Reptile & Amphibian Forums

how do monitors get ticks? how do we prevent them to get ticks, and can captive born monitors have ticks or just wild caught ones? is there a way to kill ticks for ever?

ticks are usually found only on wild caught monitors.

The female ticks drop off to lay their eggs. Young ticks looking for new hosts will hang out in grass waiting for something to walk past and they need to remain in a humid environment while doing so.

Yeah what DK said, plus they are attracted to pheromone scents too, which may explain how/why only certain species of Aponomma and Amblyomma (=hard ticks) befall only this Varanus species or that throughout a plethora of animals they can blood-suck from... Dr. Harry Hoogstraal was the Father of Acarology (Ticks) and wrote 1000's of pages of data on ticks and bibliography of same containing a dozen volumes or more each 1000 pages each!! He would sit for hours at his desk writing, reading, examining ticks with one hand, with his other hand stirring his scotch = a damn unique fellow and from what I hear a Zoologist extraordinaire!! Damn dedicated to the betterment of man through a understanding of ticks and their diseases and relationships with animal kingdoms...For African Ticks Read: H. Hoogstraal, 1956. Ticks of Sudan. 1101p.!

Cheers,
mbayless

As nymphs or adults and the importer, distributer, pet shop etc doesnt care and leaves them on the animal, just like mites. Mites can also transfer from other reptiles in the same room. You have to remove ticks either one at a time or every one as soon as you get a chance.