How to Remove a Tick Mouth

Ticks, tiny mites that feed on blood to survive, can attach themselves to any host: wild animals, domestic pets and even people. Once a tick attaches to the skin of its host, it will take three days to finish feeding. If you, your children or your pets have spent any amount of time in a tick infested area, which is most often near the woods in a rural area, regular inspection of the body is crucial. Removal of ticks must happen as soon as possible to reduce the odds of contracting illnesses such as Lyme Disease that affects skin, muscles and even the nervous system.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber gloves
• Jar with lid
• Rubbing alcohol
• Tweezers
• Antibacterial soap
• Water

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Instructions

• 1

  Pour rubbing alcohol into a jar with a lid. This will be used as a receptacle for discarding the tick once it is removed from the skin. You should keep the tick for a few days so you can take the mite to the vet or doctor if the affected animal or person gets sick.

• 2

  Put on rubber gloves to limit your contact with the tick. Use the tweezers to grab the tick as close to the host's skin as possible without pinching the skin. Apply gentle pressure and pull the tick out slowly. Be careful not to jerk the tick out haphazardly as this may cause the mouth parts to stay embedded in the skin. Those parts may require a medical procedure, such as a simple outpatient surgery, to remove. Not removing the mouth of a tick can result in inflammation of the skin, excessive itching and possibly infection.

• 3

  Wash the affected area with antibacterial soap and water. Rinse well.