Crows plucking ticks off wallabies like they're fat juicy grapes off the vine

[u/pichipichipoco]

[u/Xerzajik]

Ticks must be rough when you don't have hands with opposable thumbs.

[u/DiarrheaApplicable → u/Xerzajik]

Can they not rub their back really hard against rough bark on a tree or something to get it off?

[u/ComradePruski → u/DiarrheaApplicable]

Ticks kinda burrow and barb. It's extremely difficult to pick them off with your hands, or frankly anything else. They're also generally really hard to squish too, cause they're hard as a rock a lot of the time. You can bash them with a rock or a book, but I've never seen one die from being squished.

Source: Have had ticks before, and had 3 last year after a hiking trip that got the tweezer treatment.

[u/fastidiousavocado → u/ComradePruski]

You have to make sure they're dead, but you can squish them between good pliers or with a rock corner ground into another rock or very hard surface. I've disintegrated the little bastards many, many times. But you can't just think squish = dead, you gotta put some pointed effort into it.

[u/plantsadnshit → u/ComradePruski]

Its pretty easy to remove them with your nails.

Speaking as someone who's had thousands of ticks.

[u/Leaving_The_Oilfield → u/plantsadnshit]

I’ve only had a couple, but I got a lighter and let me tell you… they let go real fucking quick when fire hits them.

[u/Palmettor → u/Leaving_The_Oilfield]

And they also vomit when they do so, increasing the risk of infection.

[u/Leaving_The_Oilfield → u/Palmettor]

Well, that sucks lol