Laboratory Techniques for Rearing the Fleas (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae and Pulicidae) of California Ground Squirrels (Rodentia: Sciuridae) Using a Novel Nest Box

Three species of fleas, Oropsylla montana (Baker), Hoplopsyllus anomalus (Baker), and Echidnophaga gallinacea (Westwood), occur seasonally on the California ground squirrel, Spermophilus beecheyi (Richardson). Few studies have focused on the biology and ecology of these fleas despite their importance in the epidemiology of sylvatic plague. To best duplicate a natural parasite-host relationship in the laboratory, a novel nest box was developed that facilitated housing wild-caught S. beecheyi, was conducive to rearing fleas, and met modern standards for laboratory animal hygiene. This flexible system allowed adult fleas with different feeding strategies to be colonized successfully while providing sufficient flea eggs for both colony maintenance and biological research. The techniques described could be adapted to work with other species of rodents and their fleas.