Crossword Genius

It carries food for a flea perhaps (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

hopper

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'it carries food' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.

'a flea perhaps' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'a' could be 'per' (eg 'one a day' means 'one per day') and 'per' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'hop' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'for' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for hopper that I've seen before include "What brings grist to the mill?" , "one making short trip?" , "kangaroo?" , "Young locust" , "Edward --, US artist" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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