Immune to urticating hairs?

[Charlie]

I guess maybe I am just lucky or something but I have been keeping (and handeling) Tarantulas now for almost two years and in all that time I have had hairs kicked in my face, rubbed off onto my hands, cleaned the cages without gloves and I have never had a problem with urticating hairs.

Am I just lucky or what? I mean it's not like I sit there and invite them to kick hairs at me or anything but I have never had so much as a single itch, rash or irritated area in 2 years.

Is it rare to have no reaction at all to urticating hairs?

What are some of youe experiances?

-Charlie

 

[Code Monkey]

Since a lot of the problems people have with the hairs seem to be allergic in nature there is no reason why there wouldn't be some people out there who don't react particularly adversely. I'm envious.

(I still wouldn't count on it lasting forever)

 

[abstract]

I'm the same way. Doesn't bother me at all...

I don't have any other allergies, so I wonder if those who have any sort of allergy are more prone to irritation....

 

[esmoot]

Some sp. are not bad at all. Once you get a few more you will probably be itching like crazy.

 

[looseyfur]

Honestly it doesnt seem to bother me much... save for once when I got blasted in the face... ahhh to be young and foolish...
It does however seem to have gotten progressively worse in regards to my sencitivity to them... but that whole getting a facefull thing really sucked.

your pal-
looseyfur

 

[Arachnopuppy]

I'm one of those lucky ones that is immune to urticating hair as well as poison ivy=D =D =D

 

[danread]

I used to be completely immune, and now i've started to become more sensitive to them. The last time i cleaned out the tanks i didnt use gloves.... and my hands were itching unbearably for 24 hours. It's not usually a problem though, only when cleaning out the enclosures, and i now know to use gloves.

Cheers,

Dan.

 

[sunnymarcie]

I am one of those lucky people that have no reaction to poison ivy Having been around it my whole life probably has a lot to do with it though.
But I do get a little itchy from my T's. If I wash my hands right
away it stops.

 

[Vampire]

Hairs

I'm the same way, no problem with the hairs "knock wood"!

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Hairs USED to not bother me...

Jon

 

[Code Monkey]

For the vast majority, it's just a matter of time. You keep embedding foreign proteins in your skin deep enough and often enough and the odds are you will begin to develop a reaction to it. Unfortunately, the immune system is a complex but dumb system so the fact that you keep getting haired just instigates it to try harder the next time once the process begins.

To those of you not reacting, I strongly urge you to wear gloves, minimize handling, and wash well afterwards. The less exposure you have over time, the less severe the probable reaction will develop over time.

Otherwise, in 20 years you'll be kicking yourselves in the arse because it's gotten so bad. I wish someone had adequately warned me when I started years ago. Of course, being a teen, I probably wouldn't have listened

 

[Charlie]

Thanks

Thanks Code.

I will keep that in Mind. I am going to start wearing gloves when I handle my T's and clean the cages.

Don't want to deal with what I have seen happen to others.


-Charlie

 

[abstract]

Probably a dumb question - but wouldn't regular exposure to these foreign bodies help develop an immunity to them?

Might be different, but I was watching a special about some snake handler who had been bitten so many times he was immune to the venom. Although not introduced to the human body the same way as hairs, isn't it the same basic concept?

 

[deifiler]

I've had my own spiders for 12 years now, and I've been poking around at my dads spiders for even longer. I've never felt the sting of the hairs either

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by abstract
Probably a dumb question - but wouldn't regular exposure to these foreign bodies help develop an immunity to them?

That's the funny thing about our immune system. Sometimes, repeated exposure "educates" the immune system. Your body stops reacting to an objectively harmless substance or forms a lesser response that still rids the system of the offending substance.

However, allergic reactions are by their nature the result of the immune system overreacting to begin with to a more or less harmless substance. Allergy shots are designed to introduce extremely miniscule amounts to decrease the reaction severity, but truly allergic reaction doses are usually just going to make it worse.

 

[Telson]

Code is dead on with this... I'm allergic to most pets, plants, and parrents.... Anything furr bearin', pollen bearin', or over-bearin'!!;P

Really though, I've looked in to allergy treatments and he's right about the concept of miniscule doses of the allergen helping to acclimate the body to the substance while the average dose that normally sets off the allergy now will set it off worse later one at the same dosage. I've gotten that info straight from doctors. In 15+ yrs of keeping T's, I've developed a NASTY reaction to the hairs... I get little bumps and itch for as long as 2 weeks or more from a solid fluffing from a G.rosea! It's THE biggest reason I don't handle my T's anymore, and haven't for years.