Can Ear Mites Live in Your House?

Ear mites (Otodectes cynotes) are parasites commonly found on dogs, cats and ferrets. They are easily transmitted among those pet species, but they are not contagious to people. Ear mites cannot live for very long away from a host and therefore will not infest a house in the same way that fleas do.

  1. Mites Require a Host

    • Ear mites must have a steady diet of dead skin, ear wax or eye fluids from dogs, cats or ferrets, or they will starve. They cannot live in carpeting or bedding like fleas or other pet parasites.

    Highly Contagious

    • Since ear mites are so contagious, all cats, dogs and ferrets in a household need to be treated if just one is diagnosed. The mites will quickly pass to the other pets and then reinfect the original pet, even if that pet has been treated for ear mites.

    Precautions

    • Ear mites rarely jump off of a pet and onto a human's hands or skin. They do not feed from people, but use them as a taxi to another animal. When treating a pet infected with ear mites, always wash your hands before touching another animal.