# Cobalt Blue bite



## Professor T (Dec 21, 2003)

Adult pet shop worker transfering a 5 inch cobalt blue, got her finger grabbed, and fanged. The tarantula was flung and killed. The wound was described looking like twin paper cuts on each side of the finger tip.

Results: Paramedics were nice, but didn't know what to do. Doctor called it a "spider bite", even though the worker had the dead tarantula with her to show. She kept telling him it was a tarantula. He gave her pain killer. Hot feeling in finger, hand, and then arm in streaks. She threw up one time. She was accused of hyperventilating as she felt ill. She was ill for 3 days.

I didn't see it happen, but heard the story from the woman that got bit first hand. She was surprised that the tarantula was strong enough to pull her finger up before it bit her. She was more surprised that the pet rock had speed.

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## TheDon (Dec 21, 2003)

Thats too bad for both her and the spider all though I do feel worse for the Cobalt as it did die.  I guess that shows you though, that sometimes your T may act like a pet rock it still may bite so you should always change tanks with caution and safety for both you and the T.

peace

TheDon


----------



## rosehaired1979 (Dec 21, 2003)

Poor Cobalt blue  I am sure she probably didn't mean to kill it. It was probably a natural reaction like when we get bit by a mosquito we kill it not even thinking at that time.


----------



## rorika (Dec 21, 2003)

i haven been bitten by my T's before but say the truth i don't know what my natural reaction will be...i think my would be flinging the T aside..
what natural reaction that u guys take when u get bitten by ur T??


----------



## greensleeves (Dec 21, 2003)

> _Originally posted by rorika _
> *i haven been bitten by my T's before but say the truth i don't know what my natural reaction will be...i think my would be flinging the T aside..
> what natural reaction that u guys take when u get bitten by ur T?? *


Whenever I deal with my Ts I do my best to expect a bite so that hopefully I will manage to just let them do their stuff without panicking so I can safely disengage them and then go off to lick my wounds. I think if you aren't surprised it may be easier to calmly deal with a bite.

I had one point where I thought my rosie might bite me as she was just sitting placidly on my hand and suddenly swiped her fangs on my thumb. All I did was squeak a little but I didn't move or anything. Turns out she was just cleaning them, but I took that opportunity to put her back in her container before she started thinking about a "taste test". 

Greensleeves


----------



## Deliverme314 (Dec 21, 2003)

for the record to Prof T... you may wanna pass along that Cobalts are not something to be taken lightly... AT ALL!  They are EXREMLEY defensive and are asian and there for have fairly hot venom.  I am not fool ennough to come anywhere near it... LOOOONG tweezers and boxing gloves are the only way for me


----------



## Matt B (Dec 21, 2003)

Thats sucks that the Cobalt died.  I was trying to remove a cricket leg from my cobalts cage about 5 minutes ago.  She was about 2" away from the leg.  When she felt the movement she lunged at the chopsticks, and scared the crap out of me.   I knew she was going to do something, but she is so DAMN FAST it still scared me.  She was calm, and the next second she was on the chopsticks.  It was like a flash of lightning.  

Matt


----------



## cottonsheep009 (Dec 22, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Matt B _
> * She was calm, and the next second she was on the chopsticks.  It was like a flash of lightning.
> 
> Matt *


I'm with you on this. I really can't believe it can move that fast by crawling. It seems something like exceed the T's biological limit. :} 
And my conclusion is, Cobalt blue can FLY.


----------



## metzgerzoo (Dec 22, 2003)

I've never been bitten by my Ts but our Rosea bit my hubby once when he went to take out her water dish.  He jurked his hand out of the tank, but didn't "fling" it.  Note...it wasn't the bite that startled him, it was Crikey's hair....he just can't stand the way they feel on his skin, makes his skin crawl I think.  He felt the actual bite after he got his hand out of her tank.  He didn't even realize she had bitten him at first.  But he sure felt it later on when it swelled up and started to burn.  Crikey was happy though, she had taught the "inconsiderate human" not to chase crickets around her tank with the evil green net!


----------



## galvanizedlilly (Nov 11, 2014)

I know this is an old thread but i was discussing bites with my daughter and came across this thread. i would like to add that i have been bitten by my female cobalt and it was a very painful bite. My bad for putting my hand in the enclosure i totally understand that, i did handle the T since she was a sling and had no problems with her until she was going into a molt. She bit my middle finger beside the nail bed, the bite was bad at first it seemed like a bee sting then the pain kept getting worst, it just kept escalating till i thought it would bring me to my knees, i never experienced anything like this before, i took some benedryl and went to the pharmacy where i took my blood pressure which was normal. The intense pain lasted a good 45 minutes until the medication kicked in. My finger swelled and turned white around the bite site and down a bit further. It burned alot and the skin eventually peeled where it was white. i experienced muscle spasms for over a week. Great lesson to learn, i respect my T's way more and i don't handle any of them unless i absolutely have to.I Have a bad reaction to urticating hairs so im not sure if i have a spider allergy normally. So other people my have a very different experinece

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## 14pokies (Nov 13, 2014)

rorika said:


> i haven been bitten by my T's before but say the truth i don't know what my natural reaction will be...i think my would be flinging the T aside..
> what natural reaction that u guys take when u get bitten by ur T??


 the first time i got bit i screamed...like a big fat girl..i jerked a little cuz i had my head turned and the last i looked the t was about 4in away from my hand.then i spent 4hrs holding my hand wondering if the pain was ever gonna stop. it stopped i bought the t from my friend and hit him with my good hand for distracting me. damn obts man im tellin ya!!


----------



## Pociemon (Nov 13, 2014)

galvanizedlilly said:


> I know this is an old thread but i was discussing bites with my daughter and came across this thread. i would like to add that i have been bitten by my female cobalt and it was a very painful bite. My bad for putting my hand in the enclosure i totally understand that, i did handle the T since she was a sling and had no problems with her until she was going into a molt. She bit my middle finger beside the nail bed, the bite was bad at first it seemed like a bee sting then the pain kept getting worst, it just kept escalating till i thought it would bring me to my knees, i never experienced anything like this before, i took some benedryl and went to the pharmacy where i took my blood pressure which was normal. The intense pain lasted a good 45 minutes until the medication kicked in. My finger swelled and turned white around the bite site and down a bit further. It burned alot and the skin eventually peeled where it was white. i experienced muscle spasms for over a week. Great lesson to learn, i respect my T's way more and i don't handle any of them unless i absolutely have to.I Have a bad reaction to urticating hairs so im not sure if i have a spider allergy normally. So other people my have a very different experinece


Good to hear you know who is to blame for the bite, but lesson learned i guess;-)
I have been collecting haplopelma in the wild in Thailand, more specificcally, haplopelma longipes. The people who lives in this area sometimes eat them as snacks, but they tell me they get very sick for a long time when the pickup goes wrong and they are bitten. They say they are as bad as when bitten by centipedes, but they do fear centipedes much more because they come into peoples houses. So i am not surprised you got a bad experience here, they are not a T to mess with. People allways say how bad peocs, stromas and such T´s are, but many of these asian petholes are not to mess with either!

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## darren21 (Mar 26, 2015)

cottonsheep009 said:


> I'm with you on this. I really can't believe it can move that fast by crawling. It seems something like exceed the T's biological limit. :}
> And my conclusion is, Cobalt blue can FLY.


i have just bought a baby corbalt blue still very young but still very angry to they are to be treated with respect and defo not for beginers

---------- Post added 03-26-2015 at 03:43 AM ----------

yes i agree i have just bought a baby and that is very fast and angry and still gives a narsty bit even though she is so small i have a birdeater to and been bitten by that which is painfull but the corbalt is even worst


----------

