Ectoparasites carried by them include the fleas "Paraceras melis" (the badger flea), "Chaetopsylla trichosa" and "Pulex irritans", the lice "Trichodectes melis" and the ticks "Ixodes ricinus", "I. canisuga", "I. hexagonus", "I. reduvius" and "I. melicula".