First Tick Bite

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morch

Native
May 19, 2005
1,800
6
61
Darlington
About 10.30 last night I was sat watching the TV when I thought that my ankle was a little itchy. I had a quick look and was shocked to see an engorged tick :yikes: about 5 mm round, about 4'' above the ankle bone, about wear the top of your sock would be.

Removed with a sterilised pair of needle nosed tweezers, very carefully making sure to get right under the tick so as not to squeeze the little basket. Got it all out and used a bit antiseptic and looks OK this morning.

I have no idea where it came from. Wasn't there when I had a shower 12 hours earlier. Haven't been out n about or in the woods since Sunday. I didn't think they were around yet.

Now off to see if I can get a couple of tick removal tools, on a bank holiday in this area I think I'm going to struggle though.

Dave
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
Miserable damned things :sigh:
Might have come in with the dogs or on your clothing; they do cling even if they can't get to the skin to bite until they've had a wander.
atb,
M
 

Savagewolfrm

Nomad
Oct 29, 2008
388
0
North Devon
Hi guys I am in the north Devon area and so far I have been very lucky however my poor dog has had 4 of these buggers removed from him in the past few days and they were bigguns will be keeping eye on him and family
 

andybysea

Full Member
Oct 15, 2008
2,609
0
South east Scotland.
They can be active all year round,much less though in winter,spring and late summer i think is the most active,the recent warm weather would'nt have helped,there was a prog on discovery a few days ago were a guy had got one form his lawn(inAmerica)and it led to a life threatening illness, like wise when my brother was at uni in Bangor,one of the guys house sharing got one from the garden,anywhere a mammal has walked(mouse, fox, vole,bird etc) they could have fallen off and be waiting for the next victim.
 

morch

Native
May 19, 2005
1,800
6
61
Darlington
Thanks Gary, never thought about the vet, the chemist had some weird looking wire contraption but i thought i'd get one online. I'll try the vet first though.

Andy, any idea how long they can live for without finding a host?

Its weird but i feel like i'm crawling

Dave
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
If it's bothering you at home, my vet sold me stuff to be sprayed in a closed room that would kill fleas, ticks, etc., (I was hand rearing three stray orphan kittens who had come with every kind of parasite known to man :rolleyes:),

Spray the room, close the windows and doors and leave it closed up for a couple of hours. Then hoover it out and it should be fine.

Kind of put my mind at rest anyway :D Heaven knows how toxic the spray is though :dunno:

cheers,
M
 

bb07

Native
Feb 21, 2010
1,322
1
Rupert's Land
Ticks:rant: I feel your pain. Knowing the nasty little buggers are waiting for you on an outing really puts a damper on being out.
Growing up in the southern part of the province, we had lots of them to deal with. As bad as us humans got them, it's the dogs that really suffered.
Since moving to the north over thirty years ago, I can happily say I have not seen a single tick here. And I really like it that way:D
But I still get the shudders thinking about them.
 

filcon

"Neo-eisimeileachd ALBA"
Dec 1, 2005
846
0
63
Strathclyde
Dave were the dogs lying at your feet, they,ve maybe carried them in. I would check your dogs anyway.
The tick,s have maybe jumped off the dogs if they were hanging on a lean part of the leg, ear ,etc where they did,nt get enough blood.

phil
 

Ian S

On a new journey
Nov 21, 2010
274
0
Edinburgh
I bought my O'Tom tick remover from my local vet. Less that £5 if memory serves, and they had a number in stock.

Cheers
 

Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
2,422
614
Knowhere
Keep meaning to get myself a tick removal tool or the right tweezers since I am a sandal and shorts wearer in this hotter weather. Never been bitten by a tick so far though, last year it was the horse flies that did for me, got a nasty infection.
 

Bigfoot

Settler
Jul 10, 2010
669
4
Scotland
^

I haven't worn shorts in the great outdoors for years, particularly the last 2 or 3 seasons when it seems to me that there were just loads of ticks around, much more prevalent than I can remember. Or maybe my blood is just maturing with age? :)

I picked up a tick in the Trossachs last week (in the woods just to the south of Loch Achray) and even then I had long trousers, tucked in socks, long sleeved shirt etc but still managed to pick up one of the little beggars on my shin. How he got there I have no idea but he must have worked hard at it! I didn't spot him until I got home (I always do a check after a camp or a day walk) but I have a pair of tick tweezers in the FAK as well as antiseptic wipes and soon got rid of him. He hadn't had time to gorge himself so it was an easy removal. Horrible little blighters, I think I hate them even more than midges!
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
That's a really good price :) what a shame about the delivery cost though :yikes:
The vet usually charges about a fiver for the pack.

cheers,
Toddy
 

gsfgaz

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 19, 2009
2,763
0
Hamilton... scotland
I got a nasty one in my leg at the weekend in glentrool ... horrible thing's ... i ordered a tick remover on ebay for under a fiver with postage ... ...
 

HHazeldean

Native
Feb 17, 2011
1,529
0
Sussex
I got a pack of 'Tick Twisters' at the Outdoors Show for about a fiver. I once had 11 ticks at once after a weekend excursion to the New Forest, not very nice! :)
 

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