Will a tick just go away on its own?

A tick will eventually go away on its own after feeding, but you should not wait for it to go away on its own because it can stay attached for several days to over a week while feeding, increasing risk of disease transmission, and it is better to remove it promptly. Hard ticks such as blacklegged ticks and dog ticks attach firmly with barbed mouthparts and cement-like secretion and feed slowly for 3 to 10 days until engorged with blood, then drop off to molt or lay eggs in environment. During this feeding period, they can transmit pathogens like Borrelia bacteria causing Lyme disease, which typically requires at least 36 hours of attachment, as well as other pathogens that can transmit faster. If you wait for tick to go away on its own, you allow more time for disease transmission and tick becomes more engorged and harder to remove. So if you find attached tick, remove it promptly with fine tipped tweezers grasping as close to skin as possible and pulling straight up with steady pressure without twisting or squeezing body, clean area with soap and water, save tick in sealed bag for identification, and monitor for symptoms for 30 days. Crawling ticks not yet attached will go away or be washed off in shower if you shower within two hours after outdoor activities, but attached ticks must be manually removed and will not go away quickly on their own.