Is this a tick?

dastardly00

Hi all,


I would appreciate if someone could tell me if this was a tick. Apologies for the really poor quality photos.



Thanks,
Dastardly00

Water John

I think the one on your finger is. Used to have them stuck to me when young on the farm.

Tiercel Dave

A Tick has eight legs.....but I think they only have six in the early larval stage. Anyhow, it does look like one to me.....

Alun

Here's a handy picture showing the various stages they go through, from nymph through adult. The nymphs are really tiny, the size of a pin head, but apparently are the most dangerous i.e. most likely to transmit Lyme disease. Very difficult to spot on your body.

gzoladz

Looks like a young one - remove it carefully without leaving anything in you skin, usually it is recommended to asphyxiate them with oil before. You then need to keep an eye on the area in case it develops a bulls eye rash. It can be serious if untreated.

Alun

gzoladz wrote: »

Looks like a young one - remove it carefully without leaving anything in you skin, usually it is recommended to asphyxiate them with oil before. You then need to keep an eye on the area in case it develops a bulls eye rash. It can be serious if untreated.

This, along with attempting to burn them off, is definitely not recommended. From http://www.visavissymposiums.org/veterinary/pets/correct-tick-removal/

MYTH 3 – Ticks can be suffocated so they drop off on their own

Incorrect. A tick breathes through openings in its sides called ‘spiracles’. It only breathes around 1 – 15 times per hour. Using solutions such as alcohol, aftershave, oils / butter, paraffin, petroleum jelly or nail polish, to try to suffocate a tick, may cause it to regurgitate (vomit) saliva and gut contents as it tries to disengage its mouth parts and escape the irritating solution. Whilst this method may cause the tick to drop off, it may also increase the risk of disease-causing organisms entering the bloodstream of the person or animal the tick is attached to.

Get a proper tick removal tool, one of the best types is one you can get from pet shops. It's a set of two small plastic hooks with a slit cut in them which you slide over the tick and pull out straight, NOT twisting them which is another myth.

https://www.amazon.com/Tick-Twister-00100-B-Remover-Single/dp/B07NDZK6SL/ref=zg_bs_2975390011_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=270XGEP2R3ZFAHNH37PV

Rather oddly it's called a Tick Twister, however the advice about pulling them straight out still applies.

fryup

a tick in winter? thought they were a summertime issue