Deer ticks are the culprit that infect people and animals with Lyme disease. Naturally when most people think of the disease, they think of deer and deer ticks. Deer do serve as hosts to
ticks but the most important players are white-footed mice and chipmunks. Ticks pick up the bacteria when they feed on the blood of infected animals. While in the immature stages, deer
ticks pass the Lyme disease bacteria to and from the mice and chipmunks they typically feed on. During the ticks' nymph stage, they might also feed on humans and pets.