If you have deer in your garden...

[LdnReno]

How concerned are you/should I be about ticks?

Recently moved into property. Garden is 0.60acre and we have a couple of deer grazing regularly (every other day). My concern is they carry ticks and my children play outside near where they have been. Should we be looking into stopping them from coming in? We'd need to replace some fencing and patch up holes in hedges etc.

I think you are very lucky to have these beautiful creatures coming into your garden. I wouldn't stop them coming in and hope their visits are a special memory for your children when they grow up.

Just cover legs etc but they will eat all your plants.

I was going to say they eat pretty much everything!

We had similar and enjoyed watching the deer. I then got a tick bite followed by my son. Mine developed a cicle and I had high dose antibiotics. We have since fenced off the garden to keep the deer out and have no more bites.

Id definitely keeps them out. Beautiful creatures but sadly carry many ticks which will drop off onto the grass once fed and likely get onto your children if they are playing in the garden.

I speak from experience. I had deers come into my garden this spring. I have been hospitalised for 10 weeks because a tick bit me from the garden and I have Lyme disease.

I have deer in my garden regularly, have lived here ten years. Two were in it tonight. We just check for ticks. We live in a tick area and we are very on it. Remove them occasionally each summer but not regularly. I did get a circle bite once but only because I didn't notice it behind my knee. I got antibiotics - all good.

They do eat all my plants though.

if there is long grass / meadow, that is the area that the deer will love and so will the ticks. short grass may not be so bad.

get used to doing a tick-check EVERY NIGHT at bath time on every child (and adult) and you will probably catch them before they bite.

if you want to keep the deer out, you need HIGH fences and no gaps.

So many creatures can carry ticks, even hedgehogs. Also you can pick up ticks just walking in the countryside.
Just let them be and enjoy your garden.

I made friends with one once just to stop her eating my cherry blossom.

Never noticed a problem with ticks though.

They do eat everything I plant but I do nothing to deter them. It's their territory. We mostly wear long trousers in the long grass areas. And check for ticks at bathtime. My daughter had one from our local park when she was a toddler and my husband has had a couple so there are plenty around here. We have removers to get them out quickly and cleanly if we find any.

They will eat everything. You will get ticks

But it’s still lovely to have them

I’ve found the odd one on the cats over the years, but tbf they could have come from anywhere. In winter they regularly eat hay that’s been left in the field overnight, as well as the grass with or without the horses also out and it’s never been a problem. In summer I mainly see them in the hay crop, but as we obviously avoid walking through that anyway ticks aren’t an issue.
They only seem to use the lawn occasionally, usually when they’ve been disturbed elsewhere.

Am clearing out my late DM’s house and I absolutely loathe going into her garden. I only go down for the day and always have a tick either on me (if I spot it) or find one in me afterwards. Last time it was on the left boob, grim. I don’t bring the dog with me when I go because I know she’d come back a tick-fest. It’s definitely got worse. I used to just pull them off but am much more wary now.

Are people posting in countryside areas here in Edinburgh they have been running the streets in areas due to building work

I’m from a part of Canada where deer are endemic and the numbers are rising with climate change (milder winters) and the decline of hunting. DF was a farmer so deer were very present.

Deer will eat every plant in your garden as well as fruit trees and evergreens. The traditional method for keeping them out is to ask male friends /relatives to wee around the trees ☺️ I understand that they are precious in the U.K. but they can be a real nuisance, for ticks and other reasons. They are also very dangerous on roads (hence the ‘deer in headlights’ saying).

Good advice so far and I want to add that I personally think you should keep them out of your garden with fencing. They’re beautiful creatures, but a friend picked up Lyme disease a few years ago from a deer tick. It’s a nasty disease and took a long time to recover from.

We have deer in our area and I love seeing them, but I keep my distance!

We have a small group of deer that come every few days, never had any tick trouble but I always wear long trousers with a tucked in t-shirt when out in the woods.

Small factoid: Ticks can only climb upwards, they are not capable of climbing down ;)

we have many deer (loads of muntjac, and a family of three roe at the moment)

Loads of ticks; i think my record is 7 in one go (just reaching into the hedge)

Grow a thick hedge with hawthorn and blackthorn; they don't eat it, and they don't like going through it. Keep the grass short. Grow lavender and rosemary. Watch out just brushing against anything.

Deer can jump over a fence, but they don't like jumping over something they cannot see through. So a 4ft hedge/fence is almost better than a 8ft wire fence.

We live in a deer area in Europe and we just check for ticks regularly. They can be out whenever the weather is above 8 degrees.

As long as you get the tick off ASAP it is unlikely to transmit anything. You should keep an eye out for a bullseye rash.

Maybe check if the local ticks carry TBE and if so, request the vaccine from your GP? They offer it as a travel one.

Up until ten or so years ago I'd never really heard about them. Then I went on an orienteering weekend with DS1 in the Lakes. Friend advised us to check and found 3 on DS, mainly on his trunk area. He was wearing long trousers and long sleeved t-shirt too... Luckily said friend had a tick remover and managed to get them out with no issues.
I live on the edge of town, close to moorland with quite visible deer (though none in garden). Often dog walk over summer/spring in shorts but don't check for ticks. Will do from now on....

My father lives on the edge of the New Forest and has had multiple generations of the same family of deer in the garden for decades. He has a high fence/hedge around the kitchen garden so can grow flowers and veg there, the rest of the garden is accessible to the deer. Eldest daughter, dog and I get ticks every single time we visit, husband and younger daughter rarely find one. Dad never does.

I'd certainly look to be securing the perimeter if I were you...

Loving all the deer and tick facts!

You would be saying that if they had eaten every plant in your garden and you spent every evening pulling ticks out of your children and looking out for symptoms of Lyme's disease 🙄

A lack of deer control has led to them encroaching more urban areas now, not good for people - or the deer themselves. Deer numbers need to be actively managed.

I don't think you will be free of ticks just by fencing out the deer. Hedghogs carry lots of ticks. You should be aware of ticks in any long grass, deer or no deer.

Trap it, have you seen the price of meat now days 🥩🍖