Flea Circus
Treating your pets for fleas is a very common topic and is certainly a subject that vets get quite passionate about. It is certainly very important to treat our pets for fleas for a number of reasons such as:
- Relieving your pets
- Preventing Flea Allergy dermatitis
- Preventing spread of tapeworm infections.
However, I though I would share some information I came across and found quite interesting on the attractions of ye old times, the famous flea circus. Here I was, believing that it was all just an illusion with miniature mechanised circus equipment. Not so!!
Fascinatingly I discovered that actual fleas were used and “trained” to perform circus acts! The history of flea circuses dates back as far as 1578 with the first being advertised as early as 1833 in England. There are quite a few techniques used to train fleas. Some of these involve observing the fleas to see if they had a predisposition for jumping or walking. Once sorted, they were harnessed by carefully wrapping a thin gold wire around the neck of the flea! Jumping fleas were used for kicking small lightweight balls – the harness would prevent them from jumping away and they would shoot the ball instead. Running fleas were used to pull small cars and vehicles or rotate a ferris wheel.
There are also reports of fleas being glued to the base of a flea circus enclosure. Miniature musical instruments were then glued to the fleas and the enclosure heated. The fleas fought to escape, giving the impression of fleas playing instruments. The majority of fleas in the flea circus are, however, dead. They can be attached to their circus equipment and manipulated with the use of magnets
Feeling sorry for fleas at this point in time? PLEASE DON’T! Unfortunately we cannot train our fleas to jump off our beloved pets and exit stage left Moulin Rouge style in frilly costumes. This is why it is essential to use a veterinary recommended flea product. There are many products available for the treatment of fleas and these include both spot on and chewable forms and some of the products are also combined with worming treatments to cover everything for ease of use.
Please pop in for to discuss the best treatment for your pet.
Are you looking for something a bit different to entertain guests at your next party? Then go no further than the Dinky Di Aussie Flea Circus (based in the Northern Territory) at http://www.hyperclown.com
Other interesting facts about fleas:
- A flea can pull up to 160,000 times its own weight.
- A flea can jump over 150 times its own size. If a man had the same strength, he could jump over 100meters.
- A flea can jump 30,000 times without a break.
- Dead fleas dressed as wedding couples were popular collectors’ items in the 1920s.
Want to read more on flea circuses – check out the following websites:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea_circus
- https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/magazine-articles/flea-circuses