Ticks!!!

[becky12883]

So this year has been an exceptionally great year for ticks so far. I check myself even after just hanging laundry on the line and found one. It wasn't a big deal at all really, but today I found one in my kitchen sink. I'm pretty sure that it didn't come in with me or my laundry. It was just hanging out in the sink with the dirty dishes. So, now, of course, I'm freaking out that my house is infested with ticks and my chinchillas are going to get infected with Lyme's disease!!! I don't even know if that's possible?!? Can chinchillas get Lyme's disease?!? Will ticks even bother burrowing through all that fur to get to the skin?!?

 

[BenD188]

I've always heard that chinchillas can't get ticks or fleas because their fur is too dense for them to stick to.

I'm sure someone who knows more about this will chime in, thats just what I was told in the past.

 

[starleomach]

I have never had an issue with fleas or ticks on the chinchillas, their fur is so dense it is much less likely. Not impossible but improbable

 

[AZChins]

They CAN get fleas or ticks, but very rarely do...as long as you keep them clean they probably won't get it. I've seen fleas a couple of times with chins, but I haven't seen ticks before. When the chins had the fleas they were in homes with LOTS of cats or were in really poor shape where they were in a filthy home.

 

[melbur10]

Hmm im Definitly glad ticks are one thing I have never had to be concerned over.
I always heard that they aren't likely to get them as well.

 

[becky12883]

Thanks for your input! I'll watch to make sure there are no more ticks in my house! It gives me the creepy crawlies just thinking about it. We have never had an issue with fleas with the chinchillas. We did when we had rats though! My sister's dog got fleas and we babysat for her daughter and my house was infested. We had to bomb the entire house and the rats got covered in flea powder and bathed daily until there was no sign of them. It took weeks for them to be completely gone. After that experience my sister wasn't allowed to bring anything but the kids and clothes they were wearing to my house!

 

[jess32247]

I've also heard that chins can't get fleas or ticks, which is a relief. The past couple years have been bad for us, and since we barely had a winter all the nasty bugs are already out and about.

 

[ticklechin]

They can get both, especially on the belly, thighs and feet where the fur is less plush.

 

[Sycamore Chins]

They can get both, especially on the belly, thighs and feet where the fur is less plush.

Agreed, and also ears!

Also, be aware, there are many different kind of ticks that can carry many different diseases, depending on your geographic location. It's not just Lyme's disease you have to worry about!

 

[becky12883]

Well now I just looked up the types of diseases that ticks in my area can transmit. Lyme diseases, Rickettsia (Rocky mountain fever), Babesiosis (protozoan, like giardia), and possibly prion diseases like Chronic Wasting disease. This is just in my area, northern Wisconsin, there are many other diseases in different areas that different ticks can transmit.
I guess we will be doing tick checks on the boys. They hate when we touch their bellies, this should be fun.