Lifesystems have started doing these:



Other options abound but I like/prefer tweezers and for the weight conscious you can take the key-ring off which allows you to ditch the plastic cover and just have the metal tweezers. 50p cheaper that the regular versions as well.

No, before anyone asks, I haven't weight them nor am I going to

Just get dog ones from a vet. Very cheap and very, very lightweight plastic. Also much easier to use.

Everything I've read suggests the twisting versions are more effective. Certainly never had a failure on me, hedgehogs or the dog.

Genuinely interested in where you've read that. Care to share?

AFAIK neither is better than the other, the key is to pinch the tick just above the skin so it can't disgorge its guts. This is the reason twisting isn't recommended with tweezers, because you can't rotate you're wrist very far and keep the pressure on to keep the tweezers closed.

HYOH, tho

Cheeky Monkey wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 10:25 pm Genuinely interested in where you've read that. Care to share?

AFAIK neither is better than the other, the key is to pinch the tick just above the skin so it can't disgorge its guts. This is the reason twisting isn't recommended with tweezers, because you can't rotate you're wrist very far and keep the pressure on to keep the tweezers closed.

HYOH, tho

Neither of you are wrong afaik.
Tweezers shaped like the ones in the OP are ideal as are the little plastic pry bars.
As long as you are careful to get the whole tick and don’t cause it to puke it doesn’t really matter what you use.
The little plastic pry bars are very user friendly so I tend to use them.
Living in the SW we even have ticks in our garden
Check yourself everyday in exposure prone locations. If you get the tick off early the chances of disease transmission are vastly reduced.

I've found tick-twisters ok for larger ticks, but nigh-on useless for the teenie-weenie ones..

Google 'curved eyelash tweezers', these will do any size tick & can be had for as little as £2..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/England-Eyelas ... 64&sr=8-10

For me I use the smidge card ,it slides under the tick easily and just flicks the thing out

I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that i’ve never found one on me

PaulB2 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 7:44 am I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that i’ve never found one on me

There’s millions of the buggers round here. My children, dogs, cats, goats, pigs and folk I ride with get them all the time.
I never get them...

Hmm, I should probably get a few more sets of these, having moved from a "low" risk area to a "medium" risk area (Essex to Suffolk).

I am also really positive that it seems diseases related to ticks is becoming more common knowledge, that can only be a good thing.

Zippy wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 8:56 am I am also really positive that it seems diseases related to ticks is becoming more common knowledge, that can only be a good thing.

Just been doing some more reading.

See: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tick-surveillance-scheme

May be of interest to some boners who are in a place to contribute to the scheme. You'd also be able to find out the type of tick you have found...

Wotsits wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 11:02 pm I've found tick-twisters ok for larger ticks, but nigh-on useless for the teenie-weenie ones..

Google 'curved eyelash tweezers', these will do any size tick & can be had for as little as £2..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/England-Eyelas ... 64&sr=8-10

Is that your excuse for having a set? You just long, luscious lashes don't you?

There are two sizes of otom tick removers. Thankfully don't get that many ticks but I carry both sizes in my FAK. Have used them on my and the dog and so far been OK. Although maybe I just don't spot the small ones!

Cheeky Monkey wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 10:25 pm Genuinely interested in where you've read that. Care to share?

AFAIK neither is better than the other, the key is to pinch the tick just above the skin so it can't disgorge its guts. This is the reason twisting isn't recommended with tweezers, because you can't rotate you're wrist very far and keep the pressure on to keep the tweezers closed.

HYOH, tho

It's been a while since I looked and there is a lot more info than I remember so I'll retract that statement...

Having a moment of paranoia that I'm going to get my first tick soon just cos we're talking about it. And was coincidentally bitten by some other insect this morning and got a reaction. Before I hit the button, final recommendations pls re smidge card v smidge tweezers v either's fine. Ta.

by RIP » Wed Jul 17, 2019 11:29 am
Before I hit the button, final recommendations pls re smidge card v smidge tweezers v either's fine. Ta.

Get one of each Reg then whilst you're consternating over which to use you can watch the little blighters get fatter and fatter and thus easier to spot and remove (ps I have tweezers but have yet to use them in anger after carrying them for several years).

It can be difficult to get the card into some nooks and crannies where ticks end up. Having removed around 40 of them off myself this year, I use the Twisters.

Ta Peter & Colin, I'm now wibbling even more. Nah, jokin', ta, buttons pressed.

As I said before: it’s tick central around where I live.
I tend to carry a tick card in my wallet so I have something on me at all times.
I have tweezers at home for general use.
I have a pair (one small one big) of the plastic twisters in my riding and outdoors kit.
Overall the twisters are probably easiest to use most of the time.

And to take this in a rather weird direction:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... me-disease

Blimey

Don't do what my mother in law did when she found a tick on her dog. She'd rung up and asked us what to do: "grab it with your fingers and twist it off" (this was before tick tweezers and the like were available). She rang up a while later: "I can't get hold of it, the Marigolds are too slippy"!!

We've the credit card sized/shaped removers, seem to work OK, Cath got a tick out the other week using it.

As an aside: this conversation (or very similar) is going on on three forums that I frequent. Obviously the topic du jour.

benp1 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 10:57 am Is that your excuse for having a set? You just long, luscious lashes don't you?

Like all the best bikepacking gear my tweezers have more than one use Ben! I'm currently nurturing my best Daisy the Cow eyelash look & am intending to start work on the catterpillar 'scouse brows' soon

I have these stuffed in my top tube bag;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Removers-Anima ... 147&sr=8-7

Escape Goat wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 8:41 pm I have these stuffed in my top tube bag;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Removers-Anima ... 147&sr=8-7

Those are pretty much the same as the dog's ones I was talking about. They work well on dogs and humans.

FWIW the Twisters I use have a much narrower "V" so are better able to get the very small nymphs. Those linked look like they'd not do the job.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/OTom-Tick-Twis ... 0037DFYRQ/