[I Are Baboon]

How often do you return home from a ride to find a tick sticking out of your body? Happened to me today. My first tick! I pulled the little facker out with tweezers and flushed him down the toilet (stupid me did not realize I should have saved him in a vial or something). I hear ticks have to be attached to you for like 36 hours before you can become infected, so I'm not too worried about it. Just wondering how often you have to remove ticks from yourself.

 

[Echo]

I got one a couple years ago in CA while riding with OCDH & her gang. I got all freaked out until I saw that it takes them a couple days to start feeding (and infect the host).

 

[RideND]

Around here we can get about 15 or so just in a short tree section. So we stop and have a tick clearing off rest when we get out of trees.
________
Infant Depakote

 

[I Are Baboon]

Originally posted by Echo
I got all freaked out until I saw that it takes them a couple days to start feeding (and infect the host).

Yeah, I was happy to read that.

Those little bastards don't want to let go when you're pulling on them.

 

[MMcG]

Yuck - those things are such a pain in the arse.

How was your ride today Babs?

 

[golgiaparatus]

Came home from a camping trip and I had one attached firmly to my balls... he was pretty small so he couldnt have beern on there long. I grabbed him with some tweezers and managed to get him out complete with head. He's somewhere in the sewer now.

 

[luken8r]

its the ticks you dont see that get you sick. i dont think dog ticks cary as nasty of stuff as deer ticks.

dog ticks are about this big -> 0

deer ticks are about this big -> .

the deer ticks are the buggers the carry lyme disease. my mom got it about 5 years ago and was really sick for a while.
especially in CT, man, they are all over the place. I was at some house in Lyme, CT (where you get the term Lyme disease from) and ran my hands through the grass. i saw 4-5 of the little deer ticks on my hand.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Originally posted by luken8r
its the ticks you dont see that get you sick. i dont think dog ticks cary as nasty of stuff as deer ticks.

dog ticks are about this big -> 0

deer ticks are about this big -> .

the deer ticks are the buggers the carry lyme disease. my mom got it about 5 years ago and was really sick for a while.
especially in CT, man, they are all over the place. I was at some house in Lyme, CT (where you get the term Lyme disease from) and ran my hands through the grass. i saw 4-5 of the little deer ticks on my hand.

I must have had a dog tick then. I thought it was a drop of mud on my hip until I looked closer. I was surprised at how big it was. His legs were kicking.

Mark, the ride was AWESOME. Pics to come later.

 

[splat]

Was he actually attached imbedded in the skin ?? ( made me do a double check after todays ride. )

It take 36 -48 hours for them to transfer lyme. also once on you body they can take up to 48 hours before attaching.

I just hate tyhe little buggers! I have found one on me already this year. he wasn't attache but they still hold on pretty good !

 

[Westy]

During tick season I will find several on me legs during a ride. Usually well befor they start to dig in. The first few times it happened I got really freaked out and actually showered with my dogs flea and tick soap. They don't bother me much anymore, I am just careful to check for them and use plenty of insect repellant.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Originally posted by splat
Was he actually attached imbedded in the skin ?? ( made me do a double check after todays ride. )

It take 36 -48 hours for them to transfer lyme. also once on you body they can take up to 48 hours before attaching.

I just hate tyhe little buggers! I have found one on me already this year. he wasn't attache but they still hold on pretty good !

He was attached but had not started to burrow.

 

[los jefes]

Originally posted by golgiaparatus
Came home from a camping trip and I had one attached firmly to my balls... he was pretty small so he couldnt have beern on there long. I grabbed him with some tweezers and managed to get him out complete with head. He's somewhere in the sewer now.

I had that happen to me as well. I went to pee in a truck stop after a ride and I noticed a big freckle that wasn't there before. It was no freckle. I am still disturbed by the incident.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Originally posted by los jefes
I had that happen to me as well. I went to pee in a truck stop after a ride and I noticed a big freckle that wasn't there before. It was no freckle. I am still disturbed by the incident.

Oh yeah, I made sure to give my nad sack an inspection.

I am happy to report my nads are tick free.

 

[bomberz1qr20]

I got a dear tick in the groin once. Yikes.

Make sure you pull them out by the head. Squeezing the body as you try to get them out can push the infected blood back into your system. Don't burn them either, or any other stupid method commonly called for.

Hang onto the tick (ziplock bag) until a few days go by. Lyme disease commonly produces a rash around the bite, so see a doc right away if you get this, and bring in the tick with you.




And for god sakes, don't let one stay in your skin to for weeks because you are lonely. That's just sad.

 

[punkassean]

Ticks pretty much suck! I seem to get them on me almost every ride but only in me once a year or so. Back east where most of you guys live, lyme is a big deal but in CA it really isn't an issue. If I feel the tiniest little prick while riding I stop and check it out. Ticks inject an anastethic in you when they initially bite you. The initial bite is all you will feel until they have fully bedded in, a few hours later you will feel sore around the bite.

Contrary to popular belief don't twist them out, just pull straight back hard with steady pressure. The longer they are in the harder they can be to extract. My doctor also said that it can take at least a few hours to transmit lyme to the host. If the tick is in you for a few hours you will get a nipple looking swollen area, this is not the "Bulls-eye target" that indicates lyme. That will come later if you are infected.

I have wondered about something like "frontline" for dogs/cats being applied to humans, but I guess it's not approved for that. That makes me wonder if it's not good enough for me, is it not good enough for my dog?

anyway...ticks suck!

 

[Wumpus]

Originally posted by punkassean
I have wondered about something like "frontline" for dogs/cats being applied to humans, but I guess it's not approved for that. That makes me wonder if it's not good enough for me, is it not good enough for my dog?

Lot easier to get something approved for animal use than it is for human use. They use animals to test drugs for humans.

 

[punkassean]

Originally posted by Wumpus
Lot easier to get something approved for animal use than it is for human use. They use animals to test drugs for humans.

exactly what worries me!

 

[Brian HCM#1]

I had one, actually heard him singing......Food around the corner, food around the coner, food around the corner for me.

 

[Wumpus]

Originally posted by punkassean
exactly what worries me!

If I lived somewhere that had a tick problem, I would be a lot more worried about what the ticks could do to my pet than top spot/frontline.

 

[berkshire_rider]

Lyme disease is no joke. Untreated it can cause extensive problems including death. I got infected from a tick bite in 2002 up in Maine. It attached itself and was in there for 2 days before I saw it. I happened to notice the bullseye by accident in the mirror. Went to the doctor and they had me take antibiotics, which cures it if caught early. It was several weeks of hell. Every morning it felt like I had arthritis, my legs / joints ached so bad. No energy, and generally felt like sh*t.

The only thing that helps repel them (and it's not 100% effective) is a Deet based insect repellent. Spray some on before you head out onto the trails. However, Deet is generally bad for you, so you should wash it off after your ride is over.

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