Removal · field guidance

Pulling the tick out with bare fingers

Fingertip pads are too wide and soft to grasp at the head, so you end up pinching the body and risking pathogen transfer.

Steps

schema.org/HowTo
  1. 01
    DO NOT pull off an attached tick with bare fingers.
  2. 02
    The pad of a finger cannot get close enough to the skin to grip the mouthparts; you grab the engorged body, squeeze it, and may inject pathogens into the wound.
  3. 03
    You also risk skin-to-tick contact transferring pathogens through small cuts on your hands.
  4. 04
    If you must use fingers because nothing else is available, cover them with tissue or a glove and grasp as close to the skin as possible.
  5. 05
    Then wash hands and the bite area thoroughly with soap and water. Use tweezers as soon as you can.

Wild facts

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