Advice on getting haired

[usumbaraboy]

iv been haired a few times by my b smittie and my l parahybana and i have a very bad reaction. im just wondering if theres anything i can do to stop the inching a little faster just because i dont want the irratation as long as i do have it. another question of mine is that can the hair penetrait your skin? the last time i was haired i felt like the hair do go through the skin. one more then is what happens if the area you got haired at swells up? does that mean dont hold them anymore or is that normal for getting haired. thanks for the help guys

 

[wolfpak]

you can use gloves when handling your Ts

 

[JonPaul]

When I get a good dose of the 'hair', I just go and run extremely hot water on the area. Vinegar has worked for a friend, but I'm not sure if it'll help ya,
seems you might be allergic.
Sorry that I can't help you more.

 

[Bigboy]

The reason it itches is because it pierces the skin. the only thing I know of to stop the itching is benedryl and calamine lotion Taking duct tape to the affected areas asap helps too.

 

[YouLosePayUp]

The trick on getting haired is DON'T lol. If you happen to fall in the category other than the non haired there are a few ways to reduce the local pain. First immediately go and get a roll of packing tape or duct tape (Men prepare to be laughed at for screaming like a girl when "your hairs" come out, this trick usually gets alot of the unwanted hairs out. after that a shower lots of soap and water. After that it shouldn't be very bad at all maybe a little cream and you're good.

 

[Beccas_824]

I think avoidance is the best thing here. But i know thats not always possible when you have to go into your T's enclosure or rehouse them. Washing your hands idmediately after they get hairs on them may slow the irritation, and like said above, lots of Hydracordozone or other tropical ointments may help with the itching.

 

[JJJoshua]

I got haired by my blondi 2 weeks ago, and I broke out in hives all over my body. First time it ever happened. I had been haired before but wow, not that badly. So from now on I'm using full battle gear when getting near it.
Urticating hairs have venom in them correct?

I dosed up on a lot of benadryl and had my girlfriend use duct tape. Just make sure that if you take benadryl you have some time to take a nap, that stuff knocked me out.

 

[Czalz]

DON'T


____________________

"There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history."
- Sir Isaac Newton

 

[TRowe]

Urticating hairs have venom in them correct?

Nope, no venom! But each hair, depending on the type, may have quite a few barbs on it. Those are what make the hairs as irritating as they are.

Tim

 

[CreepyCrawly]

Isn't there also a chemical reaction that goes on along with the barbs in the hairs that adds to the irritation? So that there are two fronts that you must attack the battle on - getting the barbs out, and treating the chemical irritation. Plus many people (including myself) tend to become more sensitive to the hairs over time. When I first started keeping Ts, hairs didn't phase me one bit, but now it's a much different story - and have gone sleepless nights up to 10 days due to blistering rashes because of it...

Hot showers seems to do the most good for me, while benedryl gel did help for up to 45 minutes (still not long enough), and calamine lotion and other anti itch cremes didn't do squat. Rubber gloves/avoidance seems to be the best key, although I have begun to wonder about those allergy shots as a preventative measure. My brother gets them periodically to help him with his allergies to dogs and cats and dust and everything else, and I'm wondering if they would at least cut down on the reaction and duration of the reaction.

 

[Mistwalker]

Just get yourself a hazmat suit.

 

[metallica]

Isn't there also a chemical reaction that goes on along with the barbs in the hairs that adds to the irritation? So that there are two fronts that you must attack the battle on - getting the barbs out, and treating the chemical irritation.

the barbs are only there to keep the hair in the skin. the hairs also break very easely, so washing your hands does not help... you only break off the end of the hair. the tip will remain in the skin.

 

[Joel&Tyler R]

I'm far from an expert here but I've read that the "chemical" reaction is caused from proteins. If you think about it, venoms are indeed made mostly of different proteins. So, even thought technically the irritation is not from a "venom", it's not far from it.

This is most likely why people tend to get more of a reaction over time & exposure. The same thing happens to many people who work with venomous snakes. They develop allergic reactions to the venom with repeated exposure.

 

[galeogirl]

I'm very allergic to urtricating hair, so I isolate my hair-kicking ts when I have to work in their enclosures by gently placing a plastic cup over them and donning gloves. I also put on protective eyewear before dealing with ts that are likely to hair (that lesson learned after getting haired in the face by a blondi many years ago). Fortunately, most of my worst hair-kickers have mellowed as they've grown, so I don't have to get out all of the gear to do a simple water change.

If you do get haired, duct tape is your friend, as are antihistamines and a shower. I found liquid aveeno soap to be soothing.