One of the best ways to keep ticks away is by having animals around your home, property, or garden that are known to be tick predators. These animals include chickens, guinea fowls, guinea pigs, amphibians (like frogs and salamanders), reptiles (like lizards and snakes), hedgehogs and other wild small mammals such as chipmunks or shrews. These animals can act as natural tick repellents in the sense that they will eat ticks on the ground or nestled in grasses that may otherwise make their way onto clothing or skin. Additionally, many of these animals also secrete natural oils from their skin that deters ticks naturally – making some animals like chickens an especially important part of keeping a yard tick-free.
Introduction – What Are Ticks?
Ticks are a type of parasitic insect that feeds on the blood of mammals, birds and reptiles. They can be found in many parts of the world, including North America and Europe. Not only do they carry diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Babesiosis, just to name a few; but they’re also annoying and pose a risk to humans and animals alike. So what animal keeps ticks away?
Fortunately, there is one animal which is known to have a natural repulsion towards ticks – guinea pigs! Guinea pigs emit ultrasonic vibrations which tick larvae find unpleasant. This makes guinea pigs an ideal choice when it comes to keeping ticks at bay. Additionally, guinea pigs don’t need any special care or maintenance when kept outside as long as they are provided with enough food, collars for cats water and shelter, making them a convenient solution for all your tick problems!
Reasons Why Animals Keep Ticks Away
Animals, particularly large ones like horses and livestock, keep ticks away by providing food for them. Not only do their presence disrupt the habitat of ticks in general, but the animals’ blood also attracts the parasites. Ticks survive on blood from living hosts, so when a host animal is present to provide meals for them, they’re less likely to look elsewhere.
The fur of animals serves as another barrier between ticks and humans. It provides thick coverage that prevents ticks from being able to latch onto human skin or clothes directly. The fur also makes it harder for ticks to navigate through the layers until they can bite. This article covers why some animals are better than others at keeping away ticks — keep reading to find out more!
Animal Species that Help Repel/Eliminate Ticks
There are several animal species that help keep ticks away from your home and property. Chickens, guinea fowl, turkeys and quail all eat ticks, as well as mice and other small rodents. While it’s certainly not practical to keep chickens or turkeys in your backyard for the purpose of tick control, having a few of these birds will help reduce the number of ticks near your home.
Smaller mammals such as gophers, moles, opossums and hedgehogs are also able to feast on ticks and can be one of the most effective ways to keep them under control. They can ”cruise” through your yard eating anything they find – including those pesky little bugs!
Various reptiles can also help with tick control. Native lizards eat small numbers of ticks daily while snakes consume significantly more when available. The presence of these animals may be enough to limit the tick population around your home significantly.
Natural Tick-Repelling Animals
Natural tick-repelling animals can be a great way to keep ticks away from your property. Since ticks are known to spread serious diseases, including Lyme disease, it’s important to take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your family.
One natural tick-repelling animal is the guinea pig. Guinea pigs produce a naturally sebaceous secretions called “lanolin” that deters ticks and fleas in the environment. Other animals such as chickens, ducks, geese and guinea hens can also help repel ticks due to their natural defensive behaviors and fur coats which provide some coverage from potential parasites.
Finally, goats have been used for centuries as natural tick repellers because they consume most if not all of the vegetation on a property. This means there aren’t any tall grasses or shrubs that could attract ticks near your home in the first place!
Chickens
Chickens are an excellent option for keeping ticks in check. Chickens will hunt ticks by combing through grass and other foliage, eating any ticks they find. But even if the chickens don’t physically eat all the ticks, having them around still reduces the tick population because the chickens keep wild mammals away from your property, ensuring that fewer ticks arrive on your land looking for a host mammal.
Another benefit of keeping chickens is that it requires relatively little effort. All you need is some fencing and coop space, plus food and water for the chickens. You’ll need to let them out daily to hunt for bugs, including ticks – but you can offer treats or incentive rewards to ensure they do their job! Once you have a basic setup, your hens will do most of the work!
Guinea fowls
Guinea fowls are great at keeping ticks away. They are active scavengers, searching for ticks and insects as they scratch in the ground. They will even jump into bushes and trees if they see a tick! Not to mention, guinea fowls will fly high to catch any mosquitoes and other flying pests that might be hovering around your yard.
Since guinea fowls have sharp eyesight and innate hunting skills, they can sense when ticks are lurking nearby. They love eating ticks and larvae–making them a natural form of protection for your yard. Plus, guinea fowls can travel for miles daily in search of food, so you know your property is always protected from pesky pests like ticks!
