# Why don't horses get fleas ?



## Fii (11 August 2010)

They get ticks, and lice, and every other land based mammal gets fleas, so why don't horses, not that i am complaining of coarse just wondered.

 Any ideas??


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## fitzaud2 (12 August 2010)

I have no idea, but i reckon, they probably will figure out how to get them, so it costs more to keep them, just cos we all have SO much money floating around!!


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## Box_Of_Frogs (12 August 2010)

Fleas can only live on host animals that have a lair, sett, nest, cave, den. Or sitting room with thick carpet (eep). In other words there must be a "home" that the animal spends "down time" in, like badgers, foxes, birds, bears, cats, rabbits, humans etc. An essential part of the flea's life cyle is the egg stage. Eggs don't stay on the host animal, they drop off into the "home" where they mature and then wait patiently for the warmth from the host animal to trigger them to jump back aboard. Horses haven't evolved to have any sort of den or nest (fleas haven't cottoned on to stables yet thank god) so they don't have fleas. If this makes you itchy, I'm not surprised!!!!!


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## Fii (12 August 2010)

Thanks, the question came to me during a thread i started in soapbox, i have been talking about fleas all night, lol. Yes now you mention it, i am a bit itchy


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## flirtygerty (12 August 2010)

This is interesting, cos I picked a flea off our yearlings forehead yesterday,
in the field, mind the cat does spend a lot of time in the field as does the dog.
Maybe it's time to check them for beasties.


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## McNally (12 August 2010)

They do! Years ago my pony was plastered in lice (yuck) i was miss popular at the yard- it cost everyone a fortune as all horses had to be treated together.

More recently we had a foal at our present yard for a couple of months livery while he recovered from an injury- he too had to be treated for lice- his were so bad he'd rub himself raw and you could pick them off easily!


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## McNally (12 August 2010)

Oh sorry!!

I thought O/P thread said why cant they get fleas or lice!!

Whats the difference anyway?


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## Niraf (12 August 2010)

Horses can get fleas. Mine were in a stable right next to a big chicken run. The floors of both were sand at the time. One of my horses became infested with fleas, but they all dropped off a day or so later and they didnt return. My other horses werent affected.


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