These instructions can be followed to remove a tick from yourself or another human, as well as pets or other animals.
What You Need to Remove Attached Ticks:
- Sharp (fine-tipped) tweezers
- Gloves
- Plastic zip-lock bag
- Sharpie
On animals, ticks are often found in and around the ears, face, and between the toes. You’ll often need to push fur out of the way to get a good grasp.
How to Pick a Tick:
- Use tweezers (or your fingers, if no tweezers are available) to grasp the tick as close to skin as possible.
- Gripping firmly, pull the tick upward and away from skin. (Try not not to crush or squish the tick, if possible.)
- Use fingers to move back or comb through fur/hair if necessary.
- Place all ticks from one animal into one plastic zip-loc bag and seal; place ticks from different animals into separate bags.
- Write down relevant information (who or what the tick was feeding on, where you encountered the tick, and when it happened) with sharpie on the bag.
- Store ticks in the freezer because they don’t like the cold and so they do not make babies!
What to do with Ticks:
Ticks can be stored in the freezer in a sealed ziploc bag. We suggest writing the date and who the tick was pulled off of on the bag in sharpie. The freezer is an effective way to kill ticks and holding onto them can be useful in the event of future tick-related health concerns. You can also donate ticks to our database for no cost. See here for more information.