What Do Flea Eggs Look Like and How Do You Get Rid of Them?

Updated Mar. 30, 2025
what do flea eggs look like; a dog scratches themselves, possibly from fleas.

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Just the word “flea” can make us itchy—and it’s no wonder why. One flea can rapidly turn into an infestation of parasites that lay innumerable little flea eggs on dogs and cats.

Catching fleas on dogs and cats early is essential for controlling a flea outbreak. To get a flea infestation under control, it’s important to fight fleas at every life stage, including targeting flea eggs.

Let’s look at some tips for identifying flea eggs on pets and how to get rid of them so you can keep your pet (and home) pest-free.

Key Takeaways

  • Flea eggs have a soft shell that has an off-white color, like a grain of salt, though they are more oval.
  • Dead flea eggs may be shriveled up and appear tanner in color.
  • People often mistake flea dirt for flea eggs—though both are signs of a flea infestation. Unlike flea eggs, flea dirt is dark and crumbly.

What Do Flea Eggs Look Like?

While adult fleas on dogs and cats can be identified pretty easily, their eggs can be a little trickier to detect.

Flea eggs are almost microscopic—they’re typically about 0.5 millimeters in length and about half as wide. That’s about the size of a grain of salt.

You may be wondering—what color are flea eggs?

Flea eggs have a soft shell called a chorion that has an off-white color, like a grain of salt, though they are more oval.

Because flea eggs are easy to mistake for dry skin or sand, it’s usually not the first thing pet parents notice if their pet has a flea problem. If you have a flea infestation, finding flea dirt or actual fleas on your pet or in the home are more obvious signs.

what do flea eggs look like; a finger holds up tiny white specks, which are flea eggs.
Photo credit: Flickr/Denni Schnapp

If you’d like to discern a flea egg from something else, place the speck on a dark piece of paper under a magnifying glass to identify the characteristically oval shape of a flea egg.

Dead flea eggs may be shriveled up and appear tanner in color.

Flea Eggs vs. Flea Dirt

People often mistake flea dirt, or flea feces, for flea eggs—though both are signs of a flea infestation.

Unlike flea eggs, flea dirt is dark and crumbly.

You can identify flea dirt by putting a few of the specks on a white piece of paper and adding a couple drops of water. If you see a red color—which signals the presence of digested blood—then you’re dealing with flea dirt.

Flea dirt itself isn’t actually harmful and it’s easy to wash away with a gentle bath. The bad news is that it absolutely indicates a flea problem, which means your pet will require more than just a bath for treatment.

What Do Flea Larvae Look Like?

Flea larvae hatch from flea eggs. They are an off-white color and look like tiny worms, ranging from 2–5 millimeters in length.

You may not see them during an infestation because they quickly burrow deep into carpets, cracks, and grass.

How To Get Rid of Flea Eggs

At any given time, flea eggs make up more than half of a flea population, so you’ll want to address them quickly and effectively. However, getting rid of flea eggs should be a part of a multi-pronged approach to eliminating a flea infestation.

Treating Pets to Kill Flea Eggs

Many modern flea treatments for pets contain ingredients that kill adult fleas and insect growth regulators (IGRs), which stop flea eggs from maturing into adults.

Some IGRs also work to sterilize female fleas so they can’t lay viable eggs. Additionally, some antiparasitics contain avermectins, which prevent flea eggs from hatching.

Examples of IGRs include methoprene and pyriproxyfen. An example of an avermectin is selamectin.

Flea medications like Advantage Vectra and Revolution include such ingredients.

Talk with your vet to decide which treatment they recommend for killing flea eggs on cats or dogs. They can help you choose the best product for your pet.

Products for Eliminating Flea Eggs in the Home

Foggers provide a simple way to kill flea eggs (and many other pests). It’s recommended to use foggers in combination with sprays or other products that can be used under furniture, where foggers have trouble reaching.

Many pet parents choose to use an environmental insect growth regulator to stop fleas from developing. Sprays with IGR, such as PetArmor Home & Carpet Spray, are great for killing flea eggs in your home.

Vacuuming and Cleaning To Get Rid of Fleas

Another effective way to get rid of flea eggs at home is to vacuum thoroughly. Flea eggs aren’t sticky, so while adult fleas typically lay their eggs on their host, those eggs soon fall off into the environment.

Several years ago, people commonly believed that the fleas would continue to develop in the vacuum and make their way into the environment, but that’s simply not the case. 

Vacuuming kills adult and non-adult fleas (eggs, larvae, pupae), which means you don’t need to worry about what to do with the vacuum bag or canister.

You can remove up to 90% of flea eggs (depending on the type of carpet you have) by simply vacuuming every other day while treating your flea infestation.

Vacuuming will also lift carpet fibers so that other environmental treatments work more effectively.

Vacuuming is a great idea even if you don’t have carpet—on hard surfaces such as hardwoods or tile, vacuuming can lift flea eggs from hard-to-reach cracks.

Mopping and steam cleaning can help to kill flea eggs, and washing linens, bedding, and pet beds in the washing machine on the hot cycle is also advisable.

If possible, declutter your home so it’s easier to clean and there are fewer places for flea eggs to hide.

It’s important that your flea-control program tackles fleas at all of their life stages, including flea eggs. Employing multiple types of flea protection will help to cover any gaps in your strategy.

Be sure you speak with your veterinarian about the safety of any products you choose to use in your home and on your pet.

Pet parents should know the signs of fleas so they can intervene with appropriate treatment if necessary. Monthly prevention is the best strategy to keeping your dog protected and keeping flea eggs out of your home.

What Do Flea Eggs Look Like FAQs

What color are flea eggs?

Flea eggs are off-white in color.

What do flea eggs look like on a dog or cat?

Flea eggs look like off-white and oval grains of salt on your pet. They can easily be mistaken for flakes of dry skin or sand.

Are there flea eggs in my bed?

If you see what you think are flea eggs on bed sheets, this could be a sign of a flea infestation. You’ll need to treat your pets and the environment to eliminate the infestation.

How long do flea eggs take to hatch?

Flea eggs hatch within one to 10 days, depending on environmental conditions.

What do dead flea eggs look like?

Dead flea eggs can look very similar to live flea eggs in many cases, so it can be difficult to tell the difference. However, sometimes dead flea eggs can become shriveled or tan in color.


Jennifer Coates, DVM

WRITTEN BY

Jennifer Coates, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Jennifer Coates is an accomplished veterinarian, writer, editor, and consultant with years of experience in the fields of veterinary...


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