Ticks

[Ray--Opo]

Our native, North American ticks don't get that big.
If it engorges to the size of a nickel (no exaggerating), it's exotic.

They definitely were big. Like I said I gasped and then went to instant anger.

 

[Ray--Opo]

Ticks generally prefer some hosts over others, and their preferences in hosts may change with different stages of the tick's life cycle. However, if its preferred host species is not on the available menu, a hungry bloodsucking parasite may feed on other available, less-preferred hosts.

How about mosquitoes? Do they suck blood from tortoises? I have never seen one on Opo.

 

[Ray--Opo]

I was watching Kamp Kenan YouTube before for a while. His camp locates in South Florida, where he keeps a huge amount of tortoises and turtles. It seems that very often his tortoises have ticks. His friends' tortoises also have ticks. I thought ticks is a common issue in Florida...

Were the ticks small or did they get large full of tortoise blood?

 

[Jacqui]

~ Never ticks. Bot flys many years ago, one female had them.
View attachment 301916
Video's @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/TORTOISETALKGROUP/

I'd rather deal with ticks then flies.

 

[KronksMom]

I never worry about ticks, or any other pests besides mosquitoes really, where I live. But every once in a while we'll go visit my family at their lake house in the Ozarks. I don't think we've ever come home without at least one person/dog having at least one tick. And they get chiggers there too. Those are way worse than mosquitoes!

 

[Pastel Tortie]

Were the ticks small or did they get large full of tortoise blood?

Remember, Large is relative. Green pea size is plenty large for an engorged American tick. Those are normal. However, I don't know how normal our native ticks are in tortoise collections here in the U.S. It probably depends on where/how the tortoises are being kept, how observant and vigilant their keepers are, and how often the tortoises in question have the opportunity to completely submerge in water.

 

[Ray--Opo]

I never worry about ticks, or any other pests besides mosquitoes really, where I live. But every once in a while we'll go visit my family at their lake house in the Ozarks. I don't think we've ever come home without at least one person/dog having at least one tick. And they get chiggers there too. Those are way worse than mosquitoes!

You bet! My parents lived in the Smokey Mountains in NC. Chiggers were horrible.

 

[Pastel Tortie]

How about mosquitoes? Do they suck blood from tortoises? I have never seen one on Opo.

The short, oversimplified answer is: I'm not certain, but you probably don't have to worry about it.

Notes regarding that answer:

• From me, short and oversimplified means that there are a lot of disclaimers (and background context) that I'm not going into at the moment.
• The above short and oversimplified answer is specific to @Ray--Opo and includes consideration for what I am aware of regarding his tortoise/situation/husbandry, and also includes consideration for likely mosquito control measures in a neighborhood in his location in Florida.

 

[Farcryjj]

How about mosquitoes? Do they suck blood from tortoises? I have never seen one on Opo.

Were the ticks small or did they get large full of tortoise blood?

The ticks were full of blood and round like peas.

 

[Ray--Opo]

The short, oversimplified answer is: I'm not certain, but you probably don't have to worry about it.

Notes regarding that answer:

• From me, short and oversimplified means that there are a lot of disclaimers (and background context) that I'm not going into at the moment.
• The above short and oversimplified answer is specific to @Ray--Opo and includes consideration for what I am aware of regarding his tortoise/situation/husbandry, and also includes consideration for likely mosquito control measures in a neighborhood in his location in Florida.

Either you are a lawyer or a politician!???

 

[Ray--Opo]

The ticks were full of blood and round like peas.

That sounds normal according to @Pastel Tortie.

 

[Pastel Tortie]

Either you are a lawyer or a politician!???

Ouch! That hurt! ? Not guilty, on both counts!

 

[Pastel Tortie]

That sounds normal according to @Pastel Tortie.

I'm not an expert. It's just one of those many topics I've had to translate from "expert" to "plain English" before. I sort of made a career doing that. ?

 

[Pastel Tortie]

I spent about 20 years (cumulative) working in state government, spread among three different agencies and different parts of those agencies. To some extent or other, I've provided technical assistance in every job I've had.

In other words... I've had to explain a lot of different stuff to a lot of different people with a lot of different backgrounds.

I'm not a lawyer or a politician, but I've had to deal with both.

I haven't been affiliated with government for a while now. So consider my background a resource, and I'll leave the disclosures there for the moment.