HELLLPPP!! Torts covered in ticks

[DeirdraL]

Safety note: please do NOT pop ticks. They are full of whatever dangerous tick-borne bacteria/spirochetes/parasites are endemic where you live, and if blood splatters, you can get infected. Wash your hands carefully after handling. Drop whole ticks into a disposable jar containing a good volume of isopropyl alcohol.

I'm not a fan of grabbing ticks with pick-ups because that can cause a tick to regurgitate back into the host. We don't have a great number of studies about tick-borne infections in NA torts. That being said, everyone's better off with them removed when sighted, so: use your judgement, grab as near to the mouthparts as possible, and rest when your fingers get tired.

A good coating of olive oil (or similar) can be helpful and is non-harmful. It also flows easily into the leg crevices where you can't see/reach. It does make the job slippery for you, so keep a stack of paper towels nearby.

Use double-sided tape around the top of the quarantine enclosures so ticks get stuck trying to climb out to lay eggs (be careful that the tape cannot fall where tort skin will stick to it - not fun). Change out bedding daily and discard in a thoroughly sealed bag.

'Luck!

I love this double sided tape idea!!!!!!! On my way to Home Depot now to grab some!!!! I’m going to put the torts in plastic containers. Can I put wee pads down for them at least? Maybe tape them down? I’ve definitely noticed a drop in ticks but that’s suspicious to me lol means I’ll probably have more in a week ??.... someone recommended provent-a-mite, not sure if I want to take that route yet. But I would like to kill these suckers

 

[JMM]

Double-sided tape is good as an additional barrier, but definitely do the water moat as well.
Get some photos so we can figure out the type of tick. That will tell us what type of hosts it uses, etc. It's unlikely that you have to worry about the ticks reproducing within a short time span (days). It's important that you get rid of these ticks asap and make sure they are dead and that none escape. DO NOT use any chemical treatments on the torts or in their environment. Safest and best way to eliminate them is to physically remove them and to make sure they are rendered non-viable (drop in alcohol is one method). Yes, you can put wee pads down. Just make sure that they are discarded in sealed ziplock.

 

[ZenHerper]

I love this double sided tape idea!!!!!!! On my way to Home Depot now to grab some!!!! I’m going to put the torts in plastic containers. Can I put wee pads down for them at least? Maybe tape them down? I’ve definitely noticed a drop in ticks but that’s suspicious to me lol means I’ll probably have more in a week ??.... someone recommended provent-a-mite, not sure if I want to take that route yet. But I would like to kill these suckers

Permethrin is reported safe...in an enclosed space such as a storage container, you have to weigh the parasite situation against the value, so to speak, of the subject. Tortoises are sensitive in ways that other reptiles do not seem to be. Follow package instructions carefully. Use the most giant containers you can find so that fresh air circulation is maximized.

Plain, unscented training pads are fine, but so is newspaper. Mature, fertilized ticks will crawl under and/or drop globs of eggs, so I would still take it up daily in a plastic bag, seal it, and wipe the container thoroughly with alcohol (air dry completely).

I mean, if they are not getting around the house and into the yard, the fact that you are finding fewer ticks means that you are succeeding! Most of them will be sub-adult stages. Continue your vigilance.

What really fat ticks are actually doing:

 

[JMM]

I would strongly advise against using any chemical treatment. While chemical treatment seems easy it may also be irreversible. Physical treatment will get rid of these ticks. Unless one is expert with the dosing, route of use and type of permethrin or other acaracide in the particular species, it could be very dangerous. Permethrins are particularly troublesome because there is no antidote and by the time toxicity is evident it is too late.

 

[DeirdraL]

Update on today-

found zero ticks on my babies today. Cleaned out substrate while they soaked and in my shower... Even after a soak... no ticks... Hopefully we are almost done!

 

[JMM]

That's fantastic! I think it's still important to figure out what these ticks are so that you can take precautions to ensure you don't have any lingering and to be on the lookout for any diseases the ticks may have transferred to the torts. But need close up photos of top and bottom of a few different ticks.

 

[DeirdraL]

That's fantastic! I think it's still important to figure out what these ticks are so that you can take precautions to ensure you don't have any lingering and to be on the lookout for any diseases the ticks may have transferred to the torts. But need close up photos of top and bottom of a few different ticks.

If I find another I’ll take pictures for now all I have is this ->

 

[JMM]

If I find another I’ll take pictures for now all I have is this ->

If I find another I’ll take pictures for now all I have is this ->

That's a start. Hopefully you got those three off. So sorry for the torts. What you'd need to do to get photos is take a few of the dead ones and lay them out so you can get a good close up of the top and then flip them over and do the same with the bottom. Need to be able to look at mouth parts, festoons, etc. If you can get photos of different sized ones that would be great.

 

[Loohan]

When i find ticks embedded in myself, i usually rub a bit of soap on them first. A thick liquid like Dr Bronners or dish soap works well.
It takes a while to kill them, but then usually they come off easily, often just rub off.

Many ticks i get are too tiny to get a grip on, often in hard to reach areas like between the toes or in the armpit.

 

[Yvonne G]

When i find ticks embedded in myself, i usually rub a bit of soap on them first. A thick liquid like Dr Bronners or dish soap works well.
It takes a while to kill them, but then usually they come off easily, often just rub off.

Many ticks i get are too tiny to get a grip on, often in hard to reach areas like between the toes or in the armpit.

Ew!! I'm so glad there are no ticks where I live!!!!!

 

[mharris]

Guys I also need help. Rescued some tortoises from bushmeat poachers. They are very big (one weighed about 50kg). They not used to human interaction. They are also covered in ticks. I’ve picked off what I can see but when they stick their heads out and by their tails and inside their shells it’s covered in hundreds of thousands of ticks. Obviously I can’t get to those. Here in the southern hemisphere they gonna go into hibernation soon and I’d hate for these ticks to still be on them. Especially as I can’t get in there to get rid of them manually. Is there anything I can spray them with? They quarantined for now in a garden but this isn’t feasible for much longer. Is there anything natural? I’ve been thinking of making a spray with coconut or olive oil as a base and either peppermint or rosemary essential oil. I’ve heard the oil smothers them and ticks hate the smell of mint but I’m not sure if this will be okay for tortoises. Anyone got suggestions? A friend suggested tick spray for horses but I’m not to sure if that’s also ok? Any help?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hi!
Merck Veterinary Manual advises to use permethrin spray (I think it's the same stuff used to treat lice in humans).

That's from TortoiseTrust:
For any external parasites you can dip the tortoise in Alugan or diluted tritix (Amitraz) 1-2ml/litre. Ticks can be removed manually - coat with alcohol or vaseline, turn on its back to loosen its grip and pull off. Apply a little betadine to the spot where the tick was attached

Here is a manual on removing them with tweezers (I don't think it can work in your case):

Pests and Parasites [incomplete] - Tortoise Library

Habitat pestsIndoor tortoise habitats can attract a lot of unwanted bugs. Warm, humid air, moist substrate, rotting food and fecal material attract pretty much every common household pest- ants, fruit flies, spiders, and so on, but they also attract two that are less familiar to us- fungus gnats...

tortoiselibrary.com

There is another method of "oiling" them with an olive/coconut oil, but it's not recommended at least for humans.

 

[Yvonne G]

I wonder if putting the tortoise in deep water, where he has to move his legs to swim, would make the ticks let go.

 

[mharris]

Hi!
Merck Veterinary Manual advises to use permethrin spray (I think it's the same stuff used to treat lice in humans).

That's from TortoiseTrust:
For any external parasites you can dip the tortoise in Alugan or diluted tritix (Amitraz) 1-2ml/litre. Ticks can be removed manually - coat with alcohol or vaseline, turn on its back to loosen its grip and pull off. Apply a little betadine to the spot where the tick was attached

Here is a manual on removing them with tweezers (I don't think it can work in your case):

Pests and Parasites [incomplete] - Tortoise Library

Habitat pestsIndoor tortoise habitats can attract a lot of unwanted bugs. Warm, humid air, moist substrate, rotting food and fecal material attract pretty much every common household pest- ants, fruit flies, spiders, and so on, but they also attract two that are less familiar to us- fungus gnats...

tortoiselibrary.com

There is another method of "oiling" them with an olive/coconut oil, but it's not recommended at least for humans.

Thanks so much. It’s worth a try 😜

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thanks so much. It’s worth a try 😜

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