# What will harm tarantulas?



## MoNsTeRiFiC (Nov 15, 2017)

I recently sensed a aroma oil being used in the room beside my work space where my Ts are stored. I moved all of my Ts away immediately where i couldn't smell the oil. so my question is that are these types of oils fatal to Ts? Because I'm legit worried.

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## Hiruma26 (Nov 15, 2017)

Thank God someone actually brought this up. I have the same question in my head for a long time now. I used to vape in my room. But ever since I got into the hobby I avoided vaping in my room where my Ts are kept in fear that my coconut cream pie scent clouds would harm them. And winter is here, it's too cold to vape outside.

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## mack1855 (Nov 15, 2017)

Well,I don't know the answer for you are looking for.Having said that,I have 13 T,s downstairs in my finished basement.Mainly for keeping them cooler than most are kept.
And the washer/dryer are in the same room,maybe 13/15 feet away from where the animals are.While I don't use either bleach or fabric softener,it does produce some smell through the use of detergent.
For almost a year,I have seen no effects on any of the T,s.
On the other hand if I ever caught anybody smoking or vaping in my T rooms,I'd deal with them in a most unpleasant way.FWIW.

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## darkness975 (Nov 15, 2017)

MoNsTeRiFiC said:


> I recently sensed a aroma oil being used in the room beside my work space where my Ts are stored. I moved all of my Ts away immediately where i couldn't smell the oil. so my question is that are these types of oils fatal to Ts? Because I'm legit worried.





Hiruma26 said:


> Thank God someone actually brought this up. I have the same question in my head for a long time now. I used to vape in my room. But ever since I got into the hobby I avoided vaping in my room where my Ts are kept in fear that my coconut cream pie scent clouds would harm them. And winter is here, it's too cold to vape outside.



They're not good.  Avoid air fresheners, cleaners, strong perfumes, anything of the sort being launched airborne around them.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## boina (Nov 15, 2017)

I don't know where the idea comes from that aroma oil and stuff is bad for tarantulas. I don't quite believe it. In nature tarantulas will have to deal with strong scents, especially arboreals that will most likely often be close enough to smelling flowers. Why should things that have a strong smell be bad? I see no reason not to use natural oils, like lavender, citrus, peppermint, pine etc. Spiders live in citrus trees and lavender bushes, several jumping spider species thrive on pine trees and so on.

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## Venom1080 (Nov 15, 2017)

Agreed. 

No one really knows. They can only guess.


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## Arachnophoric (Nov 15, 2017)

Unless you're blowing vapor/spraying odors and perfumes directly at or around the tarantula and it's enclosure, I genuinely doubt it's going to affect them. These guys aren't like keeping snakes, where there's only one primitive lung and they have a high sensitivity to that kind of stuff.


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## Nonnack (Nov 15, 2017)

I have seen many times in forums posts like 'avoid this, avoid that, it may kill your T' etc. But is there any list of stuff that is really dangerous for spiders (and not for humans) and can potentially kill it? Except ofc anti insect chemicals.


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## Chris LXXIX (Nov 15, 2017)

I think that everything, from cigarettes (and not, weed/hashish luvers!) smoke, kitchen fumes, to those high priced (and not!) scents, to those kinda hippy/Tibetan/tantric 'Hare Khrishna' aroma or whatever, are able to harm those lovely eight legged predators... if not now, in the long run.

Yeah I can't be 100% sure about this nor everything. I'm not saying this. And, hands down, ain't a 'know it all' freak nor I pretend to be one (can't stand those douches) but I love to view that stuff as potentially risky... so, the old and Captain Obvious statement that says: "why risk?" *never*, and I say *never*, harmed no one.

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## viper69 (Nov 19, 2017)

MoNsTeRiFiC said:


> I recently sensed a aroma oil being used in the room beside my work space where my Ts are stored. I moved all of my Ts away immediately where i couldn't smell the oil. so my question is that are these types of oils fatal to Ts? Because I'm legit worried.



They do have chemorecptors, unsure if they can sense those oils. However, why take the chance?

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## Georgia B (Nov 20, 2017)

I recently bought a T from someone who smoked, burned incense to cover up the smoke, and left a layer of dead crickets in the enclosure. The smell was the devil’s own cologne. However, the T seems healthy enough. I’m with the middle-of-the-road camp, avoid it if you can, but don’t stress out over small accidental exposure.

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## grumpycow3 (Nov 20, 2017)

what about deodorant?

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## Garth Vader (Nov 20, 2017)

I am in the camp of being more careful on this. Even though I like yummy smelling things I would definitely prefer not to harm my Ts. I even got a new kind of hair taming product that is a cream rather than a spray because I noticed the spray had a smell that stayed in the air for quite some time.  I use it away from the Ts of course but again, I am careful.  So I think there are ways to do this so you can practice some food hygiene and also look out for your Ts. I am,quite invested in their well being and also invested in making my hair NOT look like my Garth avatar, which is pretty much what it looks like if I don't tame it.


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## Vanessa (Nov 21, 2017)

For what it is worth, I picked up two adult C.cyaneopubescens from a guy who must have chain smoked. The enclosures were caked with residue from being in a room full of smoke. I rehoused them as soon as I got home, but they lived under those conditions for the first three to four years of their life. And nicotine is used as a pesticide.
I don't see any signs of it affecting them negatively, or signs of them acting any differently than my other tarantulas.


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## viper69 (Nov 23, 2017)

Georgia B said:


> the T seems healthy enough


Key word seems... People who die of a heart attack, or some who have cancer seem healthy too by outward looks. Not saying your T is on death's door.

We don't know enough to judge if harm has been done without doing the proper histology on animals that have been exposed to such molecules. I have little doubt such things affect them because they did not evolve in the presence of such things.


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## Jonathanscott (Mar 22, 2020)

What about cleaning a tank with green apple dawn dish soap and washing it out well before placing your substrate and T  could it effect your tarantula


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## Huckleberry (Mar 22, 2020)

grumpycow3 said:


> what about deodorant?


I suspect it would be difficult to get the little armpits up.... LoL

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## Colorado Ts (Mar 22, 2020)

MoNsTeRiFiC said:


> I recently sensed a aroma oil being used in the room beside my work space where my Ts are stored. I moved all of my Ts away immediately where i couldn't smell the oil. so my question is that are these types of oils fatal to Ts? Because I'm legit worried.


I was reading “Biology of Spiders” and there was a presentation on a couple of olfactory experiments on spiders using aromatic compounds...spiders have a very highly developed sense of smell, and will physically react to any aromatics that they object too. Watch the spiders, their behavior will tell you what they like and what they object too.


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## viper69 (Mar 22, 2020)

Colorado Ts said:


> I was reading “Biology of Spiders” and there was a presentation on a couple of olfactory experiments on spiders using aromatic compounds...spiders have a very highly developed sense of smell, and will physically react to any aromatics that they object too. Watch the spiders, their behavior will tell you what they like and what they object too.


Were these true spiders? Also, their reaction is likely due to chemoreceptors, as opposed to inhaling-- or did the article make this distinction? Curious on this one! We know Ts can detect pheromones with chemoreceptors.


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## Colorado Ts (Mar 22, 2020)

viper69 said:


> Were these true spiders? Also, their reaction is likely due to chemoreceptors, as opposed to inhaling-- or did the article make this distinction? Curious on this one! We know Ts can detect pheromones with chemoreceptors.


It was a section in the book on the various types of specialized hairs that spiders possess. The book would cover each type of hair, it’s purpose, how it’s connected to the nervous system, and then a summary of the supporting research.

I don't recall the exact species that were used in the research...but the results were essentially that the sensitivities to aromatic compounds was universal at all spiders.

The section that most impressed me was the section on sounds. Certain hairs on the spider's body are so sensitive, that spiders essentially feel sound, and when blinded...they can use this array of auditory sensitivity to hunt...very cool book.

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## ThorsCarapace22 (Mar 23, 2020)

Huckleberry said:


> I suspect it would be difficult to get the little armpits up.... LoL


True I ain’t ever tried putting deodorant on any of my little T armpits

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## RezonantVoid (Mar 24, 2020)

I often walk into my room with odorant (why is called DEodorant when you are literally adding odor to yourself??? ) and ive never seen any of my tarantulas, trues or primitives make a fuss over it. On one brand though, my Flinger would begin flicking twice as many dirt balls at her lid but i doubt that deoderant was the cause. As long as you aremt spraying them straight up with it, i think they fine with it


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## ArachniMarc (Mar 24, 2020)

RezonantVoid said:


> I often walk into my room with odorant (why is called DEodorant when you are literally adding odor to yourself??? ) and ive never seen any of my tarantulas, trues or primitives make a fuss over it. On one brand though, my Flinger would begin flicking twice as many dirt balls at her lid but i doubt that deoderant was the cause. As long as you aremt spraying them straight up with it, i think they fine with it


You are definitely using the wrong deodorant if it is adding odor

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## RezonantVoid (Mar 24, 2020)

ArachniMarc said:


> You are definitely using the wrong deodorant if it is adding odor


That may very well be! The ALDI stuff can hardly be considered a pleasant smell if im honest!

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## Rodneybever (Jul 28, 2021)

Colorado Ts said:


> I was reading “Biology of Spiders” and there was a presentation on a couple of olfactory experiments on spiders using aromatic compounds...spiders have a very highly developed sense of smell, and will physically react to any aromatics that they object too. Watch the spiders, their behavior will tell you what they like and what they object too.


I could be wrong but I don't think the have a sense of smell as we know it.  Their setae detects chemical changes and the like in the air. (Maybe some species yes and some species no?)  I don't think those receptors are tied to their lungs or anything.  I know that my whip scorpions have super powers in their feelers and they can detect change on a molecular level.


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## cayen (Aug 14, 2022)

MoNsTeRiFiC said:


> I recently sensed a aroma oil being used in the room beside my work space where my Ts are stored. I moved all of my Ts away immediately where i couldn't smell the oil. so my question is that are these types of oils fatal to Ts? Because I'm legit worried.


I found another post regarding what are the things that may harm your T. Based from the whole conversation it seems like the aroma is nothing to worry about as long as the liquid dtate does not reach the enclosure. Tarantulas do not have noses to smell and heavily relies on their sense of touch, so I doubt the smell part would be an issue. However, if the aroma oil somehow gets into the enclosure: misted, or transferred through physical contact then it is safe to day that it will harm the tarantula






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