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Fr_Chuck · Apr 23, 2006, 03:04 PM

Ok, here we are in the wonderful summer in the US. And I am now living in the country with all its nature. But we have already had our first "TICK" attack. This time was on our pet cat, it was crawling and I could just pick it off.

But what if it gets on to one of the family members and bites down.
What do we do to get it loose so we can take it off. ** I have been told several times not to pull it loose if it is bitten into the skin.

orange · Apr 23, 2006, 04:57 PM

I'm sure there are different ways to get ticks off, but around here everyone seems to use turpentine. Like, pour a small amount of turpentine on the tick and it will let go... it always works for me. I've also heard of people burning the tick with a match, but that seems a little dangerous.

Fr_Chuck · Apr 23, 2006, 05:20 PM

Yes, I am a older man now, but I still have memories of my dad taking his cigarette getting it hot and holding it near the tick ( which was also on me) While I could still do it to myself if I needed to, It is not something I would want to do to the grandkids, ( guess it could be called child abuse now adays)

crazytrain · Apr 23, 2006, 06:25 PM

You can put vaseline on them directly and come out too.

Insane_Rain13 · Apr 23, 2006, 06:36 PM

I live in the woods... all my life my dad just pours rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide on it. He also suggest putting vaseline on it because they have to back out to breathe. If none of these work then you can use heat... not enough to kill it or burn the person, but enough to make it move. Try lighting a match and blowing out the fire, but then putting it directly on the tick. Learned from experience don't get to close to the skin :)

RickJ · Apr 24, 2006, 03:12 AM

Nowadays, the common recommendation is to carefully pull it out.

See American Academy of Family Physicians:

The most commonly recommended and successful tick-removal method is manual extraction of the tick.7,8,10,11,16,18-21 [Reference 16--Evidence level B, nonrandomized study] A blunt, medium-tipped, angled forceps offers the best results, using the method shown in Figure 1.

I saw on OSU's site what seemed a good suggestion:

Keep the tick alive for a month in case symptoms of a tick-borne disease develop. Place it in a labeled (date, patient), sealed bag or vial with a lightly moistened paper towel then store at refrigerator temperature.

aqua@home · Apr 29, 2006, 04:22 PM

I've always heard to use tweezers.

fredg · Apr 30, 2006, 03:48 AM

Hi,
Nothing wrong in holding a hot match head against a tick. Light a match, let it burn a few seconds, blow it out, and hold it against the tick for about 2 seconds. You can also do the same with heating the head of a stick-pin.
I am sure there are also other good suggestions as to removing it, but the heat works. I've done it many times. Best of luck.