Rabbit ticks do not carry or transmit Lyme disease. The rabbit tick (Haemaphysalis leporispalustris) plays no meaningful role in spreading the bacteria that cause Lyme disease in humans. That job belongs exclusively to blacklegged ticks, also called deer ticks. If you’ve found a rabbit tick on yourself or a pet, Lyme disease is not a concern, though these ticks do carry other pathogens worth knowing about.
Why Rabbit Ticks Don’t Spread Lyme
Lyme disease in the United States is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and, more rarely, B. mayonii. These bacteria spread to humans only through bites from blacklegged ticks. In the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and north-central states, the eastern blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) is the vector. Along the Pacific Coast, the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) fills that role.
The CDC is explicit that several other common tick species, including lone star ticks, American dog ticks, Rocky Mountain wood ticks, and brown dog ticks, cannot transmit Lyme bacteria. Rabbit ticks fall into the same category. Quebec’s public health institute describes the rabbit tick’s role in transmitting diseases to humans as “very small or nonexistent.” The biology simply doesn’t support it: Borrelia burgdorferi requires specific conditions inside a tick’s gut to survive and eventually reach a new host, and that cycle depends on Ixodes ticks.
What Rabbit Ticks Actually Carry
While rabbit ticks aren’t a Lyme risk, they aren’t harmless bystanders in the tick world. They are well-established carriers of Rickettsia rickettsii, the bacterium behind Rocky Mountain spotted fever, one of the more dangerous tickborne illnesses in North America. Rabbit ticks harbor both virulent and milder strains of this pathogen and help maintain it in wildlife cycles across Central and North America.
Recent research has uncovered additional concerns. A 2023 study of nearly 300 rabbit ticks collected across nine counties in Maine found that about 6% carried Rickettsia bacteria. Genetic analysis revealed a previously unknown strain belonging to the spotted fever group, closely related to other disease-causing Rickettsia species. A separate study in California identified yet another novel spotted fever group strain in rabbit ticks there. These findings suggest rabbit ticks may carry a wider range of Rickettsia species than previously recognized.
Tularemia is another disease sometimes associated with ticks and rabbits, but the primary tick vector for tularemia in the U.S. is the American dog tick, not the rabbit tick. Dog ticks can acquire and transmit the tularemia bacterium (Francisella tularensis) through their life stages, with infection rates ranging from about 1% to 5% in areas with active outbreaks.
How Often Rabbit Ticks Bite People
Rabbit ticks rarely bite humans. Their preferred hosts are rabbits, hares, and ground-dwelling birds like ruffed grouse. Immature rabbit ticks also feed on small mammals. Tick researchers at UMass Amherst note that the vast majority of ticks found on people are deer ticks and dog ticks, not rabbit ticks.
That said, spillover is possible. Researchers have collected questing rabbit ticks (actively seeking a host) in residential backyards in Maine. And even if rabbit ticks themselves don’t bite you, other tick species that do bite humans also feed on rabbits. This creates a bridge: pathogens circulating in rabbits via rabbit ticks could move into deer ticks or dog ticks that feed on the same rabbit population, and those ticks could then bite a person.
Where Rabbit Ticks Live
Rabbit ticks have an enormous range, stretching from Alaska through the continental U.S. and Mexico, into Central America, and as far south as Argentina. In the southern United States, they can complete two generations per year. In colder climates like Nova Scotia, a single life cycle can stretch to two years. Anywhere you find wild rabbits or hares, rabbit ticks are likely present.
How to Tell a Rabbit Tick From a Deer Tick
Since deer ticks are the ones that carry Lyme disease, telling them apart matters. The most reliable feature is the mouthparts. Deer ticks have long, narrow mouthparts that are clearly visible when you look at the tick from above. Rabbit ticks have shorter mouthparts and a row of squared-off plates along the rear edge of their body called festoons, which deer ticks lack. Deer ticks range from dark brown to bright red and have distinctly black legs. Rabbit ticks are generally rounder and more uniformly brown.
If you’re unsure what species of tick you’ve found, many state health departments and university extension programs offer free tick identification. Sending in a tick for identification is especially worthwhile if you were bitten, since knowing the species determines which diseases are realistically on the table.