Abstract.The gerbil fleaNosopsyllus laeviceps(Wagner) (Siphonaptera: Ceratophyllidae) is an important Palaearctic vector of enzootic plague among sylvan and campestral rodents. Laboratory blood‐feeding experiments with the subspeciesN.l.kuzenkovi(Yagubynts) from Inner Mongolia, China, using three rodent species including the natural hostMeriones unguiculatus(Milne‐Edwards), demonstrated a positive relationship between per cent feeding and time allowed for feeding, particularly for female fleas. Also the bloodmeal size was proportional to sucking time and was significantly greater in females, which are larger, than in males. However, on all four strains of host tested, there was no significant correlation between the feeding success rate of the fleas and the amount of blood they imbibed. Fleas fed better on active compared to confinedM.unguiculatus. These findings agree with studies of other flea spec