about kicking hair...

[Mikeymike]

hi there, i just recently got my g. rosea and my mother keeps telling me how it can flick hair and such, and not to get too close, but i find it hard to believe that it will just shoot hair at anything that gets close.

can someone clarify this for me, maybe say when they flick, why they flick, and how they kick those hairs.


thanks a million,


-mikey

 

[Henry Kane]

You'll actually see the T rapidly rub a rear leg against the backside of the abdomen. They can't really aim the urticating bristles or anything, it's more like they create a little cloud of them. For the most part, as long as you're not within a foot or so (especially with your face ) you'll be ok.
People have varying degrees of reaction to bristles of different species. For example, most species' bristles dont really bug me much, a little itch here or there, but Pamphobeteus bristles are like shards of glass in my skin.
You mostly want to be careful about getting them near your eyes, mouth or nasal passages, either picking up airborne bristles or transferring them from your hands to your face.
Honestly, there's not much to worry about as far as all that as long as you make a habit of rinsing your hands after dealing with your T and it's enclosure.

See ya.
Atrax

 

[Henry Kane]

Oops, sorry. To answer your Q's about why and where and such...

New world T's will flick hairs when disturbed or threatened. For instance, if a predator such as a coyote or something were to be nosing too close to a burrow, the T would flick the bristles and cause the predator to hate life for at least a day or two.

Keep in mind that not all n/w T's will kick much, some will almost never kick and some will kick if you so much as think bad thoughts about them.
You can usually tell if a T is a major hair kicker because the it will eventually kick itself bald on the abdomen.

Atrax

 

[Tranz]

Hair Today

Some species flick hair more than others. Within a species, some individuals flick more than others, based on their unique personality. Your species doesn't flick hairs a lot. Chances are your particular tarantula will never flick hairs. I have a Brazilian Black and it has never flicked a hair, though occassionally will raise its rear when apparently agitated. I've read that this is a hair-flicking warning signal - but that is only speculation.

 

[Henry Kane]

I have a Brazilian Black and it has never flicked a hair, though occassionally will raise its rear when apparently agitated. I've read that this is a hair-flicking warning signal - but that is only speculation.

That describes my G. pulchra to the letter. She won't kick but will give me the "butt-warning" all the time. Cracks me up when she does that.

I agree that rosies aren't really major kickers on average. As with any behavior, there's always exceptions but I honestly cannot recall ever seeing a rosie with a bald butt.

Atrax

 

[MysticKigh]

That describes my G. pulchra to the letter. She won't kick but will give me the "butt-warning" all the time. Cracks me up when she does that.

I agree that rosies aren't really major kickers on average. As with any behavior, there's always exceptions but I honestly cannot recall ever seeing a rosie with a bald butt.

Atrax

Yup... we have two mature male roses and a mature female (also a juv fem).. anyway, they have never haired. The female is more than willing to bite though! Occasionally one of the males seems to 'wave' his spinnerets when annoyed... this amuses us endlessly as you might imagine

I am more sensitive to the rosea hairs than any of my other t's... discovered this after cleaning their cages and itching for a good bit after. All the others have haired except the avic avic and the G pulchra.. and had no effect whatsoever on me...

 

[Professor T]

Mikeymike,
The "hairs" are not true hair like your hair, they are an extention of the exoskeleton called setae . Hair is a protein that grows from dermal origin, setae is a polysaccharide that does not grow. Setae that are flicked will usually be replaced on the next molt.

The setae used for defense in new world species (cental and south america) have barbed setae on their abdomen that they flick usually using walking legs. They are not venomous barbs, but are effective defense if a potential predator gets it in their eyes, nose, or mouth. The physical serrated edges cause irritation.

Some people have more senstivity to these barbs than other people. Some species of Ts flick setae more commonly than other species. While G. rosea is not a common setae flicker, it does have the ability to flick setae. Never put it by your face.

I hope this helps

 

[Henry Kane]

PT summed it up pretty well. Can't hurt to have a little more info though I guess.
Here's a link to more info on the different types of urticating setae, their properties and a whole bunch of other T stuff...

http://www.courseworkbank.co.uk/coursework/tarantula_1490/

Later,
Atrax

 

[pitbulllady]

I've never seen a G. rosea flick hairs, although they certainly CAN do so. The hairs mainly cause a problem if they get into mucous membranes, like in the eye, nostrils or mouth, since they are designed to disuade predators from biting the T. As long as you aren't super-sensitive to the hairs, or put the spider up to your face, and wash your hands after handling it or cleaning its cage(recommended after handling ANY animal or cleaning its enclosure), you shouldn't have a problem. The only time I've ever experienced any sort of reaction to urticating hairs is when I pick up moulted exoskeletons; those of some species, especially the Grammostolas, give me a brief, mild itchy sensation, a bit like handling fiberglass insulation does. It's never lasted more than 20 minutes, and is most definately not unbearable, NOTHING like, say, brushing up against stinging nettles or a prickly-pear cactus!

pitbulllady