Being Bit...

[indigoeyes]

Okay, I have this INSANE fear of being bit by one of my T's. (I know it's not exactly something people look forward to.) It's not so much the pain that bothers me, it's more the fear of a reaction. I seem to react violently to everything else that flys/crawls/swims. And I know if I am SUPER careful and watch the behavior of my T's, it should never happen. But, IN THEARY, what should I do?

I had the idea to treat it like a snake bite. (Run the bite under scalding hot water for five minutes to draw the poison out, cut open the bite with an exacto knife, suck the remaining poison out, take a Benedryl.) Is this a good idea? Or should I just get to the ER if I notice symptoms? :?

Hoping it's not the Lividium that theoreticly bites me.....

 

[Iktomi]

NO! Don't go cutting yourself. You don't even do that with rattlesnake bites anymore. ( I used to hunt them) And you don't own a T that is that dangerous.
Really, you take some Benadryl and that's about it. (Not even that, with most T's.)
If you look at bite reports for even the most potent T's, you'll see that the doctor's can't really do much but give you something for pain. Always play safe, of course. Know the T's you have. Know what to watch for. And if you have that much of an issue...don't handle them. Just educate yourself on the T's you own.

 

[BigSam]

What T'z are know to bite.

Sam,

 

[Mojo Jojo]

All tarantulas can bite.
If you handle tarantulas, you may get bit someday.

If you can't accept that, I think that you should reevaluate your choice for a pet.

Jon

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Originally posted by BigSam
What T'z are know to bite.

Sam,

ALL tarantulas are capable of biting. The most notorious though are the Asian species, the African species, and SOME of the really large Central/South American species. They bite to defend themselves when feeling threatened. When I first started collecting tarantulas, I also had a fear of being bitten. I overcame the fear by starting with docile species and using suede welding gloves when handling. I moved from two gloves to one glove. Then from one glove to no gloves. Worked for me. May not work for all though.

Paul

 

[deifiler]

Call me stupid, but I have a nagging curiousity that makes me want to be bitten, so I can experience it. Obviously my primal instincts are preventing me from literally poking my lovelies in the face till they bite me, but I hope oen day to expereince it. Who knows, I could become the first guy to let spiders bite me and evaluate their venoms!

As stupid as it seems, but I arn't making it up. Do any of you have this interest at all? I may say to a group fo mates if they all chip in for £150 I'll let the spider bite me, that way it's win-win

I hope you don't perceive me as stupid, ignorant and un-educated from this post though, I am aware of the risks and I do regard myself as responsible. It's just the same thrill some get waiting in aplane to dive out. That's a half decent anology anyway.

 

[phoenixxavierre]

I don't think you're stupid.

I would do something like you suggest if I were paid for it, lol!

I think we can learn alot from our eight legged and many legged friends from the effects their venom have on us. I also believe we can find many cures to various health problems in venoms.

I watched that show "Bug Attack" or "Bugs Attack" on Fox? Kind of envied the guy doing the pain index. While I wouldn't look forward to experiencing the pain, I would find it very interesting to actually know the effects of various bites and stings within a controlled environment for the purpose of research and education.

But then I'm a little crazy like that! lol! =D =D

 

[Longbord1]

if u have ever herad of those dances that most people do to get rid of scorp venom and tarantula venom(the tarantella)could these work to remove poison fast?

 

[phoenixxavierre]

Are you talking about La Tarentella?

 

[Longbord1]

yes i am

 

[Code Monkey]

@Defiler: Not sure if stupid is the right word, but it's not exactly a normal thing to wish for.
At my job right now I work with honeybees and get stung at least 4-6X a week and, really, it's not that big of deal. A bit of dancing around a bit for a few minutes if they nail me in a particularly sensitive spot, and some swelling and itching for 2-3 days. That's it (and sometimes not even that).
Now, even though I know that technically speaking most of the Ts in my collection are reported to not even being equal to a beesting in pain/reaction - that in theory I'm experiencing a worse arthropod assault on a regular basis already - I'm still not going to do anything to get bit and will try to avoid it like the plauge. As I like to say, the devil you do know is better than the one you don't.

@Sam et al: As has been pointed out, all Ts can bite, and at some time or another, I'm sure that just about every species has bitten some careless keeper somewhere.
Correction: it was implied by some that you only need to worry if you handle, and that's simply not true. Handle poorly and your odds of getting bit go up, but the simple truth is that you get bit when your hand or other fleshy bits are in the wrong place at the wrong time with a spider in the wrong mood. My opinion is that you're more likely to be bit 'threatening' the T in its home rather than when you're handling, but bites occur in all situations.

Get to know your spiders and their body language. If you're going to handle, check their temperament with a brush or something first. Tarantulas can be very calm on one day and rear up instantly another - if you assume that your B. vagans is a pet rock and just reach into its tank right in front of it, you may get to find out what it's like to get bit by one. For that matter, don't use your hands for anything if you're really concerned. You can herd any tarantula of any size with a long brush or something and clean tanks with hemostats or tongs; this is going to strongly minimize the chances of a bite.

Also, always keep in mind that the bite reports represent a very small number of people out of all the keepers out there. I've never been bitten and that goes for most of the people on this board.

Plus, generally speaking, the T has nothing to gain from biting you. It puts it very close to you which means that logically speaking, it stands a very good chance of being a dead T if that was your intention (and if it wasn't your intention, it might become that after it bites you). In other words, most times, the only way you'll be bitten by even the "meanest" of Ts is if it doesn't think it can get away by some other means. With the exception of a few species that once pissed off have no problems lashing out with fangs, for most it's going to be a last ditch defense on their part.

 

[BigSam]

Does it hurt when they bite you ??
Who has been bit ??

Sam,

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by BigSam
Does it hurt when they bite you ??
Who has been bit ??

Sam, there's a reason why there's a Bite Report forum, go look there for the answers to your question.

 

[phoenixxavierre]

http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3tartla.htm

Here's a link for you on La Tarentella.

There's also some info on this dance in Stan and Marguerite Schultz book Tarantula Keepers Guide.

 

[Psycho]

Question... Is there more or a reaction to a bite to young ones? I have a 2 year old and as he gets older I'm worried he may get curious as to what these spiders are. I've let him pet an A. avic but that's it. (by older I mean when he's old enough to have friends over and stay home by himself... 10 12 that age, NO WAY I'd let a 2 year old handle a lividium or something lol.) AND, if you've been bitten by a certain spider already (say a lividium) and you get bitten again will the reaction be worse? Like some people who dont react to bee stings until the second time their stung? ALSO... even if someone is severely allergic to bee stings or something they wouldn't die from a T bite would they?

~~~ Psycho~~~

 

[arachnopunks]

Originally posted by deifiler
Call me stupid, but I have a nagging curiousity that makes me want to be bitten, so I can experience it. Obviously my primal instincts are preventing me from literally poking my lovelies in the face till they bite me, but I hope oen day to expereince it. Who knows, I could become the first guy to let spiders bite me and evaluate their venoms!

As stupid as it seems, but I arn't making it up. Do any of you have this interest at all? I may say to a group fo mates if they all chip in for £150 I'll let the spider bite me, that way it's win-win

I hope you don't perceive me as stupid, ignorant and un-educated from this post though, I am aware of the risks and I do regard myself as responsible. It's just the same thrill some get waiting in aplane to dive out. That's a half decent anology anyway.

I have had the same thoughts. I told that to my wife, Jill, the other day. I told her that this may sound strange but I kind of want to get bitten just to see what it feels like. Of course, common sense (mostly on my wifes part) takes over and I refrain. However, I would not suggest prevoking a bite to anyone. Its not just the bite or the venom that most need to worry about but the fact that anyone can have a severe allergic reaction to the venom.

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by arachnopunks
Its not just the bite or the venom that most need to worry about but the fact that anyone can have a severe allergic reaction to the venom.

Emphasis on the *can*. The "could be allergic" cautionary statement gets added to every mention of the relative lack of harm from bites, yet, there is not a single case of an allergic reaction to a T bite documented in the literature. While it may just be an issue of relative numbers, it does not appear that T venom is reacted to by our bodies in the way that bee venom is.

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Psycho
Question... Is there more or a reaction to a bite to young ones? ALSO... even if someone is severely allergic to bee stings or something they wouldn't die from a T bite would they?

Children react to toxins differently. For instance, the *only* example of a human dying from Psilocybe mushrooms is a 3 y.o. in England that accidentally ingested them when they were misidentified as edible by the parents collecting mushrooms. While many experts believe the ID was wrong by the doctors, if correct, it serves to show that just because something is completely harmless to older individuals, it may still be dangerous to toddlers. Secondarily, there is the difference in body mass relative to the toxin dose, which is independent of the victim. For instance, the copperhead's venom is relatively benign with healthy, teen and adult individuals, yet can kill a small child just because its effects are more concentrated.

As for the bee allergy issue, they are completely unrelated (and no one has ever demonstrated an allergic reaction to T venom of any variety).

 

[Psycho]

So.... what you're saying is that the reaction to a T bite is just that...... a reaction that everyone has. It's not an allergic reaction?

~~~Psycho~~~

 

[arachnopunks]

Thats why I said 'can'. A person doesn't know they are allergic to peanuts until they end up in the hospital. Your right there are no documented cases of such a reaction by a T bite but with the hobby increasing in numbers the possibility of a single individual having a biological predisposition to T venom becomes greater. This is why it would be wise to let people know of the possibility regardless. As a side note, We have a serpetarium here in central Florida and the guy who cares for the venomous snakes is allergic to snake venom and to antivenin. His allergic reaction is in addition to the effects of the venom itself. This was on the news a couple of days ago. The guy said that he loves caring for the snakes and that is why he risks dying everyday. Pretty dedicated