Tell me more about ticks. (Warning – Contain pictures that might not be suitable for those with insect phobia)
Leave a comment03/01/2013 by bubblypetz
GOOD DAY!
If you do not recognise this buddy greeting you, it’s okay as no one would stare so close to this:
You never want to see these
What are ticks?
Ticks belong to the arachnids family and are external parasites which feed on the blood of mammals (yes they bite humans), sometimes reptiles and amphibians. They are also carriers of diseases such as Lyme disease and the famous tick fever which is prevalent in Singapore.
we are one happy family
Ticks thrive super well in warm and humid places (you mean Singapore?) because the process of development from egg to larva requires a certain amount of moisture and warmth in the air.
so humid and warm..
Ticks breed by the numbers, literally. Between 2000-18000 eggs are laid by the female tick in crevasses of walls/floor or on plants. The eggs hatch to six-legged tiny larvae and jumps to the host to feed for 1-3 weeks before moulting into 8-legged nymph which are miniatures of the parents.
Assuming only 1% of 18000 survives, effectively 180 ticks are born each month!
yes, approximately this much is bred every month
What can we do to eradicate these pests?
Unfortunately, these buddies are very hardy with extremely high survivability and it’s almost impossible to 100% remove a major infestation in any typical Singaporean home.
yo talking about me?
We always recommend our clients to care for both their dogs as well as their surrounding environments as ticks thrive on both the host as well as the environment. We do not want a case whereby the ticks are cleared on the dog, but goes back to a tick-infested home with baby ticks ready to feed.
What can i do to prevent the breeding of ticks and remove existing ticks on my dog?
1. Trim your doggy’s fur short to facilitate the checking for ticks. (You may want to check for ticks during baths as they are most visible on your doggy’s wet coat)
2. Application of an effective spot-on treatment monthly
3. Chemical tick treatment as recommended by groomer
4. Use animal-friendly insecticide/tick-bomb for home prevention
5. For highly infested homes, call the pest control
Always Remember…
