Curious to know your reactions to urticating setae...

[deifiler]

I'm aware that due to the nature no real qualitative nor quantitave data can really be applied to this for several reasons, though in this case it's present just to get the vague idea; these results shouldn't be interpretated as accurate or as a guide, such as "I rank 6 on the urticating scale:} ".

Anyhoo...

The reactions caused by urticating setae seem to be developing in me, and I was curious as to what extent they effect others. I've seen many who complain alot about the itchyness, several who seem to have very extreme reactions, and those who are in effect, 'immune' to them - as I would of considered myself a couple of months back.

Anyway, here's a very basic 'scale' on which to work by... The accuracy will be very limited, and I'm sure the classifcation is pretty weak, and you'll find yourself thinking "I have symptons from 2 and 9... which do I vote?" As I said, these are made up as I'm thinking, feel free to 'edit' them.

Also, I know some say the species respobnsible effects it, though I havn't noticed this myself.

*This serves merely to quench my curiousity*

1 - Considered to be 'immune' to the Urticating hair.
2 - Little irritance on very few occasions; may be caused due to the psychology of the hairs as oppose to the actual hairs.
3 - Basic irritance including annoyance - not actual burning sensations- in the nose or mouth.
4 - Mild itching and irritance at 'hot spots' on the body, such as wrists, insides of elbows, cheeks or other soft areas. This occurs with every exposure to the hairs
5 - Itching and burning sensations present, though no rashes/visible signs appear
6 - Mild rashes appearing at the area of contact
7 - Rashes appear and 'symptons' last for more than three hours. The sensations may return several hours later, such as during times of rest i.e. sleeping.
8 - Bad reactions that may last longer than one day.
9 - Reactions that seem to re-occur throughout the day or reappear several hours/days later. Initial effects causes rashes/possible hives and last for several hours/days
10 - Severe cases, such as those of 'The Eternal' where respiratory problems may occur and as I think he said, a hospital visit was needed?

Again, this is just curiosity, I'm not after doing research especially considering the weakness and ambiguity of the scale in use

By the way, I classed myself as '4'

 

[Earth Tiger]

While different people react differently to urticating hairs, different species of New World t's also give you different reactions. Most people are immune to the hairs of Aphonopelma, while Theraphosa will certainly cause severe reactions to almost everybody. Some people are also particularly sensitive to some species like Brachypelma but insensitive to most other species.

 

[Lopez]

A combination of 4, 7 and 9 for me. I seem particularly prone on the soft area of the back of my hand, between index finger and thumb, and the "sides" of each finger.

I don't have to physically touch the spider either, opening the tank for feeding is enough. Normally don't get the symptoms for a few hours, but when I do, I know about it.

 

[Mendi]

Not too much trouble with the hairs, even from T.blondi... But I will itch for hours due to my B.smithi I end up taking a Benadryl most times to get it under control. They give me more a reaction than all my others, even other Brachy's can't match the little "insulation b#&ts" One good thing about it, mine tend to never have that naked look about them

 

[DnKslr]

I've been flicked many times and I really can't recall any instance where I was really bothered by it. I don't even notice too much itching either. Maybe I just haven't found that "special" T that can do for me=D

 

[pelo]

I rank about a 3.Unless hit full force by hairs I have little or no reaction.I've been hit full force a couple times around the hands and arms and all I suffer is mild to moderate itching/redness for a couple hrs and then it goes away.Only time I was really itchy was when I was changing substrate in one of my brachy enclosures.I got hairs on my hands and I was sweating which resulted in me wiping my forhead a few times.My forehead itched,burned and turned beet red for a day.Other than that I guess so far I'm one of the lucky ones that doesn't suffer too much from urticating hairs...peace..

 

[Code Monkey]

I answered 8, although with your 'vagued up' descriptions I'm not sure if I should be a 9.

Depending on degree of exposure I get hives and swelling (don't really get a rash) that itches and burns. Due to the persistent nature of the hairs, it may appear on different areas of the body after the initial reaction. Minor exposures tend to stop as mild swelling and itching that goes away within 6 hours. More extensive exposures leave hives for up to 24 hours with mild swelling persisting for 2-3 days. Itching has sometimes lasted several days - I just finally got rid of a hair between two fingers that had been bothering me for over a week like some evil microscopic splinter.

Fortunately, like any good allergy victim, I've become very good at avoiding exposure. I keep a box of latex gloves back near the inverts and practice the same sort of precautions you would for sterile technique in regards to touching myself or anything unnecessary when working with the tanks.

If I handle, which is very infrequently, I make a point of gently washing thoroghly with soap and water immediately afterwards to dislodge any hairs before they have too much of a chance to irritate. I was similarly over my forearms and such after tank maintenance.

 

[L_mactans]

For me it really depends who is doing the flicking. I have little or no reaction to my Brachypelma, Avicularia, or Aphonopelma Ts, even with a direct hit of hair cloud.

But...just a hint of Nhandu hair and I am reacting severly. Every inch of exposed sking is littered with painful hives that last for days. I don't go into her set-up unless absoutely necessary. This is the only T that gives me any reaction, but I learned quickly after that :} She isn't one to snuggle .

Kelly (L_mac)

 

[dwdeloach]

Due to my inexperience, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I just thought the itching would be severe if exposed. I have recently had a slight burning sensation on the back of my hands. Since I work in a lab, I thought it might have been caused by some type of reaction to chemicals or a reaction to gloves at work. I now think it may be exposure to my B. Smithi. I am going to try wearing gloves around my Smithi's tank and see if it helps. I selected a 5.

 

[Tescos]

This may or not be of intrest? This is just somthing I read!-

-There now seems to be evidence that contact with the urticating hairs of Theraphosidae spiders can lead to anaccumulative process of sensitisation.This literally means that after years of handling such creatures you will reach an accumulative threshold and from that point onwards your body will react to further contact.Normally this reaction will manifest itself in a rash, but sometimes one can become very ill.Keep contact to a minimum.

If there is truth to these words I don´t know and I don´t know of evidence to support this. But if it is true then it is quite a good argument for not handleing you New World Tarantulas with out protection.!

 

[cricket54]

I'm mostly a 2. It also seems to depend on which species whether I will be bothered by the "hairs". Most of mine just don't do this very often. I did have itching and burning once fom holding my rosea a couple years ago, but it hasn't happened since. I think I had a tiny itchiness from my Little B. smithi once.
My daughter Laura has had the burning on her hands and found that the baking soda paste stopped it immediately.

Sharon

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Tescos
-There now seems to be evidence that contact with the urticating hairs of Theraphosidae spiders can lead to anaccumulative process of sensitisation.This literally means that after years of handling such creatures you will reach an accumulative threshold and from that point onwards your body will react to further contact.Normally this reaction will manifest itself in a rash, but sometimes one can become very ill.Keep contact to a minimum.

If there is truth to these words I don´t know and I don´t know of evidence to support this. But if it is true then it is quite a good argument for not handleing you New World Tarantulas with out protection.!

Oh, it's true. I've been exposed for more than 2 decades and I can tell you that it's definitely gotten worse over the years.

 

[Pixie]

Even though I am quite an allergic person, I rank myself a low #2.

This is more due to my tolerance of itching. I am allergic to any animal with hair: dogs, cats, horses, rodents, etc. You name it, if I touch it I get some nice hives that will last anywhere from 20 min. to 2 hours.

I have 2 dogs of my own and a few rats. I never let my allergies stop me from enjoying family pet, save for cats as they give me nasty asthmatic reactions. Everything else gives me hive rashes and if I dare touch my eyes, swelling, redness and tearing.

I have grown some tolerance to my own animals and they aren't as bad but I still itch on a daily basis. I barely even notice it anymore! lol

So urticating hairs aren't a biggie at all for me. I've handled quite a few times and only remember developping a few hives on maybe two occasions.

Pixie

 

[SkyeSpider]

Originally posted by deifiler
10 - Severe cases, such as those of 'The Eternal' where respiratory problems may occur and as I think he said, a hospital visit was needed?

Wow! I voted number 10, was the only one, then saw my name on it

Yes, I have *REALLY* bad reactions to urticating hairs. I've been hit once by a rose hair, and required medical treatment. Because of that, I wear a mask, goggles, long rubber gloves (no jokes! ), and long sleeves when working with any species that kicks.

That said, I only have two spiders right now that WILL kick at me (and my T. blondi is NOT one of them ). My A. geniculata, and L. cristata. I'm thinking of selling one of them, to minimize my problems. Don't ask, I already have someone in mind.

------

Here's the odd thing, though: I have *NO* reaction to Avicularia hairs. I've been hit by them often, and never had as much as an itch. I really don't understand the difference, but I'm glad it's there. I love handling all my Avicularia species

-Bryan

 

[defour]

By the scale, I'd be a nine, although my reactions are almost exclusively to Theraphosa blondi. I don't seem very sensitive to Brachypelma, Aphonopelma or Nhandu hairs. In fact, I can't positively attribute any reaction I've had to anything but Theraphosa. My symptoms usually last a week or so, but the skin between my fingers will itch when I'm washing my hands or taking a shower for up to a few weeks in some instances. My sensitivity seems to be increasing too; when I first started keeping T. blondi I could run my hands through the substrate without a reaction. I'm fortunate in that none of the goliaths I've kept have been prone to flicking. My worst experience was in packing a mature male for shipment; he flicked like crazy and I ended up inhaling a bit of it, which caused immediate itching around my nostrils and gave me a sore throat for a few days.

Steve

 

[Trinity]

I chose a one. In three years, I've never been itchy after cleaning anything from my now five tarantulas. However, none have flicked at me that I am aware of.

In fact, my 4 inch T-blondi I've held in my hand and she allows "petting" of her abdomen. I had no reaction to doing so. I'm kinda curious if she'll stay such a sweetie as she gets bigger.

My husband on the other hand, has experienced a super itchy episode from inspecting a molt from our G. pulcha.

 

[sunnymarcie]

Well I picked 4

No real serious things here just really itchy

I have handled several different T's and the Aphonopelma
makes me itch the worst.

 

[Hallidaykill55]

Some suggestions.

O.k. all. I'm no expert but maybe try washing your hands in ice cold H2O just before feeding time. Avoid respiratory exposure if possible, if you see them start to kick close the lid and walk away. Turn off the lights, we all know that T's don't like the light and if you simply use an incandescent black light bulb it may help. Low light levels may be acceptable also. As I said, I'm no expert, but I have spent some time putting in insulation and I can tell you that the ice water thing does work. Close those pores. I know that I'm a newbie but there may be something here that you can take with you. And Codemonkey, go easy on me. LOL.