Has anyone else experienced this???

[arachnofreak95]

I have noticed lately that when i hold my Grammostola pulchripes (4.5 inches) my hands get itchy, but urticating hairs are not the cause. Whenever it has to use its claws to grip on to my hand it leaves slightly inflamed and itchy spots on my hand. Im not too worried about it, I was just curious if other people have had this happen with their tarantulas. Another odd thing though is that it only happens with my G. pulchripes. I was holding my Thrixopelma ockerti which is slightly smaller (4 inches) and it also used its claws, but I my skin did not react to that

 

[newspidermom]

You said you have only noticed this "lately"? So I'm assuming you never had that problem before? Cause even though they are not actually "flicking" hairs with their back legs the hair can still be an irritant even with holding them. I know whenever I handled any of mine I had to make sure and wash my hands or i'd start itching. My only other guess is as thy get bigger maybe the hairs become more bristly and irritating. Not sure on that one. I thought maybe you had a MM and were feeling the spurs, but your pulchripes isn't big enough to have matured yet I don't think. Got me stumped. By the way how is the temperment of your Thrixopelma ockerti. I've just started looking into those and can't find much info on them.

 

[hassman789]

In the bite report section under G. rosea there is a picture of a hand that is scratched up, I would assume that the fangs wouldn't be scratching him, check it out. And I think I know what you are talking about, I seem to recall having that feeling before.

 

[Hobo]

I remember Cacoseraph having the exact same thing, except with handling his pedes. I'll come back with a link if I can find it. It was in a big allergic reaction thread.

 

[killy]

Everybody reacts differently, I've come to conclude. Your pulchra makes you itch - mine crawls all over me and I don't feel any discomfort whatsoever. But my A. geniculata - completely different story - he makes me itch like a son-of-a-... gun without flicking a hair. And yet this forum abounds with folk that handle their genics to a fare-thee-well with no dire consequences.

The moral to all of this, I suppose, is that each individual must discover his own weaknesses through ... sorry ... trial and hair-or ...

 

[arachnofreak95]

Not sure on that one. I thought maybe you had a MM and were feeling the spurs, but your pulchripes isn't big enough to have matured yet I don't think. Got me stumped.

I know for sure it is not a male because I have posted pics of its spermethecae in a molt on the ATS forum and it was comfirmed to be a female. good guess though, I never thought of that.

By the way how is the temperment of your Thrixopelma ockerti. I've just started looking into those and can't find much info on them.

Mine is extremely skittish INSIDE its enclosure. If I touch it, it will run away or flick hairs. It isn't very defensive as far as biting though. When I take
it out of the enclosure it is an entirely different tarantula as far as temperament though. It is extremely slow moving when it is on my hands and it barely even reacts when I touch it. It honestly acts more docile than my Grammostola puclhripes in my opinion. There are other people who say these are not to be handled though, so I guess in the end its your choice. They aren't that bad though, and they are absolutely beautiful

 

[Hobo]

Ok, I was a bit mixed up.
Yes cacoseraph experienced the same thing, but with Tarantulas, not pedes. So, it's pretty much exactly like you experienced!
The pedes reaction was actually from Stan Shultz, which was in the same thread, hence my mixup.

Here's the thread.

 

[arachnofreak95]

That's pretty interesting...besides the fact that it means I can't prevent my hands from itching after handling lol are latex gloves thick enough to prevent those claws from getting in my skin? Could I be getting a reaction to the G. pulchripes and not the T. ockerti simply because it is a heavier bodied tarantula and its claws might puncture my skin further?

 

[phoenixxavierre]

I've had this happen as well, though with different species, but in my case it was seemingly two things. 1) I've had their claws irritate my skin before and 2) I've had what seemed to be hairs from their sternum or coxa cause irritation on my skin before. This is, of course, not to mention the usual urticating hairs from the abdomen, and also the possibility of their scopular pads, which I've felt grip onto me before, though I don't recall irritation from that..

Just wanted to let you know it's happened to me, too.