How long does a tick live inside the body? - briefly
A tick attached to a human typically remains for only a few days, most often detaching within 2–3 days. Prolonged survival inside the body is unlikely because the host’s immune response and lack of suitable feeding conditions cause the parasite to drop off quickly.
How long does a tick live inside the body? - in detail
Ticks remain attached to a human host only for the duration of their blood‑meal, which varies by species and life stage.
During the larval stage, a tick feeds for 2–5 days before detaching. Nymphs usually require 3–7 days to complete their meal, while adult females, which consume the largest volume of blood, stay attached for 5–10 days. Male ticks may feed intermittently for up to 2 weeks, but they typically do not engorge and often leave the host earlier.
If a tick is removed before it finishes feeding, it will die within a few days because it cannot complete its developmental cycle. Once a fully engorged adult female drops off, it can survive for several weeks while it digests the blood, lays eggs, and eventually dies.
Key points:
- Larva: 2–5 days of attachment.
- Nymph: 3–7 days of attachment.
- Adult female: 5–10 days of attachment; up to several weeks after detachment while laying eggs.
- Adult male: up to 14 days, but often shorter due to limited feeding.
The maximum period a tick can remain inside a human body is therefore roughly two weeks, limited by the species‑specific feeding requirements of each developmental stage. After this period, the tick either detaches to continue its life cycle or perishes if it cannot find a suitable environment for further development.