How to Create your own Tick Kit to keep your Family and Pets Safe.

Do you love warm weather?
Unfortunately, so do ticks.

Ticks thrive year-round in Australia, but they’re particularly active during tick season. Here’s how to protect your family and pets by creating your own tick kit.

The importance of tick prevention

Did you know that ticks can carry harmful pathogens that affect humans and animals? Just one tiny bite from a tick can cause serious illness, disease and sometimes a permanent health condition.
Tick-Borne diseases include:

Relapsing Fever	Borrelia	Bartonella
Rickettsia	Babesia	Anaplasma
and others

This is why tick prevention is so important to keep your loved ones safe.
Even a bite from a tiny tick the size of a poppy seed can change your life forever.

Are ticks getting worse?

With the environmental changes we are seeing, there’s evidence that ticks are spreading into new regions where they haven’t lived before.

Just as there is a growing population of ticks, there is an increase in the prevalence of tick-borne diseases. Tick-Borne Diseases are preventable. Correctly removing a tick, that has bitten you, reduces your risk of TBD's.
Not sure how to remove a tick correctly? Read our helpful guide on how to safely remove a tick.

Create a Tick Kit
Protect your family and pets by following these guidelines

What You Need In Your Tick Kit

• TickEase tick removal tweezers
  These Fine pointed and dual sided tweezers are the perfect way to remove ticks.
• magnifying glass
  If you buy TickEase tweezers, you’ll also get a magnifying glass in the packet to help identify exactly where the tick is attached.
• alcohol swabs
  Use these to clean tick bite wounds and tweezers after use.
• disinfectant
  Choose your preferred disinfectant (we love tea tree essential oil) to rub on post-removal.
• Band-Aids™
  You don’t always need Band-Aids™ but keep a few on hand in case you do.
• zip-lock plastic bags
  Sometimes you need to save a tick
• Pen
  to write collection date on bag
• water-resistant container
  Use this to store all the items in your Tick Tit.

Keep your Tick Kit nearby

• Gardening
• Your own backyard
• Walking the dog
• Bushwalking
• Camping
• Outdoor sports

Create at least two tick kits – one for your home and one for your car. You might like to create a third tick kit to carry with you during outdoor activities.

How to safely remove a tick

Tick Prevention Tips

• Wear light-coloured long clothing so you can easily see a tick*
• Tuck your trousers into your socks
• Tuck your shirt into your trousers
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat
• Spray your shoes, socks, belt-line, collar and hat with an insect repellent containing Permethrin. 
• Deet or a natural product known to be effective can be sprayed directly on the skin. 
•  When returning indoors from being in nature always do a tick check.
  How to Check for Ticks
  
• Put any clothes that might have live ticks on them into a hot dryer for 15 minutes to kill them.

Prevention tips for your pets

• Use your choice of tick preventative medication regularly
• Wear a protective bandana
• While walking stay on pathways and trails avoiding long grass
• Avoid areas where native animals and birds (that also host ticks) are prevelant
• Do a tick check daily
• Keeping your pet's coat short in warmer months makes it easier to spot ticks

Read more here about tick prevention and your pets

Tick Checks: keep your family and pets safe

After walking in high-risk areas check yourself, your family and your pets for ticks.
Ticks love hiding in crevices as they are warm and dark. Areas to check include:

• armpits
• groin
• behind the knees
• back of neck
• between toes
• in any hair
• inside or behind ears

• mouths
• base of tail
• under collars
• front of body that contacts long grass first – chest, arms, front paws and face