Ticks!!!

[Scythemantis]

Wasn't sure where else to put this, but I have a life-long phobia of ticks and just found one, for the first time in my life, sneaking around in my very own home. In my bedroom, no less! The only mammals I own are three rats, so I believe this one hitch-hiked on a wild mouse (field mice come in during winter)

I only saw it at all because I dropped something under a table and went looking for it. I shudder to think of what might have happened if I hadn't...it could have followed my breath and attached to me in my sleep!

I know it's an isolated incident, but I still have to ask:

Is there anything that kills or repels ticks but won't bother my invert pets? I hear about various natural oils that drive them away, would those be safe to spritz on my carpets now and then? I don't want my rats to get sick either.

 

[sstellw]

dont worry about it! ticks are no big deal! if you found one, keep an eye on your vertebrates, but otherwise, it will be ok. especially in the winter. as long as you dont see them a lot, they wont impose upon your life too much. it may be scary, but try not to fret, they are like most parasites, easy to get rid of. good luck! -Sarah

 

[Brian S]

hahaha You need to come here in the Summer and I'll show you what ticks are all about. Late in the Summer we are blessed with seed ticks. They are easy to keep pets and you even get to take them with you wherever you go LOL

Seriously, any spray with permetherin (spelling) will knock 'em in the head

 

[OldHag]

Brian actually cultivates ticks. He has a tick farm if you will. He will even feed them from his own blood supply should he run out of small animals to give to them. Ive been begging him for YEARS to send me a starter colony but he is very VERY selfish about them...

I once went hiking in the WEST DESERT (Utah) and was pulling ticks off of my person for 2 weeks after!! I have long since gotten over my fear of ticks.

 

[P.jasonius]

Seriously, you cultivate ticks??!!

 

[eelnoob]

Seriously, you cultivate ticks??!!

too weird

but than again everyone else thinks we're weird for keeping oddball pets

 

[Darwinsdad]

most tic's are not a serious threat, deer tic's which can carry Lyme desease are aproblem but most are just like you and me. They are shopping for the next meal. Think of your self as a human grocery chain.

 

[Scythemantis]

Well I did say it's a phobia, I can't control it. It has nothing to do with illness they can carry, as no other parasite scares me in the slightest and I think they're actually one of my favorite animals.

 

[Brian S]

Brian actually cultivates ticks. He has a tick farm if you will. He will even feed them from his own blood supply should he run out of small animals to give to them. Ive been begging him for YEARS to send me a starter colony but he is very VERY selfish about them...

I once went hiking in the WEST DESERT (Utah) and was pulling ticks off of my person for 2 weeks after!! I have long since gotten over my fear of ticks.

Hag, Do you still need 5 breeding pairs of the Lone Star Tick? I have those saved for you if you still want them

Seriously, you cultivate ticks??!!

Almost everyone does around here. I am the principal breeder for the American Tick Collector's Assosiation. Hag is my biggest distributor

too weird

but than again everyone else thinks we're weird for keeping oddball pets

Oddball? I thought everyone in the arachnid hobby kept ticks:?

 

[lucanidae]

Hey..this is really cool and stuff but ticks are arachnids so really it should be in the True Spiders/Other Arachnids, not insects....

 

[OldHag]

Brian!!! Of course I want that starter colony of the lonestar!!!! I didnt think you were serious about sending them! These ticks around here are getting a bit boring.

I do have some feeding questions though. I have 2 cats and was thinking that when the gravid females needed fresher blood than what I can provide, I could just put them on my cat for a few hours? Or do they need to be on for longer? I could keep the cat in a carrier so as not to loose the tick by accident. Some suggestions would be great!!

 

[Scythemantis]

I keep follicle mites, myself.

 

[Brian S]

I do have some feeding questions though. I have 2 cats and was thinking that when the gravid females needed fresher blood than what I can provide, I could just put them on my cat for a few hours? Or do they need to be on for longer? I could keep the cat in a carrier so as not to loose the tick by accident. Some suggestions would be great!!

I would put them either on your dog or goat. A cats fur is so thick that they often have trouble getting to the skin. Besides, a variety is probably healthy for them

 

[OldHag]

Wouldn't the goat pose the problem of maybe not being able to find them when they are done eating? Im NOT going to bring the goat in the house!!! And what about the factor that goats need a lot of copper in their diets, would that cause problems or kill the ticks?
As for the dog... he died last Sept Would it be bad to maybe put one on my child and place a small deli cup or suffle cup over the tick and tape the cup on to avoid escapes? Lone Star ticks dont carry lymes disease do they?

 

[Brian S]

Well if your kid doesnt mind, I would put it under her armpits. They can get "better" blood there
The Lone Star Tick isnt as known for Lyme Disease as it is for what we call "Rabbitt Fever" and I think that is a different deal from Lyme but I could be wrong. Nonetheless its rare and my CB models should be safe.
Dont worry about not bringing the goat in the house. They will stay attached all Winter until it get warm. I highly doubt copper will harm them. The are much stonger than the Indonesian Marbeled Tick

 

[arachnocat]

I've been worried about ticks since my mom got lyme disease on a camping trip when I was little. She got a yellow patch of skin around the bite a few months later found out she had lyme. She was sick for a long time. She's ok now though but the disease stays in your system.

I've always thought ticks were sort of creepy but interesting. Cultivating them might be fun. How do you get them to release from the skin without hurting them?

 

[P.jasonius]

I've always thought ticks were sort of creepy but interesting. Cultivating them might be fun. How do you get them to release from the skin without hurting them?

Yes, excellent question. I've always been told that if you pull them out, it can cause their head to be left under the skin. Using a hot match or something like that can cause them to release, but this may injure the specimen. I'd like to know the answer to this as well, as I generally like not to injure animals, even if they are to make a meal of me.

 

[OldHag]

I never force a tick off of its food supply. When its had its fill it will just drop off. Most of the time it will just ride around on the host until its hungry again then latch back on.
BrianS knows a LOT about cultivating them. Hes been at it for years!!