What a tick looks like changes a lot with its age and with whether it has fed on blood, which is why many people confuse ticks with bed bugs, fleas or even a small lump on a dog's skin. The right diagnosis is the first step, because tick control is different from the control of other pests.
This article shows you how to recognise a tick at each stage, the most common types in the region, and where ticks hide in the home and yard. For correct removal, the diseases ticks carry and the control plan, see Ticks: Diseases, Safe Removal and Yard Treatment.
What does a tick look like?
A tick is not an insect. It is an arachnid, like spiders and scorpions, and these are its key features:
- Legs: 8 legs in adults and nymphs, and 6 legs in the tiny larva.
- Body: one oval piece with no waist and no wings.
- Head: no clear head, only mouthparts sticking out at the front that it pushes into the skin.
- Colour: reddish brown to dark brown when hungry, turning grey or bluish grey when engorged.
- Movement: slow; it does not jump or fly.
Unfed tick vs engorged tick
This is what confuses people most, because the same tick changes dramatically:
- Before feeding: flat, like a small seed, roughly 2 to 6 mm depending on the type.
- After feeding: it swells to look like a small grape or bean, and livestock ticks can reach more than 1 cm.
- While attached: you can see legs close to the skin with the head buried in it, which is how you tell it from warts and skin tags on a dog.
Tick life cycle
Ticks go through four stages, and every stage after the egg needs a blood meal to move to the next:
- Eggs: after feeding, the female drops off the host and lays thousands of eggs in cracks or soil, then dies.
- Larva: very small, the size of a grain of sand, with only 6 legs, and hatches in large numbers together.
- Nymph: slightly larger, with 8 legs, feeds once and becomes an adult.
- Adult: males and females feed and mate on the host, and the female starts the cycle again.
In hot weather the cycle can be completed in two to three months, which is why an infestation grows quickly if it is not caught early.
Common tick types in the region
- Brown dog tick: the most common tick on dogs, and it can complete its whole life cycle indoors, which is why ticks appear on walls and furniture.
- Camel and livestock ticks: large, often with banded legs, found in barns and yards and on camels and sheep. More in our ticks on camels, sheep and livestock article.
- Pigeon and bird ticks: soft ticks with a wrinkled, leathery body and no shield, living in pigeon nests and poultry houses and coming out at night.
Hard ticks vs soft ticks
- Hard ticks: a hard shield on the back, mouthparts visible from above, and they stay attached to the host for days.
- Soft ticks: a soft, wrinkled leathery body, mouthparts underneath and not visible from above, and they feed quickly at night then go back into hiding.
Where ticks hide in the home and yard
- Cracks in walls and gaps around doors and windows.
- Behind skirting boards and frames, and under furniture and rugs.
- The dog's bed, kennel and sleeping areas.
- Ceilings and high walls, because brown dog ticks like to climb before laying eggs.
- In the yard: long grass, cracks in walls and fences, and animal pens.
Do not confuse ticks with these pests
- Bed bugs: 6 legs, flat and brown, do not stay attached to the skin, bite at night and go back into cracks. See What Bed Bugs Look Like.
- Fleas: small and dark, with a body flattened from the sides, and they jump fast. See Fleas.
- Bird mites: tiny and barely visible, coming out of pigeon nests in large numbers. See Repelling Pigeons and Birds Around the Home.
- Small spiders: have a clear waist between head and abdomen, while a tick's body is one piece.
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Tick identification FAQs
How do I know if it is a tick or a lump on my dog?
Look closely for small legs at the skin. A tick has legs and is grey or brown, while a lump or wart is part of the skin and has no legs.
Can ticks live in the house without pets?
The brown dog tick can live and breed indoors and can survive months without feeding, so cracks need treating even if the dog is not there.
How many eggs does a tick lay?
An engorged female lays thousands of eggs in one go, so a single tick can lead to a large infestation.
Do ticks fly or jump?
No. Ticks only crawl slowly and grab onto a host as it passes through grass or across the ground.