Ok, so I just got back from a woodland romp with my friends and discovered that I am a living feast of ticks. Needless to say I was not happy. I was bombarded with suggestions for how to remove them (“Smear butter over them and they’ll suffocate!!! No, wait, light a match and burn it’s butt!! IT’LL BACK OUT!!”) I simply took a bath and they all let go. After my liberation from the buggies, I began to wonder how Dopers might deal with this, had they not let go so easily. So, what would you have done?
Rubbing alcohol usually gets them to loosen up.
I always heard that ticks take several hours to get a firm hold so getting them out quickly is easier.
I hate ticks! They are like little blood sucking spiders. (Except they have less legs. And they aren’t spiders. But they kind of look like them.)
Actually ticks do have eight legs, like spiders. They are arachnids.
I’ve always used the hot-object method–either a freshly blown-out match, or the hot edge of a lighter.
I used to take a little dollop of Vaseline and thoroughly coat the tick and the surrounding area. It would let go within a couple minutes.
Whatever method you end up using, make sure it doesn’t involve yanking on the tick’s body. The tick’s body will separate from its head before its head will separate from your skin, so be careful, lest you snap it off and end up with a much bigger problem.
I never knew that. I guess I always just assumed they were insects. And I never looked at one long enough to count the legs.
Arachnids huh? Now I just have one more reason to hate them. Gives me the creepies just talking about it.
yes, use vaseline!
information gathered from my mother, who grew up in zimbabwe. apparently the lighted match thing is good, but only if you are sober, and not likely to burn yourself .and it’s kinda complicated for more than one tick, or in awkward areas.
alternatively, you can get a litle gadget from some vetinary or medical stores.
The Master, through his minion Jill, has already answered this question.
Let’s see if I can get it right this time:
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtickoff.html
If you pull it out do not squeeze the body. This can force infected blood into you bloodstream and increase your chances of disease. Pull on the head if it is not that far in yet.
From what I hear, it is improper to try to suffocate or burn out a tick. The proper method is to grab them at the back of their head with a pair of tweezers and pull them out.
http://www.lyme.org/ticks/removal.html
burn! burn! , smear yourself in lighter fluid and light it
ok you will lose alot of body hair but hey it works,
heh or get a bird / creature that eats them and let it have a nibble all over your body
I’ve always just pulled them off.
I can feel them crawling so they aren’t on long.
I just cannot feature having one on me long enough for it to suck more than a miniscule amount of blood, if any at all.
We just pull them off the dogs. they always seem to have lots of them this time of year.
Come to think of it they haven’t had many this year ???
Burning the tick, or trying to suffociate the tick, will excite the tick. That often causes the tick to reinject some of the blood it had sucked out, greatly increasing your chances to get sick…
there are some items made for extraction (mini suction devices – leaves nice hickeys for those who want to fake getting some action) or a spork type device you can slide under the tick.
If neither of the above are available, grab the little bugger as close to the head as you can and pull it out.
'Our poodle got some so we went to the pet store & they have a special tool to take them out. It looks like a fancy plastic fork.
Well, usually I try to just take a tissue, but if it’s way up there, I’ll hold the kid tight between my knees, moisten a Q-tip, and…
Oops. I thought you asked how to dig the little boogers out. Carry on. 
Whatever you do, don’t let 'em talk to you. Tick talk is so tiresome.
–Nott, the large
Why are you so adamant about removing these creatures? Allow them to grow and become engorged with your blood. Killing them seems so melodramatic, if not downright cruel.
I wonder if you can buy a little guillotine or maybe a tie a little hangman’s noose and kill those little suckers. Ooh ooh. Go get yourself and antlion and feed it, bwahahahaha. I hate hate hate ticks and other insects that grab onto you shudder