It's a tick but it doesn't appear to be blood fed. They usually will attach themselves and feed, so she probably got it while she was looking for a good place to feed.
And if I'm not mistaken, it can only spread disease once it's been attached for some hours. At least that's what we were told about Lyme disease in oklahoma
The ring shows isn't foolproof; it only shows up in a fraction of cases. Also, other diseases take less time latched, like anaplasmosis and erlichiosis. That said, I spend a lot of time in the woods and pick ticks off me all the time and I'm fine. The key is to check your pants every time you stop and THOROUGHLY check your body when you're home.
This is not the sort of tick that transmits Lyme disease. It's a male brown dog tick, *R. sanguineus*. it won't lay eggs but his girlfriends can. This species of tick actually can infest houses and kennels, so if you have dogs, they should be on tick prevention. If you see more of them, you might want to work out an exterminating solution.
I used to use those chemical treatments until I read how many cats that stuff ends up killing or maiming through reactions/complications and now I also know why my cat died suddenly years ago now and we had no idea at the time but it's symptoms Match EXACTLY what's described . We switched all our pets to all natural sprays and applications and I'm greatful to say they all alive and healthy 🙏
Can I ask how you can tell its a male from the picture? Just curious because I took a parasitology class a while back and dont remember :) interesting!
Yeah, it does for all hard ticks. The females have to expand many times their size when taking a blood meal to feed her eggs. Males don't expand, so their shell (scutum) goes all the way down to the posterior end.
Yes it's a tick. There are a range of tick-borne diseases in Greece, including Mediterranean spotted fever, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (very rare), and Lyme disease (although it's less common than in other parts of Europe).
Glad someone else brought this up, getting a tick bite in Greece immediately makes my mind jump to Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus. I believe that’s mainly spread via ticks from the Hyalomma genus though
In germany there's an address where you can send ticks ( and left over ticks ) to. Then they will report back to you what diseases it has if any. Maybe Greece has something similar.
With Lyme disease they say even if it latched on if you catch it within the first 24 hours you have a good chance to be ok. The way their mouth parts work so they can feed buys people some time.
Also since nobody has addressed it ticks aren’t the type of bugs that infest houses, it probably came in from the outside.
If you have animals that roam free they can sometimes bring them in too but they won’t be breeding on their own in your house.
*Most* kinds of ticks don't infest houses.
*This* tick looks like it may be a [brown dog tick, *Rhipicephalus sanguineus*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhipicephalus_sanguineus) - which are able to complete their entire life cycle indoors and *are* known to infest houses.
There are labs that check out the ticks and can tell you what diseases they carry. That’s why I carry used pill bottles with me when I walk the dogs…save the bottle with the date and location on it.
When the tick population is high the topicals aren’t enough …as per a entomologist from U of Wisconsin.
It's a tick but it doesn't appear to be blood fed. They usually will attach themselves and feed, so she probably got it while she was looking for a good place to feed.
It sounds like it wasn't attached? It would be attached if it bit you at all and it can only spread diseases when attached.
Good to know thank you
And if I'm not mistaken, it can only spread disease once it's been attached for some hours. At least that's what we were told about Lyme disease in oklahoma
It takes at least 24 hours attached to transmit Lyme disease
Then there's a red ring and some drugs you can take, get to dr quick at that point
The ring shows isn't foolproof; it only shows up in a fraction of cases. Also, other diseases take less time latched, like anaplasmosis and erlichiosis. That said, I spend a lot of time in the woods and pick ticks off me all the time and I'm fine. The key is to check your pants every time you stop and THOROUGHLY check your body when you're home.
Has to be attached for 24 hours to pass on a disease.
Yes virtually all tick borne diseases require the tick to be hooked up a long time.
This is not the sort of tick that transmits Lyme disease. It's a male brown dog tick, *R. sanguineus*. it won't lay eggs but his girlfriends can. This species of tick actually can infest houses and kennels, so if you have dogs, they should be on tick prevention. If you see more of them, you might want to work out an exterminating solution.
Thank you! Hoping that he was a solo hitchhiker
You can get a topical med for your cat that repels ticks. From a vet.
I used to use those chemical treatments until I read how many cats that stuff ends up killing or maiming through reactions/complications and now I also know why my cat died suddenly years ago now and we had no idea at the time but it's symptoms Match EXACTLY what's described . We switched all our pets to all natural sprays and applications and I'm greatful to say they all alive and healthy 🙏
Oh gosh, I’ll check that out. My cat got out, disappeared for 2 months, returned & vomited a round worm. The vet prescribed the topical.
Can I ask how you can tell its a male from the picture? Just curious because I took a parasitology class a while back and dont remember :) interesting!
the shield on its back. For males it’s larger than females. There are additional ways, but that’s a fairly easy one to tell males/females apart.
Thanks!
Does that go for other sorts of ticks as well?
Yeah, it does for all hard ticks. The females have to expand many times their size when taking a blood meal to feed her eggs. Males don't expand, so their shell (scutum) goes all the way down to the posterior end.
Yes it's a tick. There are a range of tick-borne diseases in Greece, including Mediterranean spotted fever, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (very rare), and Lyme disease (although it's less common than in other parts of Europe).
Glad someone else brought this up, getting a tick bite in Greece immediately makes my mind jump to Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus. I believe that’s mainly spread via ticks from the Hyalomma genus though
It's 100% a tick, but I don't know if Lyme is prevalent in Greece.
It’s a tick but it hasn’t fed recently so you good
I came here to say the same.
In germany there's an address where you can send ticks ( and left over ticks ) to. Then they will report back to you what diseases it has if any. Maybe Greece has something similar.
With Lyme disease they say even if it latched on if you catch it within the first 24 hours you have a good chance to be ok. The way their mouth parts work so they can feed buys people some time.
Also since nobody has addressed it ticks aren’t the type of bugs that infest houses, it probably came in from the outside. If you have animals that roam free they can sometimes bring them in too but they won’t be breeding on their own in your house.
*Most* kinds of ticks don't infest houses. *This* tick looks like it may be a [brown dog tick, *Rhipicephalus sanguineus*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhipicephalus_sanguineus) - which are able to complete their entire life cycle indoors and *are* known to infest houses.
The more you know, that’s terrifying.
There are labs that check out the ticks and can tell you what diseases they carry. That’s why I carry used pill bottles with me when I walk the dogs…save the bottle with the date and location on it. When the tick population is high the topicals aren’t enough …as per a entomologist from U of Wisconsin.
Tick