this flea dirt will be eaten by flea larva but not all of it will so it can accumulate. This is why you should clean it up, large groups of bug poop isn’t very appealing to guest

What does Flea dirt look like?

Flea dirt looks like little black pellets on the ground or in the fur of your pet. If looking for flea dirt check towards the base of your pets fur. There is a simple test you can perform to test and see if it’s actually flea dirt.

All you need to do is take a wet piece of paper towel or tissue and get some of the dirt from your pet’s fur. If it changes color to red or a mix of red and brown then it may just be flea dirt.

The easiest spot to find flea dirt is on your pet’s stomach. It can be more easily seen there and fleas seem to prefer to leave their droppings on the stomach more frequently than anywhere else.

How can I get rid of flea dirt?

Lucky For us flea dirt isn’t as hard to remove as fleas are. You can simply get a vacuum cleaner and clean up your couch, pet bed, and carpet or anywhere else you think you may have flea dirt.

If it’s on your pet you can just give your pet a bath. I would recommend using a Flea Shampoo because if there is flea dirt then obviously you have fleas and should probably start getting rid of them as fast as you can. You can also use a Flea Comb.

This is incredibly handy when trying to find fleas or get rid of them and their poop. Just stroke the comb through you pets fur especially around the stomach and ears and this should get rid of the flea dirt in no time.

For more information on how to treat fleas click here.