# Mink and ticks



## magnumhntr (Aug 18, 2003)

So far this year, the mink I've caught have had a couple of ticks on them. No big deal. Went to put up another buck that I caught friday night, and the thing was literally crawling with ticks. It was like fleas on a ****. Must've been 25-30 just on the head/neck area. Decided I couldn't deal with that many live ticks at once, so I threw him in a zip lock and then into the freezer with him for a couple days.

So... is the deep freeze going to kill those darn things, or do I need to hit them with something else. And for next time, is there something I can spray them with that'll kill the ticks, or is the freezer my best option?

Thanks guys!

Chris


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## alexsalmon (Feb 16, 2006)

IF the freezer doesn't work don't hesitate to you "Raid", that should do the trick if the freeze doesn't.

Good luck!


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

From my experience the freezer will kill them just give them a week and everything should be dead. I have had mink with mange mites before think about that one! I would take the ticks anyday! I didn't know by looking at them but I was helping out on a study that involved parasites on animals from the weasel family and I was collecting all parasites of mink, otter, and weasel and when they checked them out one mink had mange mites even though there was no sign of it on the hide. OT


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## Tecumseh (Aug 13, 2004)

I hate ticks. It's hard to believe they are still out. I usually don't see many past the first of November but I guess with the warmer weather ....


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## Joe R. (Jan 9, 2002)

All but one of my mink this year had ticks on them. Most had from 2-6 on the back of the neck and shoulder area. One buck had quite a few that came crawling out while he was on the drying rack. The one thing I noticed this year that I haven't in years past is that over half the mink I caught this year had some type of worm under the skin between the ankle and knee joint on the rear leg. Some would just have one, but one had 3 on one leg and 2 on the other. These worms were apoximately 4-6 inches long and about the diameter of a small mechanical pencil lead. All of them where just under that membrane on top of the muscle. Anybody got any ideas on that.

Joe


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## fbuckner (Apr 7, 2006)

Ive had both the ticks and this worm. I wonder if this worm is detrimental to the minks health and if it would hurt the populations


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

Joe R. said:


> The one thing I noticed this year that I haven't in years past is that over half the mink I caught this year had some type of worm under the skin between the ankle and knee joint on the rear leg. Some would just have one, but one had 3 on one leg and 2 on the other. These worms were apoximately 4-6 inches long and about the diameter of a small mechanical pencil lead. All of them where just under that membrane on top of the muscle. Anybody got any ideas on that. Joe


Those are guinea worms...I see them on just about every **** and mink I skin. Harmless to humans and basically just a nasty discomfort to the host animal.

If you really want to know about the worms life cycle and all that, go to http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-27119--,00.html


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## magnumhntr (Aug 18, 2003)

alexsalmon said:


> IF the freezer doesn't work don't hesitate to you "Raid", that should do the trick if the freeze doesn't.
> 
> Good luck!


Does RAID hurt the fur at all? I'd hate to hammer a good mink pelt with RAID just to find out I hurt the value of it. If it won't hurt it, I'll give it a try tonight, as I got another one this morning, infested almost as bad as the one in the freezer.


Chris


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

magnumhntr said:


> Does RAID hurt the fur at all? I'd hate to hammer a good mink pelt with RAID just to find out I hurt the value of it. If it won't hurt it, I'll give it a try tonight, as I got another one this morning, infested almost as bad as the one in the freezer.
> 
> 
> Chris


 
Chris, I buy a small jug of flea and tick powder and dump it all into a garbage bag. Then when I have an animal that has alot of fleas or ticks, I just puth them in there (totally dry!) and shake them around. Then I let them sit for a couple hours while I do other things.

I cant imagine that Raid or a bug bomb type product would hurt the fur at all...but its probably not great for you!


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## magnumhntr (Aug 18, 2003)

Thanks Bill.

I think I'll head down to TSC and see if I can find some industrial strength tick killer for these guys. I can't even explain how infested they are. It's almost repulsive....

After letting them sit for awhile (few hours), do you just brush the powder and ticks out, or give em a shake and call it good? Wanna make sure these buggers are good and dead, and the fur is at its best.

Thanks again!

Chris


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

magnumhntr said:


> After letting them sit for awhile (few hours), do you just brush the powder and ticks out, or give em a shake and call it good?


Since I am only dealing with the occasional one or two animals (darn the luck!), I do the following....

I open my barn door and set my shop vac outside, then close the door so that only the hose end is inside with me and the animal. I vacuum the dust off reasonably well...takes one or two minutes. The reason I leave the vac can outside is so that the exhaust (powder) doesnt fill up my shop.

Theres no doubt a better way...but thats what I do. 

All of a sudden, your Raid idea is sounding better! :evil:


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## alexsalmon (Feb 16, 2006)

RAID will not hurt the fur and is the recommended way of killing fleas and ticks in the Wild Fur Pelt Handling Manual. If you don't use the powder, put the mink in a garbage bag spray, shake, tie off then let it sit for awhile, all ticks and fleas should be dead.


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## hunt4life (Dec 22, 2006)

i've had ***** and mink with the fleas and ticks on them before. I went to the dollar store and got the cheapest bottle of flea and tick shampoo and actually gave them a bath. Couldn't handle the little buggers crawling up my arms. Should have seen the hair shine after that.


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

Joe R. said:


> All but one of my mink this year had ticks on them. Most had from 2-6 on the back of the neck and shoulder area. One buck had quite a few that came crawling out while he was on the drying rack. The one thing I noticed this year that I haven't in years past is that over half the mink I caught this year had some type of worm under the skin between the ankle and knee joint on the rear leg. Some would just have one, but one had 3 on one leg and 2 on the other. These worms were apoximately 4-6 inches long and about the diameter of a small mechanical pencil lead. All of them where just under that membrane on top of the muscle. Anybody got any ideas on that.
> 
> Joe


I think it is some sort of parasite that they can catch I think from eating other animals that are carriers, but not 100% sure just a guess actually. I see that in most of my mink up here over the past 5 years. Not all have it but over half that is for sure.


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## Northcountry (Feb 4, 2004)

ottertrapper said:


> I think it is some sort of parasite that they can catch I think from eating other animals that are carriers, but not 100% sure just a guess actually. I see that in most of my mink up here over the past 5 years. Not all have it but over half that is for sure.


Kurt, I answered this already....look at Post #7.

The guinea worm female lives just under the skin on the ankle (usually) for up to a year, then it pokes out of the skin and lays eggs in the water. The larvae are eaten by cyclops, then the cyclops eaten by minnows and frogs, etc...where they accumulate. When a mink, ****, otter, fox etc eats the fish and frogs, they get infested with the worms. They can also get infested by simply drinking the water with the eggs directly, bypassing all the intermediate hosts.


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

Northcountry said:


> Kurt, I answered this already....look at Post #7.
> 
> The guinea worm female lives just under the skin on the ankle (usually) for up to a year, then it pokes out of the skin and lays eggs in the water. The larvae are eaten by cyclops, then the cyclops eaten by minnows and frogs, etc...where they accumulate. When a mink, ****, otter, fox etc eats the fish and frogs, they get infested with the worms. They can also get infested by simply drinking the water with the eggs directly, bypassing all the intermediate hosts.


NC,

I wasn't too far off then when I said they get it from eating other carriers! Not bad for a guess! Thanks for the biology lesson


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## David G Duncan (Mar 26, 2000)

Over the past 50 years of trapping mink I have seen these parasites on my mink. But I never knew the name of the thin worms that were in the muscles on the most of the mink and otter I have catch. Now thanks to NC, I know their name.  

I also found these worm parasites on the Pine Marten I took this year. All the Pine Marten carcasses are sent into the DNR, so I am sure that they are checking them for parasites.

As a young trapper back in the 1950's I would dissect a lot of the animals I caught, especially if they were unusual in some way. One very small male mink that I could got a complete going over and I discovered that it had Liver Flukes! At one time I thought I would go to school to be a veterinarian, but later decided that being an electrical engineer made more sense. But I did take college biology and got very good grades in the lab. work.


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## ottertrapper (Jan 6, 2006)

David G Duncan said:


> Over the past 50 years of trapping mink I have seen these parasites on my mink. But I never knew the name of the thin worms that were in the muscles on the most of the mink and otter I have catch. Now thanks to NC, I know their name.
> 
> I also found these worm parasites on the Pine Marten I took this year. All the Pine Marten carcasses are sent into the DNR, so I am sure that they are checking them for parasites.
> 
> As a young trapper back in the 1950's I would dissect a lot of the animals I caught, especially if they were unusual in some way. One very small male mink that I could got a complete going over and I discovered that it had Liver Flukes! At one time I thought I would go to school to be a veterinarian, but later decided that being an electrical engineer made more sense. But I did take college biology and got very good grades in the lab. work.


That's is interesting that you have found them on otter as well it makes sense if you think about it seeing the mink get it from fish and frogs that they eat. I have never found it on any of my otter over the years or at least not that I can remember.


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