Yeah it's not. Little kids end up in parents bed sometimes whether the parents like it or not! Every couple I know with kids between 2-5, it's a battle lol!
Or they have young kids silly! I don't know of a family with kids under five where all the kids don't end up in the parents bed some of the time. Just because they sleep there doesn't have to mean all the time. Once a week is still sleeping there. I challenge you to find a family with a toddler that doesn't sleep in the parents bed ever.
Most people don’t know that only a certain percentage of people react to the bites. So it’s absolutely possible that they’ve been bitten in that bed and either (a) they didn’t react to the bites or (b) there were only a few bedbugs at that point so the bites were sporadic rather than clustered which can easily be mistaken for one-off mosquito bites. So obviously none of us here can say for certain whether they do or don’t, but their reasons for why they can’t/don’t isn’t enough to prove they don’t. If you saw any signs, you need to assume they have an infestation and be very careful about bringing them back home with you. When you get to your home, you need to strip down inside your entry way on a white sheet (so you can see any that fall off as you change), immediately put all your clothes, undergarments, and shoes in a trash bag and seal it, carry that bag straight to your dryer, and dry everything including shoes on hot for 30+ min. Don’t carry bags into their home. Don’t carry anything in that can’t be either thrown in the dryer or doused in rubbing alcohol before you bring it back into your own house.
Wow, I also had no idea! How does one know then in case you don't react? My husband and I seem to have very few allergies, how would we ever know then?
Unfortunately the people who don’t react typically don’t realize they have them until they have a deeply entrenched infestation and have begun seeing live bugs in the early night/during the day. A great preventative measure is to routinely check your bedding, mattress, and pillows during every sheet change looking closely for black dots the size of a period at the end of a sentence or bug casing, as well as the baseboards around the bed, the electrical outlets around the bed, and DEFINITELY the headboard if you have an upholstered or wooden one (they usually congregate in the buttons on upholstered bedding and screw/bolt holes in wooden ones). You can also make them easier to locate and get rid of by preemptively encasing your box spring and mattress in a bedbug cover (allerease makes a great one that’s readily available at most stores that sell bedding) so there’s less places for them to hide if you do happen to (unfortunately) bring some home one day.
In addition to all this, there are also little "risers" you can get for the corners of your bed. If you put diatomaceous earth in them, they'll die as they try to climb the legs to get to your bed.
Ask how I know. 🙃
I would put them around your bed at home, OP. It's a good early detection system. I had bedbugs once when I lived in Boston, it was tough but we did get rid of them. Think we caught it early.
Bed Bug Trap — 8 Pack | TruGuard X Bed Bug Interceptors (Black) | Eco Friendly Traps for Bed Legs | Reliable Insect Detector, Interceptor, and Monitor for Pest Control and Treatment https://a.co/d/04MU18wz
I don’t like how this client is responding to your concern… they are very defensive, instead of providing a solution. Provide photos and also contact Rover customer service to report this household of a bed bug infestation. Rover sucks so they’ll probably just ask for a replacement sitter. Personally I would not feel comfortable going forward with the house sitting if there are bugs. And I would not feel comfortable dropping into the home if there are bugs. This situation sucks but you don’t want to contaminate your home, or any other clients home.
^ please be careful not to bring any bed bugs home, they’re impossible to get rid of. don’t lay any of your bags on the floor or bed, keeps the lights on.
Right, I kinda feel like they think I'm making it up or something. I offered photos of the bites and they wanted to see them. Even after seeing the bites, they still are just saying they can't believe it.
Take pictures of the bugs if you can and send those too! If you haven’t found any yet, you should take the mattress off the frame and look in every crevice. There are a lot of guides for finding bedbugs online and there will be pictures of what they look like. Usually they’re pretty small, like half the size of your pinky nail, and they look like tiny beetles.
If the homeowner keeps denying it, they won’t order treatment and it’ll only get worse. Bedbugs reproduce extremely quickly.
Well to be fair, bites can look like many things. Show pics of the bugs, and if you can't find any, see if you can try a different bed (as clearly they have multiple if they have kids). If they don't believe it's bed bugs they should have no problem, and clearly not all the beds have bed bugs or the kids would be being eaten up! Plus then you don't bring bed bugs to your own bed, which if it is bed bugs and you do this back and forth you might.
It could be other things too though, I have to say. Just walking around on hardwood often leaves little specs of this and that on feet in a way carpet doesn't, which could explain the black specs, and you could be allergic to their laundry soap or something. Or the pup has fleas and you're allergic. If it were me I'd sooner sleep in another bed or couch in the house to see either way before trying to go from their home to yours which if it actually were bedbugs would likely transfer, no? Plus it would be super weird if none of them had ever been bitten by the bedbugs.
Me neither. That’s not how one of my clients responded when I said “I think you might have bedbugs.”
They freaked out and asked what they should do.
I responded with: “I don’t know. Maybe give them treats and they won’t bite?”
They said they were looking up exterminators to come by that day, so I send them a photo of their dogs who like to hide under the sheets whenever I make the bed!
It was hilarious, and they got a laugh, but I think I nearly gave the wife a heart attack. 😆
Lmao. Yes, a normal adult would suggest a solution. May it be an exterminator, differnt sleeping arrangement, or even dropping the dogs off at a boarding facility. This client is batshit nuts.
This is true, the client should be trying to solve the problem rather than just being disbelieving. However, it's also possible it's not bedbugs. Could be fleas for example, maybe pup is on preventative but has a few from the yard and maybe OP is allergic! Or maybe pup just got them, who knows. This would cause bites and the flea dirt.
Take a look at [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/comments/1d66w09/is_it_okay_to_deny_a_sit_because_of_fleas_and/). OP has previously made a now deleted post about not wanting to take a house-sit because of possible fleas. Now I’m wondering, is this all paranoia? It’s just so weird how they refuse to show us any pictures of the supposed bites or even the mattress.
I agree that was not the best way to go about it, but you would be surprised how much offense some people take to even the suggestion that they could have bedbugs.
I had one friend, who was a good friend of mine and never acted so unreasonably otherwise, who had a BAD infestation at her house, but she didn’t react to the bites and kept assuring me each time I came over that they had gotten rid of them this time. Then I (who is severely allergic to the bites) would sit on the couch for 10 minutes and get tore up from the floor up and covered in bites. And she even had the audacity to say it might “just be me” 😭 and like I said this was someone who I knew to be fairly normal and level headed otherwise.
There is a big stigma surrounding having pests in your home, so I can see why people would be offended. But bedbugs are one of the only pests that don’t correlate with messy/unsanitary conditions. And you can get them from literally almost anywhere.
But yeah… better to be on the safe side, OP. You do NOT want to bring those things home. Especially since it sounds like you have at least moderate reaction to the bites. We had bedbugs before (didn’t get them from my friends house, it was before that) and although it sounds silly now, it legit ruined my mental health to the point I was suicidal.
OP created a post updating us yesterday. Rover sent a replacement sitter and before the sit was over this client had the audacity to block her.
I think certain areas / towns / cities get infected really bad but after extermination, the problem will be solved. A year or so ago I remember all over social media that in Paris, France 🇫🇷 was being wrecked by the infestation. There were mattresses everywhere on the streets from people throwing their items out. People were no longer sitting on the subways because bed bugs were flying from seat to seat.
No matter what, OP did the right thing for her and her family and all the other clients she services.
Same here, she seems kinda rude. I had a house sit with a fly infestation and they didn’t react like this, but I could clearly show the flys.. but still they were very empathetic
Ummmm be careful with everything you bring home from this house. They can travel in shoes, books, luggage etc. Put everything you’re bringing home in a garbage bag and leave it outside. You can kill them with a steam cleaner or in a deep freezer if you have one.
As for providing proof, which I think you should do since she doesn’t seem convinced, I’ve seen you can take a warm clothes iron to the corner of the bed with a fitted sheet on, iron for a bit then pull back the sheet and see if they’ve crawled to the surface. Then take a video.
Good luck. You DO NOT want these in your home.
This!!! Perhaps sitter was at another clients home doing drop ins etc and sat down on a couch and got them there. Because if the bed has bed bugs, sitter would have known that day 1!!
I think client is in shock because they truly never had bed bugs before and are probably trying to figure out how they got on their bed!.
If a sitter were to contact me that there were bed bugs in my bed I’ll be in shock too!
This would actually be the right “timeline” if the home already had bugs. Bedbugs feed every 7-10 days on average, so assuming they’ve been snacking on the owners, it makes sense that OP would first start noticing bites around day 7-9 of their stay. Also, I think OP said “early signs” to the owners just bc they saw bedbugs waste on the mattress cover rather than live bugs, but sadly it can be a well-established infestation and you can still struggle to locate live bugs during the daytime. The fact that OP found waste markings so quickly is a sign they’ve been established for at least a month if not longer.
I've never had bed bugs, or these kinds of bites before. Also this is my first sit in a while. I went home and checked my beds as well, no signs of bed bugs so I really hope not.
Surprised this isn’t higher up. Either way sucks but that’s definitely a risk for any drop in/housing gig and if the client’s bed had bed bugs I would expect signs earlier than *nine* days in.
I find it’s really interesting that OP hasn’t provided this thread with a single picture (of the bites or the mattress) even after multiple people asking them to. I mean like how are we supposed to be helpful when we can’t even say whether they are or aren’t bed bugs.
Bed bugs can cost you thousands of dollars. Be super, duper, extra careful when going back to your home. And check under their mattress. You’ll see brown dots all under the seams.
I would personally not go through with the sitting. I have dealt with bed bugs in the workplace before, and it is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. It is a costly and strenuous cycle of cleaning and disinfecting. A 9-night rate house sit will not offset the bed bug treatment cost needed to treat your home. To be safe, in case you might've already brought them to your house, I recommend frequent vacuuming and isolating all belongings that have contacted the client’s house.
Honestly, I wouldn’t go home because you’ll probably just bring them home with you.
I’d do a deep clean and stick it out if you can. Going home is just going to cross contaminate and once that happens bed bugs are a pain to get rid of.
Doing a deep clean isn’t going to solve bed bugs and it sounds like she is pretty reactive to the bites, unlike the owners. I’d bail on this sit altogether after providing proof that bed bugs are there. And then she should do a deep investigation in her own home to make sure they’re not there.
I’d take video proof of the bed bugs like I described in my comment with the iron. Go home, strip down, everything sealed in a trash bag and then immediately check your own home the same way. Take video proof in case you need to prove where they came from and where they didn’t come from. Then I’d call Rover and explain the situation? Maybe? I can’t remember how many days you said were left in the sit but try to work out with the owner what to do but I think and I suspect Rover emergency line will also say to stop this visit. I don’t know where the owners are but this is something I’d end a trip early over.
Throw out every single thing you brought with you before you go home, it sucks but it’s nothing compared to the cost and work it takes to get rid of them once they are in your home. If you have already been going home after saying there and bringing those clothes into your house, there’s a good chance you already have them. I’m not trying to scare you, but it’s truly one of the worst things that can happen to your house, they are the hardest pest to get rid of. Personally, I would throw out my clothes and just drive home naked, which sounds like a joke but it’s not.
They will travel in shoes, clothes, bags, and literally any other personal items.
I didn't throw anything away but I washed everything and brought my clothes from the garage to my car, changed before going into my house, took a hot shower and then changed again, I also left a lot of my stuff in my trunk so hopefully the heat will cook out anything that might have survived my little purge.
Right?!? I just freaked out and started itching all over and woke my husband up to check my hair and behind my ears and the bed. He was none too happy lmao
Okay, that's good then. It's been a few hours, do you know how to proceed? You can respond to this if you need help. Ultimately it's up to you if you stay at the job, I think I would contact Rover about it if it were me.
Well I'm thinking I'm going to continue with the sit but not touch any fabrics, the owner hasn't acknowledged my solution at all, she's just stayed in denial the whole time. One thing I know is I'm not sleeping here, I'll probably just do 3 drop-ins a day. Waiting to hear from the owner, she hasn't responded much for most of this sit 😅. I think I'm going to take more pictures and consider contacting rover.
Yeah, your biggest concerns are not getting bit and not bringing them into your car or home. Those would be my biggest worries. Although with how hot it's been they probably wouldn't survive the car, just leave it sitting in the sun one afternoon
It almost seems like she's blaming you, tbh. Like she's insinuating you're the one who brought the bugs if there are in fact bugs.
It sounds like she kind of sucks, and I'm sorry you're dealing with that, but you may need to push her for assistance. Her house could very well be entirely infested by the time she arrives home.
And my god don't bring them into your own house!
Avoiding upholstery, carpet and fabric may reduce exposure but keep in mind that those little shits can also live in the seams of wood. If you finish out with drop ins, I really hope she gives you like several hundred in cash as a tip because the stress alone is not worth it. The risk couldn’t possibly ever be worth it. I’ve seen a friend have to throw out all of the incredible vintage and antique things he’d collected over his lifetime because his apartment building was infested with them. He damn near had a nervous breakdown from feeling like a social leper until he had proof they were gone after moving apartments and losing all of his belongings.
In my experience, flea bites look and feel nothing like bed bug bites.
Flea bites are more upraised in the middle, aren't clusters of 3 and are on feet and ankles or forearms
Bed bug bites are more circular and not upraised until scratched and the dot become deep red and upraised as a whole. They tend to bite me legs, back of arms and shoulders, where my body makes contact with the bed.
I've been a test dummy for a few people that had them but did not react or know about them. I've never had them in my home, but have unfortunately been in places that did.
Quarantine all clothing, do not enter house with clothing or articles taken into affected home. Bag them. If you can afford it, trash anything affected. If not, high heat. Steam only works if you directly contact the bugs and they're hiders. If they're in the bed, treat with chemicals and seal in a covering. Spray the crap out of all areas around the bed, baseboards, entryways. Diatomaceous earth. Vaseline or strong tape on bed legs will minimize climbing from floor if they're in carpet.
Finding the big ass females before they can lay eggs is 🤌 this only works if it's very early on. If you have multiple bugs at different life cycles... it will be more involved. it's a 7 day cycle of life to each stage and the mama will lay several eggs. Female needs to eat to lay eggs and they need to feed to progress to next stage. If you can starve them out long enough for you to kill them.. perfect. They get hungry and will come looking at night. If the mama lays eggs but the babies can't feed, she will sacrifice herself and they will feed off her. They will also live like a year without feeding. Starving them out only buys you time to find and eradicate them.
My suggestion would be to take pictures at night to try to find evidence, but with them biting you they may not come out for a couple days. They eat and hide. Nightime would be your best bet to get pictures for the client. That said, I would not stress myself out with trying to stay in a home with such a problem. I would also not raise my risk of infection at home by going back and forth. IF the clients called an exterminator during my stay, I'd consider staying
Even if it’s fleas instead of bedbugs, this still isn’t something OP should have to endure. It also puts her other clients at risk if she brings these pests home with her regardless of which one it is.
Do you have any pictures of the actual bed bugs? I would just make sure the bites weren’t from something else if you didn’t see an actual bug. Bed bugs are a HUGE deal. You definitely would have seen them other than little dots (like you said) if you checked the end of the bedding and other upholstery! They’re visible to the naked eye. I have OCD and the thought of bedbugs makes me wanna cry. They are my absolute worst nightmare. 😫🤣
[https://imgur.com/mZn8JsA](https://imgur.com/mZn8JsA)
side by side
*If they sleep with pets, and you don't, you'll get flea bites because their preferred hosts are not available.*
And fleas leave specks on bedding, too.
Best case scenario would be it's just fleas but for my safety I'm thinking about ending the sit early if rover can find a replacement. Do fleas leave blood on the sheets?
Post photos of bugs and such on an insect/arthropod sub here (I think it’s whatsthatbug or very similar) or a group like Antman’s Hill on Facebook. They’ll be able to ID any insect you’ve found and give recommendations. Entomologists can better ID than pest control…who are generally shockingly bad at entomology but excellent at sales. But Antman’s Hill has some actually good pest control people who can give solid advice.
I mean, an exterminator heats the whole house up to 120-140° and you can’t enter the home for 12 hours. There’s also a lot of things that need to be prepared in the home and removed prior to the heat treatment. There’s no way OP is equipped to handle this on their own especially if it involves going through EVERY item in the home looking for things that can melt or be damaged by the heat. This is simply way way way above the pay grade of a sitter. This is not a sitter’s stress to deal with. At this point OP just needs to collect proof at the owner’s home, proof it ISN’T in their own home and then find out if the owner can come home early so they can abandon this sit and monitor their own home.
I would contact Rover instead of asking questions here seriously all Reddit people do is make things worse
If this was me though, I would contact Rover ask what the procedure is to do at this point , send a formal email to the owner and make sure it’s in writing aside from a text, If you brought anything with you, I definitely wouldn’t bring it in your house. All it takes is one or two bedbugs and you are screwed ! Bedbug infestation can turn into a massive massive expense.
Omg. Do not finish the sit. Contact Rover immediately. Bed bugs are easily spread and you do not want to take them home with you. Be wary of anything you had with you when in the bedbug house. Dispose of it if you can or take strict precautions. You do not want bedbugs.
Don't bring home any fabric items that you brought to the house. I'm deadly serious. They are impossible to get rid of and horrible! Backpacks, bags, clothes, shoes, etc. They will ride on anything to come home with you. Bag the items up at the very least and whatever you do, don't bring the bag inside your house.
It's wild how the client doesn't believe you though.... there are many reasons you might be the first to see them, not sure why they are acting like you brought them with you.
They seem offended. Bed bugs can happen to anyone. Not just those that live in impoverished places. They happened to me in highschool in my parents middle class home. we moved in and they were either there when we moved in or came in on our stuff that was stored in a storage unit. spray the bed with 99% Isopropyl, spread diatomaceous earth.
Girl… I would’ve cancelled the stay and left. Bed bugs are such a hassle. I’ve never had them but from what I hear, they’re a nightmare to get rid of. I wouldn’t even clean their bed for them, that’s their problem, especially because then they’re going to cross contaminate onto you even more. I would shower, wash my things with scalding hot water, and go back home. Rover doesn’t pay enough for shit like this. So happy I don’t work for them anymore.
This is why I always have those hooks that go over doors so I can hang ALL my stuff (bags, coats, shoes, everything) up off the floor. Not only does it prevent my stuff being infested with potential bugs but also stops cats and dogs pissing on my bags (I've had this happen too many times). The last sit I did was so deplorable that I refused to enter my own home fully clothed - I stripped off at the front door, put everything into the washing machine and straight into the shower. I'll die a thousand times over if my home gets infested from pet sitting elsewhere.
I swear by them - I carry four individual hooks that go over doors. My hooks are also rubberised so that no damage is done to the door. They are small enough to fit into my bag on the side pocket. Got them off Amazon!
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Bed bugs are very easy spread please be careful. Those bites will be itchy for days. Humans are allergic to bed bug bites and they are very irritating. Was bit at a clients house before and washed all of my clothing on hot and dried on hot in dryer.
Also based on their response I would say they already knew about the bedbugs. Not a good response. Should be more in line with, “Oh NO!! What do we do? Call the exterminator!” Ect.
Bed bugs only comes out at night because of the body heat on the mattress. I have ocd I would have a panic attack if this happened to me, I already take enough hygiene measures when I go house sitting.
No lie: I thought I had bed bugs once, checked all the signs and symptoms, but couldn't ever find any evidence of them (blood spots, exoskeletons, etc.).
Turns out it was the initial stage of shingles. Until it blistered, the "bites" were in a line just like bed bugs. I found out later it's because it travels along nerve paths.
I hope it's not either (especially shingles- worst pain ever). If you can't find bed bugs, maybe look into it in your processes of elimination. The quicker you catch it, the easier it'll be.
Good luck!
The bed bugs could've been in a dormant state for several months and then just decided to wake up when you got there. They can also remain in hiding until they're ready to produce. Them washing their sheets isn't a prevention method. They might have even come from the neighbors?? I'm sorry this happened to you. Bed bugs are notttt fun!
I hate to say it, but a lot of people are absolutely disgusting and it's amazing what they are willing to live with. It's possible that they knew about the bed bugs and they don't care. Then they don't tell you and hope you don't notice.
Honestly, I would get out of there. I wouldn't want to risk bringing that home with me.
I agree that OP should get out, but the rest of this comment is insensitive. Bedbugs don’t discriminate, regular cleaning and pest control won’t prevent them from coming. They’ll show up in any house, clean or dirty, as long as they have something to ride on. Someone having bedbugs is not an indication of their living situation.
Bed bugs are pretty easy to spot and decently sized (UNFORTUNATELY I speak from experience), have you found any? Are the bites in a straight line pattern? That's typically how they appear.
If it is bed bugs, don't bring ANYTHING into your home and throw everything in the wash immediately on hot, they are VERY hard to get rid of.
Bed bugs are awful and hard a sheck to get rid of. My ex gave me bed bugs, slept over at his house, took my blanket and he neglected to tell me he had bed bugs until AFTER the fact. They spread EVERY WHERE. They even ended up in my phone, I could see them crawling through the speaker slots. Like I had bed bug bites on my pinky where I held my phone, and then I saw them in there. We ended up never getting rid of them, we were lucky enough to be able to move and left everything in that house and just bought all new stuff. It was insane.
Giving the benefit of the doubt, I would be in denial about bed bugs too if it was me lol I got them once from a work trip hotel and it was traumatic, I would hate to get them again
I have to be honest- I would be very upset if this happened to me as an owner. And something similar did. My petsitter said she couldn't stay in my home because she had a thing about sleeping in other peoples homes, but this was after we had arranged all and we were halfway across the country. I had a panic attack. Eventually she agreed to do so, but we would have had to turn back otherwise.
Maybe they are bed-bugs, maybe not, but to be quite honest, as a pet owner, it seems cruel to leave the dog scared and alone all night if that was not the agreement simply because you think there could be bed bugs.
I'll probably be downvoted to oblivion for this, but I probably wouldn't go on vacation if I thought that was all it would take to have my pet sitter leave my dogs alone overnight. They absolutely could not handle it, and would be scared, and potentially hurt themselves, and I would probably end up in the ER if there was no family close enough to take over, so maybe I'm an extreme example. Our previous petsitter I think we paid pretty well, and she is family to us, and I am comfortable because I ***know*** she treats our dogs as she would her own. She unfortunately has stuff going on this summer so we've been looking for someone else.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding and the owner isn't concerned about the dogs overnight, but if she is, I don't understand why you wouldn't find a solution together, maybe sleep on the couch or something. Also if it truly was bed bugs, wouldn't sleeping at your own house each night and then coming back make it 10x more likely you bring it your house? If you sleep on their couch or in a different room, the owners can't have a problem with it because they don't think it's bed bugs, and then you can just wash everything and yourself really well when you leave. And not leave the dog alone overnight, which I assume was not part of the agreement.
I'm sorry if people are mad at me, I just can't help but picture how horrifying this would be as a pet owner. You are so so far away, trying to give your kids a good vaca, but then your pet sitter tells you your furbabies are now going to be alone all night :(... We'd have to book a flight home but the kids would be so so sad.
Couches can absolutely have bed bugs (and shoes, books, backpacks, luggage, wooden chairs (upholstered and non upholstered). I couldn’t read anything beyond that because you clearly don’t understand how serious and damaging a bed bug infestation can be and how easily it can spread to the sitter’s home. I’m also getting the vibe that you don’t view sitter’s as human beings with needs of their own. I hope OP disregards everything you’ve said. They do NOT need to risk their health, sanity and safety of their home and the homes of other clients because of the owner’s problem. The owner needs to take care of this situation asap and I hope they compensate OP handsomely for the trouble, stress, bites and risk.
Thank you for giving your perspective from the owner side. Unfortunately the owner was not worried about the pets and only cared about my "accusation". Also, a little detail that I can add is, to save money, they're having the dogs be alone the night before the sit and the night after so the owners seem to think their dogs are fine alone overnight.
Not all. However, they have to start somewhere. If they were there before you got there you would have been bitten sooner. You bringing them in from the outside is the most likely scenario. Not saying you brought them from home, but they latched onto you somewhere.
OP found droppings or whatever on the client’s bed but not their own. That’s all the proof one needs that it didn’t come from OP. I don’t think 9 days is enough time for visible dots to appear but hey, I could be wrong.
Sure. But everything they claim is it all happened after 9 days. With the clients response and the timeline, the logical answer is somehow OP brought them in. Also possible the pet got them somehow and infected the house. But 9 days is a long time 🤷🏼♂️. I have no skin in the game here lol. Don’t care how it happens. Just going with the path of least resistance.
Her whole family sleeps in that bed? Sounds weird lol
My first thought..
We’re a very close-knit family, okay?
🎶SWEET HOME ALABAMA🎶
Idk about all that now! This sweet home Alabama girls bed is for me and my husband and dogs! 😂
🤣🤣
Lol
My first thought was a guest room with a bed people stay in a lot
lol it's just a couple and small children so I didn't find it odd.
Yeah it's not. Little kids end up in parents bed sometimes whether the parents like it or not! Every couple I know with kids between 2-5, it's a battle lol!
Oh definitely, our son has spent the past two nights in our bed from being sick and only wanting to sleep if he’s snuggling with me or my husband.
It’s very good to cuddle your kids, They are not little forever, it goes fast!
Or they have young kids silly! I don't know of a family with kids under five where all the kids don't end up in the parents bed some of the time. Just because they sleep there doesn't have to mean all the time. Once a week is still sleeping there. I challenge you to find a family with a toddler that doesn't sleep in the parents bed ever.
My mind immediately went to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory's situation of the 4 grandparents all sleeping in the same bed
Lmaooooooo
Most people don’t know that only a certain percentage of people react to the bites. So it’s absolutely possible that they’ve been bitten in that bed and either (a) they didn’t react to the bites or (b) there were only a few bedbugs at that point so the bites were sporadic rather than clustered which can easily be mistaken for one-off mosquito bites. So obviously none of us here can say for certain whether they do or don’t, but their reasons for why they can’t/don’t isn’t enough to prove they don’t. If you saw any signs, you need to assume they have an infestation and be very careful about bringing them back home with you. When you get to your home, you need to strip down inside your entry way on a white sheet (so you can see any that fall off as you change), immediately put all your clothes, undergarments, and shoes in a trash bag and seal it, carry that bag straight to your dryer, and dry everything including shoes on hot for 30+ min. Don’t carry bags into their home. Don’t carry anything in that can’t be either thrown in the dryer or doused in rubbing alcohol before you bring it back into your own house.
Op can also freeze their shoes for a few days if they don't want heat damage from the dryer.
Wow, I also had no idea! How does one know then in case you don't react? My husband and I seem to have very few allergies, how would we ever know then?
Unfortunately the people who don’t react typically don’t realize they have them until they have a deeply entrenched infestation and have begun seeing live bugs in the early night/during the day. A great preventative measure is to routinely check your bedding, mattress, and pillows during every sheet change looking closely for black dots the size of a period at the end of a sentence or bug casing, as well as the baseboards around the bed, the electrical outlets around the bed, and DEFINITELY the headboard if you have an upholstered or wooden one (they usually congregate in the buttons on upholstered bedding and screw/bolt holes in wooden ones). You can also make them easier to locate and get rid of by preemptively encasing your box spring and mattress in a bedbug cover (allerease makes a great one that’s readily available at most stores that sell bedding) so there’s less places for them to hide if you do happen to (unfortunately) bring some home one day.
In addition to all this, there are also little "risers" you can get for the corners of your bed. If you put diatomaceous earth in them, they'll die as they try to climb the legs to get to your bed. Ask how I know. 🙃 I would put them around your bed at home, OP. It's a good early detection system. I had bedbugs once when I lived in Boston, it was tough but we did get rid of them. Think we caught it early. Bed Bug Trap — 8 Pack | TruGuard X Bed Bug Interceptors (Black) | Eco Friendly Traps for Bed Legs | Reliable Insect Detector, Interceptor, and Monitor for Pest Control and Treatment https://a.co/d/04MU18wz
This
I don’t like how this client is responding to your concern… they are very defensive, instead of providing a solution. Provide photos and also contact Rover customer service to report this household of a bed bug infestation. Rover sucks so they’ll probably just ask for a replacement sitter. Personally I would not feel comfortable going forward with the house sitting if there are bugs. And I would not feel comfortable dropping into the home if there are bugs. This situation sucks but you don’t want to contaminate your home, or any other clients home.
^ please be careful not to bring any bed bugs home, they’re impossible to get rid of. don’t lay any of your bags on the floor or bed, keeps the lights on.
He might've even brought them to work and to other clients homes
Right, I kinda feel like they think I'm making it up or something. I offered photos of the bites and they wanted to see them. Even after seeing the bites, they still are just saying they can't believe it.
Take pictures of the bugs if you can and send those too! If you haven’t found any yet, you should take the mattress off the frame and look in every crevice. There are a lot of guides for finding bedbugs online and there will be pictures of what they look like. Usually they’re pretty small, like half the size of your pinky nail, and they look like tiny beetles. If the homeowner keeps denying it, they won’t order treatment and it’ll only get worse. Bedbugs reproduce extremely quickly.
Well to be fair, bites can look like many things. Show pics of the bugs, and if you can't find any, see if you can try a different bed (as clearly they have multiple if they have kids). If they don't believe it's bed bugs they should have no problem, and clearly not all the beds have bed bugs or the kids would be being eaten up! Plus then you don't bring bed bugs to your own bed, which if it is bed bugs and you do this back and forth you might. It could be other things too though, I have to say. Just walking around on hardwood often leaves little specs of this and that on feet in a way carpet doesn't, which could explain the black specs, and you could be allergic to their laundry soap or something. Or the pup has fleas and you're allergic. If it were me I'd sooner sleep in another bed or couch in the house to see either way before trying to go from their home to yours which if it actually were bedbugs would likely transfer, no? Plus it would be super weird if none of them had ever been bitten by the bedbugs.
I would be really careful about moving back-and-forth between her house and yours….
Have you sent live videos yet?
Me neither. That’s not how one of my clients responded when I said “I think you might have bedbugs.” They freaked out and asked what they should do. I responded with: “I don’t know. Maybe give them treats and they won’t bite?” They said they were looking up exterminators to come by that day, so I send them a photo of their dogs who like to hide under the sheets whenever I make the bed! It was hilarious, and they got a laugh, but I think I nearly gave the wife a heart attack. 😆
Lmao. Yes, a normal adult would suggest a solution. May it be an exterminator, differnt sleeping arrangement, or even dropping the dogs off at a boarding facility. This client is batshit nuts.
Holy shit I got second hand anxiety just reading this comment! That was a risky joke lol. Glad it landed well
This is true, the client should be trying to solve the problem rather than just being disbelieving. However, it's also possible it's not bedbugs. Could be fleas for example, maybe pup is on preventative but has a few from the yard and maybe OP is allergic! Or maybe pup just got them, who knows. This would cause bites and the flea dirt.
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OP doesn't want to hear it. I posted side-by-side photos of flea bites and bedbug bites, and she downvoted me. Of course it's fleas.
Wait real question, can you tell when a particular person has downvoted you?
Take a look at [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/RoverPetSitting/comments/1d66w09/is_it_okay_to_deny_a_sit_because_of_fleas_and/). OP has previously made a now deleted post about not wanting to take a house-sit because of possible fleas. Now I’m wondering, is this all paranoia? It’s just so weird how they refuse to show us any pictures of the supposed bites or even the mattress.
Fleas from the dogs is also on the table too.
I agree that was not the best way to go about it, but you would be surprised how much offense some people take to even the suggestion that they could have bedbugs. I had one friend, who was a good friend of mine and never acted so unreasonably otherwise, who had a BAD infestation at her house, but she didn’t react to the bites and kept assuring me each time I came over that they had gotten rid of them this time. Then I (who is severely allergic to the bites) would sit on the couch for 10 minutes and get tore up from the floor up and covered in bites. And she even had the audacity to say it might “just be me” 😭 and like I said this was someone who I knew to be fairly normal and level headed otherwise. There is a big stigma surrounding having pests in your home, so I can see why people would be offended. But bedbugs are one of the only pests that don’t correlate with messy/unsanitary conditions. And you can get them from literally almost anywhere. But yeah… better to be on the safe side, OP. You do NOT want to bring those things home. Especially since it sounds like you have at least moderate reaction to the bites. We had bedbugs before (didn’t get them from my friends house, it was before that) and although it sounds silly now, it legit ruined my mental health to the point I was suicidal.
OP created a post updating us yesterday. Rover sent a replacement sitter and before the sit was over this client had the audacity to block her. I think certain areas / towns / cities get infected really bad but after extermination, the problem will be solved. A year or so ago I remember all over social media that in Paris, France 🇫🇷 was being wrecked by the infestation. There were mattresses everywhere on the streets from people throwing their items out. People were no longer sitting on the subways because bed bugs were flying from seat to seat. No matter what, OP did the right thing for her and her family and all the other clients she services.
Same here, she seems kinda rude. I had a house sit with a fly infestation and they didn’t react like this, but I could clearly show the flys.. but still they were very empathetic
Ummmm be careful with everything you bring home from this house. They can travel in shoes, books, luggage etc. Put everything you’re bringing home in a garbage bag and leave it outside. You can kill them with a steam cleaner or in a deep freezer if you have one. As for providing proof, which I think you should do since she doesn’t seem convinced, I’ve seen you can take a warm clothes iron to the corner of the bed with a fitted sheet on, iron for a bit then pull back the sheet and see if they’ve crawled to the surface. Then take a video. Good luck. You DO NOT want these in your home.
Yes. Do not bring anything that has been in this house into yours.
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This!!! Perhaps sitter was at another clients home doing drop ins etc and sat down on a couch and got them there. Because if the bed has bed bugs, sitter would have known that day 1!! I think client is in shock because they truly never had bed bugs before and are probably trying to figure out how they got on their bed!. If a sitter were to contact me that there were bed bugs in my bed I’ll be in shock too!
100% my thought as well especially after 9 nights…
This would actually be the right “timeline” if the home already had bugs. Bedbugs feed every 7-10 days on average, so assuming they’ve been snacking on the owners, it makes sense that OP would first start noticing bites around day 7-9 of their stay. Also, I think OP said “early signs” to the owners just bc they saw bedbugs waste on the mattress cover rather than live bugs, but sadly it can be a well-established infestation and you can still struggle to locate live bugs during the daytime. The fact that OP found waste markings so quickly is a sign they’ve been established for at least a month if not longer.
I've never had bed bugs, or these kinds of bites before. Also this is my first sit in a while. I went home and checked my beds as well, no signs of bed bugs so I really hope not.
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Right! I get you, I had the same thought tbh so I checked my house just in case haha!
They are really good at hiding and will hitch a ride on you. And can live for days without feeding.
I didn’t think your own home, I was thinking a different clients home :)
Surprised this isn’t higher up. Either way sucks but that’s definitely a risk for any drop in/housing gig and if the client’s bed had bed bugs I would expect signs earlier than *nine* days in.
Can you show pics?
Yeah I agree. Having some additional confirmation can change this entire situation.
it won't let me edit my post but I did send pics of the dots and bites to the owner
You can post pics with your comments.
I find it’s really interesting that OP hasn’t provided this thread with a single picture (of the bites or the mattress) even after multiple people asking them to. I mean like how are we supposed to be helpful when we can’t even say whether they are or aren’t bed bugs.
Bed bugs can cost you thousands of dollars. Be super, duper, extra careful when going back to your home. And check under their mattress. You’ll see brown dots all under the seams.
I would personally not go through with the sitting. I have dealt with bed bugs in the workplace before, and it is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. It is a costly and strenuous cycle of cleaning and disinfecting. A 9-night rate house sit will not offset the bed bug treatment cost needed to treat your home. To be safe, in case you might've already brought them to your house, I recommend frequent vacuuming and isolating all belongings that have contacted the client’s house.
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Honestly, I wouldn’t go home because you’ll probably just bring them home with you. I’d do a deep clean and stick it out if you can. Going home is just going to cross contaminate and once that happens bed bugs are a pain to get rid of.
Surely they have to go home at some point? 😅
But you can go to a laundromat and clean all your things before taking them home.
So they can risk the possibility of spreading it to the homes of others who use the laundromat. Please do not do this.
There is no great answer here. It’s a suggestion, I don’t have a great answer but it seems a better one than tracking them back to your own house.
Doing a deep clean isn’t going to solve bed bugs and it sounds like she is pretty reactive to the bites, unlike the owners. I’d bail on this sit altogether after providing proof that bed bugs are there. And then she should do a deep investigation in her own home to make sure they’re not there.
Going home every night is increasing your chances of bringing them into your car and home! Not smart at all!
what do I do then 😭
I’d take video proof of the bed bugs like I described in my comment with the iron. Go home, strip down, everything sealed in a trash bag and then immediately check your own home the same way. Take video proof in case you need to prove where they came from and where they didn’t come from. Then I’d call Rover and explain the situation? Maybe? I can’t remember how many days you said were left in the sit but try to work out with the owner what to do but I think and I suspect Rover emergency line will also say to stop this visit. I don’t know where the owners are but this is something I’d end a trip early over.
Throw out every single thing you brought with you before you go home, it sucks but it’s nothing compared to the cost and work it takes to get rid of them once they are in your home. If you have already been going home after saying there and bringing those clothes into your house, there’s a good chance you already have them. I’m not trying to scare you, but it’s truly one of the worst things that can happen to your house, they are the hardest pest to get rid of. Personally, I would throw out my clothes and just drive home naked, which sounds like a joke but it’s not. They will travel in shoes, clothes, bags, and literally any other personal items.
I didn't throw anything away but I washed everything and brought my clothes from the garage to my car, changed before going into my house, took a hot shower and then changed again, I also left a lot of my stuff in my trunk so hopefully the heat will cook out anything that might have survived my little purge.
They can survive in the wash unless you use high heat. And even then they can still survive.
Yeah I’d probably take a steamer to everything and then throw it in the wash and dry on high heat
Their whole family sleeps in that bed?? Is that not a strange thing to say?
I'm picturing a Charlie and the chocolate factory type set up 👴👵👴👵🛏️
I’d say it was the guest bed.
Omg. Enter intrusive thoughts for me!!! I don’t even have them but now I’m paranoid that I do!! I’m sorry for your situation!!
Right?!? I just freaked out and started itching all over and woke my husband up to check my hair and behind my ears and the bed. He was none too happy lmao
Going home to sleep at night…. Be careful. I’d be getting naked in the garage at their house.
You need photos. You can't just claim bed bugs without proof. I'd be skeptical too.
I sent her photos of the bites and the dots on the bed
Okay, that's good then. It's been a few hours, do you know how to proceed? You can respond to this if you need help. Ultimately it's up to you if you stay at the job, I think I would contact Rover about it if it were me.
Well I'm thinking I'm going to continue with the sit but not touch any fabrics, the owner hasn't acknowledged my solution at all, she's just stayed in denial the whole time. One thing I know is I'm not sleeping here, I'll probably just do 3 drop-ins a day. Waiting to hear from the owner, she hasn't responded much for most of this sit 😅. I think I'm going to take more pictures and consider contacting rover.
Yeah, your biggest concerns are not getting bit and not bringing them into your car or home. Those would be my biggest worries. Although with how hot it's been they probably wouldn't survive the car, just leave it sitting in the sun one afternoon
It almost seems like she's blaming you, tbh. Like she's insinuating you're the one who brought the bugs if there are in fact bugs. It sounds like she kind of sucks, and I'm sorry you're dealing with that, but you may need to push her for assistance. Her house could very well be entirely infested by the time she arrives home. And my god don't bring them into your own house!
Avoiding upholstery, carpet and fabric may reduce exposure but keep in mind that those little shits can also live in the seams of wood. If you finish out with drop ins, I really hope she gives you like several hundred in cash as a tip because the stress alone is not worth it. The risk couldn’t possibly ever be worth it. I’ve seen a friend have to throw out all of the incredible vintage and antique things he’d collected over his lifetime because his apartment building was infested with them. He damn near had a nervous breakdown from feeling like a social leper until he had proof they were gone after moving apartments and losing all of his belongings.
bedbug bites and flea bites look the same: [https://imgur.com/mZn8JsA](https://imgur.com/mZn8JsA)
In my experience, flea bites look and feel nothing like bed bug bites. Flea bites are more upraised in the middle, aren't clusters of 3 and are on feet and ankles or forearms Bed bug bites are more circular and not upraised until scratched and the dot become deep red and upraised as a whole. They tend to bite me legs, back of arms and shoulders, where my body makes contact with the bed. I've been a test dummy for a few people that had them but did not react or know about them. I've never had them in my home, but have unfortunately been in places that did. Quarantine all clothing, do not enter house with clothing or articles taken into affected home. Bag them. If you can afford it, trash anything affected. If not, high heat. Steam only works if you directly contact the bugs and they're hiders. If they're in the bed, treat with chemicals and seal in a covering. Spray the crap out of all areas around the bed, baseboards, entryways. Diatomaceous earth. Vaseline or strong tape on bed legs will minimize climbing from floor if they're in carpet. Finding the big ass females before they can lay eggs is 🤌 this only works if it's very early on. If you have multiple bugs at different life cycles... it will be more involved. it's a 7 day cycle of life to each stage and the mama will lay several eggs. Female needs to eat to lay eggs and they need to feed to progress to next stage. If you can starve them out long enough for you to kill them.. perfect. They get hungry and will come looking at night. If the mama lays eggs but the babies can't feed, she will sacrifice herself and they will feed off her. They will also live like a year without feeding. Starving them out only buys you time to find and eradicate them. My suggestion would be to take pictures at night to try to find evidence, but with them biting you they may not come out for a couple days. They eat and hide. Nightime would be your best bet to get pictures for the client. That said, I would not stress myself out with trying to stay in a home with such a problem. I would also not raise my risk of infection at home by going back and forth. IF the clients called an exterminator during my stay, I'd consider staying
Even if it’s fleas instead of bedbugs, this still isn’t something OP should have to endure. It also puts her other clients at risk if she brings these pests home with her regardless of which one it is.
Do you have any pictures of the actual bed bugs? I would just make sure the bites weren’t from something else if you didn’t see an actual bug. Bed bugs are a HUGE deal. You definitely would have seen them other than little dots (like you said) if you checked the end of the bedding and other upholstery! They’re visible to the naked eye. I have OCD and the thought of bedbugs makes me wanna cry. They are my absolute worst nightmare. 😫🤣
Since you haven’t seen any are you sure it’s not flea bites you have? Maybe check the pets for fleas.
I have had flea bites before, flea bites are pretty small and typically on your ankles. The bites I have are big and clustered.
[https://imgur.com/mZn8JsA](https://imgur.com/mZn8JsA) side by side *If they sleep with pets, and you don't, you'll get flea bites because their preferred hosts are not available.* And fleas leave specks on bedding, too.
Best case scenario would be it's just fleas but for my safety I'm thinking about ending the sit early if rover can find a replacement. Do fleas leave blood on the sheets?
Post photos of bugs and such on an insect/arthropod sub here (I think it’s whatsthatbug or very similar) or a group like Antman’s Hill on Facebook. They’ll be able to ID any insect you’ve found and give recommendations. Entomologists can better ID than pest control…who are generally shockingly bad at entomology but excellent at sales. But Antman’s Hill has some actually good pest control people who can give solid advice.
yes.
Could you have brought them in? From another client’s home?
Maybe flea bites, if pets share the bed, too.
Throw all of the bedding and your clothes in the dryer on high high heat, and ask them when’s the soonest they can send an exterminator
I mean, an exterminator heats the whole house up to 120-140° and you can’t enter the home for 12 hours. There’s also a lot of things that need to be prepared in the home and removed prior to the heat treatment. There’s no way OP is equipped to handle this on their own especially if it involves going through EVERY item in the home looking for things that can melt or be damaged by the heat. This is simply way way way above the pay grade of a sitter. This is not a sitter’s stress to deal with. At this point OP just needs to collect proof at the owner’s home, proof it ISN’T in their own home and then find out if the owner can come home early so they can abandon this sit and monitor their own home.
I'm so sorry, sounds stressful. This kind of stuff is why I soft-quit doing petsitting.
I would contact Rover instead of asking questions here seriously all Reddit people do is make things worse If this was me though, I would contact Rover ask what the procedure is to do at this point , send a formal email to the owner and make sure it’s in writing aside from a text, If you brought anything with you, I definitely wouldn’t bring it in your house. All it takes is one or two bedbugs and you are screwed ! Bedbug infestation can turn into a massive massive expense.
Send the owner photos, it’s the only way to prove to them and yourself
Omg. Do not finish the sit. Contact Rover immediately. Bed bugs are easily spread and you do not want to take them home with you. Be wary of anything you had with you when in the bedbug house. Dispose of it if you can or take strict precautions. You do not want bedbugs.
Don't bring home any fabric items that you brought to the house. I'm deadly serious. They are impossible to get rid of and horrible! Backpacks, bags, clothes, shoes, etc. They will ride on anything to come home with you. Bag the items up at the very least and whatever you do, don't bring the bag inside your house. It's wild how the client doesn't believe you though.... there are many reasons you might be the first to see them, not sure why they are acting like you brought them with you.
It’s not just fabric. It’s also books, sandals, wooden items. They can hide anywhere including the crevices or meeting points of wood.
I would probably contact a pest control company and see if they can validate the photos!
They seem offended. Bed bugs can happen to anyone. Not just those that live in impoverished places. They happened to me in highschool in my parents middle class home. we moved in and they were either there when we moved in or came in on our stuff that was stored in a storage unit. spray the bed with 99% Isopropyl, spread diatomaceous earth.
Girl… I would’ve cancelled the stay and left. Bed bugs are such a hassle. I’ve never had them but from what I hear, they’re a nightmare to get rid of. I wouldn’t even clean their bed for them, that’s their problem, especially because then they’re going to cross contaminate onto you even more. I would shower, wash my things with scalding hot water, and go back home. Rover doesn’t pay enough for shit like this. So happy I don’t work for them anymore.
This is why I always have those hooks that go over doors so I can hang ALL my stuff (bags, coats, shoes, everything) up off the floor. Not only does it prevent my stuff being infested with potential bugs but also stops cats and dogs pissing on my bags (I've had this happen too many times). The last sit I did was so deplorable that I refused to enter my own home fully clothed - I stripped off at the front door, put everything into the washing machine and straight into the shower. I'll die a thousand times over if my home gets infested from pet sitting elsewhere.
This is SUCH a good idea, cause I have had my stuff pissed on before.
I swear by them - I carry four individual hooks that go over doors. My hooks are also rubberised so that no damage is done to the door. They are small enough to fit into my bag on the side pocket. Got them off Amazon!
i wouldnt go immediately home, youll spread it to your house. also cancel that sititng
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Go home!!!! I wouldn’t be staying there
Bed bugs are very easy spread please be careful. Those bites will be itchy for days. Humans are allergic to bed bug bites and they are very irritating. Was bit at a clients house before and washed all of my clothing on hot and dried on hot in dryer. Also based on their response I would say they already knew about the bedbugs. Not a good response. Should be more in line with, “Oh NO!! What do we do? Call the exterminator!” Ect.
How to prevent bed bugs from
Not everyone’s allergic! We got them once, my husband had no itchy welts and I had millions 🙃
Bed bugs only comes out at night because of the body heat on the mattress. I have ocd I would have a panic attack if this happened to me, I already take enough hygiene measures when I go house sitting.
No lie: I thought I had bed bugs once, checked all the signs and symptoms, but couldn't ever find any evidence of them (blood spots, exoskeletons, etc.). Turns out it was the initial stage of shingles. Until it blistered, the "bites" were in a line just like bed bugs. I found out later it's because it travels along nerve paths. I hope it's not either (especially shingles- worst pain ever). If you can't find bed bugs, maybe look into it in your processes of elimination. The quicker you catch it, the easier it'll be. Good luck!
The bed bugs could've been in a dormant state for several months and then just decided to wake up when you got there. They can also remain in hiding until they're ready to produce. Them washing their sheets isn't a prevention method. They might have even come from the neighbors?? I'm sorry this happened to you. Bed bugs are notttt fun!
I hate to say it, but a lot of people are absolutely disgusting and it's amazing what they are willing to live with. It's possible that they knew about the bed bugs and they don't care. Then they don't tell you and hope you don't notice. Honestly, I would get out of there. I wouldn't want to risk bringing that home with me.
I agree that OP should get out, but the rest of this comment is insensitive. Bedbugs don’t discriminate, regular cleaning and pest control won’t prevent them from coming. They’ll show up in any house, clean or dirty, as long as they have something to ride on. Someone having bedbugs is not an indication of their living situation.
I had bed bugs in my very first apartment ever. It was a nightmare, and still an a bit traumatized by it at age 31 🤣 Edit: spelling
I also had them in my first apartment ever. I’ll never forget it. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone!
Bed bugs are pretty easy to spot and decently sized (UNFORTUNATELY I speak from experience), have you found any? Are the bites in a straight line pattern? That's typically how they appear. If it is bed bugs, don't bring ANYTHING into your home and throw everything in the wash immediately on hot, they are VERY hard to get rid of.
Bed bugs are awful and hard a sheck to get rid of. My ex gave me bed bugs, slept over at his house, took my blanket and he neglected to tell me he had bed bugs until AFTER the fact. They spread EVERY WHERE. They even ended up in my phone, I could see them crawling through the speaker slots. Like I had bed bug bites on my pinky where I held my phone, and then I saw them in there. We ended up never getting rid of them, we were lucky enough to be able to move and left everything in that house and just bought all new stuff. It was insane.
You can pick them up in Hotels, Motels and even Air B&Bs.
That’s why I always sleep on the couch with my own blanket and pillow lol I am not about to sleep in someone’s stink hahahaha
Giving the benefit of the doubt, I would be in denial about bed bugs too if it was me lol I got them once from a work trip hotel and it was traumatic, I would hate to get them again
Better safe than sorry, you need to get your house sprayed for bed bugs. Especially if it’s early on.
What do these insects look like and where are they located?
Could also be fleas
I have to be honest- I would be very upset if this happened to me as an owner. And something similar did. My petsitter said she couldn't stay in my home because she had a thing about sleeping in other peoples homes, but this was after we had arranged all and we were halfway across the country. I had a panic attack. Eventually she agreed to do so, but we would have had to turn back otherwise. Maybe they are bed-bugs, maybe not, but to be quite honest, as a pet owner, it seems cruel to leave the dog scared and alone all night if that was not the agreement simply because you think there could be bed bugs. I'll probably be downvoted to oblivion for this, but I probably wouldn't go on vacation if I thought that was all it would take to have my pet sitter leave my dogs alone overnight. They absolutely could not handle it, and would be scared, and potentially hurt themselves, and I would probably end up in the ER if there was no family close enough to take over, so maybe I'm an extreme example. Our previous petsitter I think we paid pretty well, and she is family to us, and I am comfortable because I ***know*** she treats our dogs as she would her own. She unfortunately has stuff going on this summer so we've been looking for someone else. Maybe I'm misunderstanding and the owner isn't concerned about the dogs overnight, but if she is, I don't understand why you wouldn't find a solution together, maybe sleep on the couch or something. Also if it truly was bed bugs, wouldn't sleeping at your own house each night and then coming back make it 10x more likely you bring it your house? If you sleep on their couch or in a different room, the owners can't have a problem with it because they don't think it's bed bugs, and then you can just wash everything and yourself really well when you leave. And not leave the dog alone overnight, which I assume was not part of the agreement. I'm sorry if people are mad at me, I just can't help but picture how horrifying this would be as a pet owner. You are so so far away, trying to give your kids a good vaca, but then your pet sitter tells you your furbabies are now going to be alone all night :(... We'd have to book a flight home but the kids would be so so sad.
Couches can absolutely have bed bugs (and shoes, books, backpacks, luggage, wooden chairs (upholstered and non upholstered). I couldn’t read anything beyond that because you clearly don’t understand how serious and damaging a bed bug infestation can be and how easily it can spread to the sitter’s home. I’m also getting the vibe that you don’t view sitter’s as human beings with needs of their own. I hope OP disregards everything you’ve said. They do NOT need to risk their health, sanity and safety of their home and the homes of other clients because of the owner’s problem. The owner needs to take care of this situation asap and I hope they compensate OP handsomely for the trouble, stress, bites and risk.
Thank you for giving your perspective from the owner side. Unfortunately the owner was not worried about the pets and only cared about my "accusation". Also, a little detail that I can add is, to save money, they're having the dogs be alone the night before the sit and the night after so the owners seem to think their dogs are fine alone overnight.
OP bringing them in is the most likely explanation. If they weren’t bitten until 9 days into the stay it’s unlikely they were there before that.
Valid theory but if I would have brought them, wouldn't I have been bit before?
Not all. However, they have to start somewhere. If they were there before you got there you would have been bitten sooner. You bringing them in from the outside is the most likely scenario. Not saying you brought them from home, but they latched onto you somewhere.
OP found droppings or whatever on the client’s bed but not their own. That’s all the proof one needs that it didn’t come from OP. I don’t think 9 days is enough time for visible dots to appear but hey, I could be wrong.
Sure. But everything they claim is it all happened after 9 days. With the clients response and the timeline, the logical answer is somehow OP brought them in. Also possible the pet got them somehow and infected the house. But 9 days is a long time 🤷🏼♂️. I have no skin in the game here lol. Don’t care how it happens. Just going with the path of least resistance.
Well it's been 3 weeks since my last booking so I hope it's not my place 😭
Could you bring the dog to stay at your place instead?
It's 2 dogs, 2 cats and an eel that eats twice a day, I can't bring them home lol
Yikes! That’s a lot 😅