Timeline for How should I remove a tick?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
16 events
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| Nov 21, 2016 at 15:13 | comment | added | user1209304 | This year I hit 4 ticks and my daughter 2 (all from different trips to mountains or forest). I'm using "tick pliers" as in canaaerus answer. It's not always possible to remove it by just pulling. Sometimes it's needed to twist it. If I found tick during a trip and I don't have any tool then I'm using any oily liquid and applying it on tick. It's grip weakens and you can safely remove it by fingers. | |
| Nov 5, 2015 at 12:31 | comment | added | ab2 | One morning after raking leaves I removed literally dozens of ticks with a pair of needle-nosed tweezers. They were easy to remove. (My doc prescribed a few days of doxy as precaution.) I will get a tick key -- this is the first I've heard of it -- and try it on the next tick. | |
| Jul 2, 2015 at 1:58 | comment | added | Mark | The ticks I've encountered have been extremely hard-bodied -- squeezing won't be a problem unless you're removing them with pliers rather than tweezers. | |
| Jun 18, 2014 at 20:48 | comment | added | user2766 | This is also the UK's NHS reccomended approach nhs.uk/Conditions/Lyme-disease/Pages/Prevention.aspx. A fine pair of tweezers will out perform most tick keys as it allows you better grip and are more adjustable. | |
| Sep 9, 2013 at 1:43 | comment | added | Kyle Cureau | @berry120's answer is actually the CDC recommended approach: cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html | |
| Dec 11, 2012 at 16:33 | history | edited | berry120 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Jun 11, 2012 at 15:19 | comment | added | Jonathan Sayce | OK, in the absence of a tool or some thread, tweezers are better than nothing, but it's vital that they are sharp-nosed tweezers, and are only used to grip the tick as close to the host animal's skin as possible: lymediseaseaction.org.uk/about-ticks/tick-removal | |
| Jun 11, 2012 at 15:06 | comment | added | berry120 | @LordSauce This may be a risk, but all the advice I've heard suggests that if you're gentle, pull evenly and don't twist then the risk is low - it starts building up when you scrape it, twist it, squeeze unnecessarily hard etc. Either way, in the absence of an available tick key, removing it carefully with tweezers is definitely preferable to many other methods, including leaving it in place. | |
| Jun 11, 2012 at 14:58 | comment | added | Jonathan Sayce | The only way tweezers have any grip is by squeezing, so you run the risk of pumping the contents of the tick's body into the animal it's attached to, the same as if you squeezed it with your fingers. This is the single most important thing to avoid, as it's how diseases are transferred. | |
| Jun 11, 2012 at 14:56 | history | edited | berry120 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Jun 11, 2012 at 14:54 | comment | added | berry120 | @LordSauce Admittedly I hadn't heard of the tick key which is perhaps a better solution (though I haven't tried it) but I don't think it's a terrible answer. Either way, I definitely didn't say to squeeze it, just pull it off gently and evenly... I've used this approach many times without issue, and know many others that have as well. While a tick key might be a better solution if you have one, if you're gentle with tweezers you shouldn't have a problem. | |
| Jun 11, 2012 at 14:49 | comment | added | Jonathan Sayce | This is a terrible answer! You should never squeeze the tick, whether you're using fingers, tweezers or anything else. The only safe way to remove a tick is with a tool such as the tick key mentioned in another answer, or with a loop of thread. | |
| Jan 26, 2012 at 0:06 | history | edited | berry120 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Jan 25, 2012 at 23:05 | history | edited | berry120 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Jan 25, 2012 at 15:38 | vote | accept | whatsisname | ||
| Jan 24, 2012 at 23:39 | history | answered | berry120 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |