Newbie Urticating hairs

[Dannymackerel]

Hey everyone.

I’m reaaaal new to the hobby, like the last couple of days. I recently picked up my first T, it’s a Brachypelma boehmei at around 7cm. This species was suggested to me as being good for beginners, and it is an amazing looking creature. I plan on offering a feed in the next few days.

One thing I may have over looked, some sources have said B boehmei is quite notorious for flicking hairs... what exactly am I too expect? Is it comparable to say, fibreglass.. or is it more like a sting/rash kinda deal?

If the hairs were to get in my skin would the hot/cold repeated wash trick for fibreglass work to free them? I work with fibreglass daily and I seem to have built a bit of a resistance lol.

Just a note I don’t plan on handling at all, just more concerned for feeding and maintenance.

Cheers!

 

[moricollins]

It all depends on the person. Some people react a lot, some only a little.

Generally speaking they don't want to waste the hairs, and won't flick them unless you're bothering the tarantula, at least in my experience.

 

[FrDoc]

Don’t surprise your tarantula by opening the enclosure quickly, dropping the prey right next to it, etc.. Urticating setae are a defense mechanism, so in the context of “kicking hairs”, they do it when they perceive a threat. Don’t be perceived as threatening to the best of your ability. I have had only a couple incidents of “kicking” from my specimens and in each incident I saw it coming because it was my fault and I backed off until things calmed. Use finesse and kicking ought not be a concern. Now, enclosure maintenance for some species that lay urticating mine fields as a defense, e.g., L. parahybana, L. klugi, is a different story. That’s when you must take precautions. Several folks on AB are quite allergic to Lasiodora setae, and if you ever consider keeping that genus you should beware.

 

[Gnarled Gnome]

In my experience it's similar to fiberglass in that it's a burning, itchy, million-little-cuts feeling, but not as persistent as the worse fiberglass exposures I've had. If you are used to fiberglass, and barring any other reaction specific to the hairs, it will probably be an average level annoyance. Tape and water help. I dont know about the alternating temperatures. You can wear gloves when working in the pen and not have to worry about it. Hopefully I dont have to say it, but do what you have to not to get the hairs in your eyes.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Is it comparable to say, fibreglass

It varies from person to person but the worst reaction I have is to Lasiodora hairs (reputed to have some of the worst hairs in the hobby) and the reaction is on par with the reaction I have to old loft insulation (very itchy, some redness, a hot shower deals with the worst of the irritation, completely fine the next day), I have seen people have pretty bad reactions to their hairs though.

Brachypelma hairs don't bother me at all. Also, my boehmei has never kicked hairs at me.

 

[EulersK]

Parroting what others have said, it'll vary. I'll go ahead and say that, unlike others on here, my B. boehmei is probably the heaviest kicker I have. Just goes to show that temperaments do vary. Further, most Brachy setae don't bother that much, but B. boehmei is particularly bad. Again, just my experience.

What I will bring up is that while the urticating setae generally feels like fiberglass, the main difference is that I haven't found a good way to remove the setae yet. I've Googled the typical ways to remove fiberglass, and none seem to really work on setae. The only thing I've found that actually works is steel wool - yep, basically remove the first layer of skin Obviously I don't suggest doing this. When it comes to relief from the itch/burn, I accidentally found a very nice relief. Run your hands (or other affected area) under very hot water. As hot as you can take it, but obviously no need to burn yourself. For some reason, it relieves the itching for about an hour. No idea why.

 

[darkness975]

Hey everyone.

I’m reaaaal new to the hobby, like the last couple of days. I recently picked up my first T, it’s a Brachypelma boehmei at around 7cm. This species was suggested to me as being good for beginners, and it is an amazing looking creature. I plan on offering a feed in the next few days.

One thing I may have over looked, some sources have said B boehmei is quite notorious for flicking hairs... what exactly am I too expect? Is it comparable to say, fibreglass.. or is it more like a sting/rash kinda deal?

If the hairs were to get in my skin would the hot/cold repeated wash trick for fibreglass work to free them? I work with fibreglass daily and I seem to have built a bit of a resistance lol.

Just a note I don’t plan on handling at all, just more concerned for feeding and maintenance.

Cheers!

What you should be the most concerned about is getting the urticating setae in your eyes. Using tongs and other tools for maintenance is the way to go, along with what others have said regarding not startling it.

Even when using tongs, gloves, etc it is always a good practice to thoroughly wash your hands after doing maintenance. Don't have fans that blow on the tanks; it's not good for them and it could blow the setae around.

You must also train yourself to not rub your eyes or nose for any reason until you have thoroughly washed your hands/lower arms. For someone who is OCD like me that took a lot of patience. One thing this hobby teaches is patience.

A good example: I tend to hold my nose when I sneeze (or at least try to minimize the sound). When doing maintenance I have no choice but to let it come raging out (as annoying as that is). Better to deal with that minor annoyance than end up with literal barbs embedded in my nasal passage or optic nerve that would require some intense medical attention to remedy (depending on the severity and length of time, 100% eyesight retention is not guaranteed).

I am not trying to be overly dramatic, but it does have the potential to be serious. You do not want to get them in your eyes/nose/etc. for both your own well being as well as the sake of the hobby.

Few things cause me to become more irked than the plethora of videos on Youtube of yahoos with Tarantulas on their face or running around on their body. It's not safe for the Spider, and it's a potential risk to the handler.

 

[viper69]

Boehmei terrible choice— my AF would flick even during feeding!

Also don’t get these in your eye, it’s a very very serious issue documented in Med Lit.,
possible blindness.

 

[Dannymackerel]

Parroting what others have said, it'll vary. I'll go ahead and say that, unlike others on here, my B. boehmei is probably the heaviest kicker I have. Just goes to show that temperaments do vary. Further, most Brachy setae don't bother that much, but B. boehmei is particularly bad. Again, just my experience.

What I will bring up is that while the urticating setae generally feels like fiberglass, the main difference is that I haven't found a good way to remove the setae yet. I've Googled the typical ways to remove fiberglass, and none seem to really work on setae. The only thing I've found that actually works is steel wool - yep, basically remove the first layer of skin Obviously I don't suggest doing this. When it comes to relief from the itch/burn, I accidentally found a very nice relief. Run your hands (or other affected area) under very hot water. As hot as you can take it, but obviously no need to burn yourself. For some reason, it relieves the itching for about an hour. No idea why.

Try running the affected area under real hot water, then switch to really cold water and keep repeating it. This is a trick for removing fibreglass. The change in temperature opens your skin pores and unsticks them. Only really works soon after you’ve been exposed and won’t if youve already itched your skin as this breaks down the peices. Obviously I have no idea if this works yet as I haven’t been flicked at yet!

 

[MainMann]

Hairing tendencies usually boil down more towards the individuals, my boemei isn't much of a kicker at all unless i bother her too much. And everyone reacts differently towards these hairs, for me if i get haired by my LP it usually becomes a red (very itchy) rash that usually lasts for a week, but again you may react worse or not have a reaction at all!

And when i do get haired and it starts to itch, my first course of action is to get some good duct tape, place it on the itchy area, and then yank it off (sorta like waxing). This is to remove the hairs that are on the surface of your skin. Then i pour hot water over the itchy area because it opens your pores and hopefully the hairs that are still stuck there will get washed away. I've also heard that there's a type of cream for it, but i have never used it.

This is all just my two cents on the matter though, since i myself haven't been in the hobby for a long time,

Happy keeping, Maman

 

[Dannymackerel]

What you should be the most concerned about is getting the urticating setae in your eyes. Using tongs and other tools for maintenance is the way to go, along with what others have said regarding not startling it.

Even when using tongs, gloves, etc it is always a good practice to thoroughly wash your hands after doing maintenance. Don't have fans that blow on the tanks; it's not good for them and it could blow the setae around.

You must also train yourself to not rub your eyes or nose for any reason until you have thoroughly washed your hands/lower arms. For someone who is OCD like me that took a lot of patience. One thing this hobby teaches is patience.

A good example: I tend to hold my nose when I sneeze (or at least try to minimize the sound). When doing maintenance I have no choice but to let it come raging out (as annoying as that is). Better to deal with that minor annoyance than end up with literal barbs embedded in my nasal passage or optic nerve that would require some intense medical attention to remedy (depending on the severity and length of time, 100% eyesight retention is not guaranteed).

I am not trying to be overly dramatic, but it does have the potential to be serious. You do not want to get them in your eyes/nose/etc. for both your own well being as well as the sake of the hobby.

Few things cause me to become more irked than the plethora of videos on Youtube of yahoos with Tarantulas on their face or running around on their body. It's not safe for the Spider, and it's a potential risk to the handler.

The breeder told me to gently blow the hairs away if I get flicked at.. is this good advice, don’t really want to be kicking up the hairs further into the air.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

The change in temperature opens your skin pores and unsticks them.

That's a myth, pores don't have any muscles around the openings to allow them to open/close.

 

[MainMann]

That's a myth, pores don't have any muscles around the openings to allow them to open/close.

Thanks for the info! It's what a well known Indonesian breeder said, goes to show always cross check. Thanks again dude!

 

[darkness975]

The breeder told me to gently blow the hairs away if I get flicked at.. is this good advice, don’t really want to be kicking up the hairs further into the air.

That is terrible advice. Are you sure you even have the species you think? Can you post a picture? With that kind of poor advice regarding urticating setae I question what this "breeder" really knows.

In a nutshell, you do not want to be blowing the setae for any reason. If you notice your Tarantula is flicking (it is very obvious when they do) then close the enclosure and come back later on. Make sure that there are no fans blowing, especially during maintenance. Fans will blow it around.

I was lucky when I first started way back in the day. I did not know any better (thanks to blindly assuming pet stores knew what they were talking about) and I did blow into my G. porteri enclosure a few times before I happened upon a thread here that warned of the dangers of the urticating setae. I didn't even know they had it, which reflects how severe the lack of knowledge is for most pet store employees.

I even had a Petco employee asking me randomly about all kinds of animals (not just invertebrates) one time because she overheard me talking to my friend casually about the nuances of various tetra (fish) species care and breeding.

 

[Ungoliant]

One thing I may have over looked, some sources have said B boehmei is quite notorious for flicking hairs... what exactly am I too expect? Is it comparable to say, fibreglass.. or is it more like a sting/rash kinda deal?

If the hairs were to get in my skin would the hot/cold repeated wash trick for fibreglass work to free them? I work with fibreglass daily and I seem to have built a bit of a resistance lol.

I haven't kept this species -- my only Brachypelma is B. emilia, and she is a sweetheart who's never flicked -- but it generally causes me itchy bumps that appear hours later and last for days.

Immediately using tape to remove hairs did seem to help mitigate the exposure last time I was haired by my surly male Acanthoscurria geniculata. And like @EulersK, I find hot water to be good for stopping the itching for a while.

But better than any treatment is prevention. Do not handle your tarantula, and don't handle anything that was in the enclosure with your bare hands. Use long tongs for all maintenance. If you end up with a flicker, wear gloves. Keep your face out of flicking range. (While most exposures are merely a nuisance, getting urticating hairs in your eyes requires a trip to an ophthalmologist.) Wash your hands immediately after working with the tarantula or enclosure, and try not to touch your face before doing so.

Be aware that you can become more sensitive over time with repeat exposures, so the less you're exposed, the less likely you are to develop a severe reaction.