Sling Bites

[bness2]

Talking about handling slings has brought up another question. How capable and willing are say 1/4-1/2" slings of biting? I assume their fangs are a bit less robust at that size. Are they less prone to biting because they aren't actually capable of doing too much damage? I would especially like to hear from any of you that have been bitten by a sling, or in which a sling actively attempted to bite.

Bryan

 

[Botar]

I kind of felt the same way, but then realized that the black widow and brown recluse are not very large either... kind of made me re-think that position.

Botar

 

[bness2]

Originally posted by Botar
I kind of felt the same way, but then realized that the black widow and brown recluse are not very large either... kind of made me re-think that position.

Botar

Yeah, but T venom is typically much less potent. Of course, they might react in the same way as baby rattlesnakes. They don't have more potent venom than adults, they just don't know how to regulate how much they release, so they often release a much larger dose.

I haven't been bit by a sling or an adult yet, so I hope I don't ever, but keeping Ts and handling them might lead to it someday.

Bryan

 

[Botar]

I have yet to have been bitten also... I hope to keep it that way. I was referring to the size of their fangs and their ability to pierce the skin... something I'd rather not experience venom or no venom. Kind of strange actually, I'm more apprehensive to hold my G. rosea than I am a rattlesnake. I guess that will subside with more experience.

Botar

 

[Immortal_sin]

I have no idea, but interestingly enough, I had one of my Usambara slings go into a tiny threat position today LOL
I doubt the fangs at this size could even break the skin, but I do know of one person that was bitten by her H gigas sling, and I believe it was quite small, well under 1".
These little ones come with an attitude!

 

[kellygirl]

never been bitten by my babies but i'm not really worried about it. bee stings are supposed to be worse than even an adult T's bite, so i imagine a sling bite would be harmless.

kellygirl

 

[bness2]

Originally posted by kellygirl
never been bitten by my babies but i'm not really worried about it. bee stings are supposed to be worse than even an adult T's bite, so i imagine a sling bite would be harmless.

kellygirl

Ah, but that is exactly why I don't handle bees :}

On the other hand, bees are a bit more consistent in stinging when mildly provoked. Then there are some of the wicked types of Ts. Some of them may even be more aggressive than bees.

Still, that is why I don't fear getting bit too much, but still, I don't want to get bit.

Bryan

 

[galeogirl]

I was bitten by a juvenile H. gigas and had a bad reaction to it. The story is posted in the Bites Forum. I'm careful with all ts, regardless of size, after that.

 

[kosh]

Holley, that would have been a cute pic!!!

 

[Chris]

From my experience so far, I have noted that s'lings are a lot less aggressive than the adults.

They are also a lot more skittish. I assume that's because they heavily predated on when they are young. They probably know that at their size they cannot overpower anything large so they choose to run.

I think we have all has experiences with s'lings running up our arms or chests. Most of mine are content to just run around on the back of my hand until I have a vial ready for them when its shipping time. The only s'ling that has ever shown me any aggression has been my Blondi... but we have made up now and are the best of friends lol

 

[Vayu Son]

><

From http://bighairyspiders.com (credit to tom schumm):

Species: Poecilotheria regalis
Reported by: Bryant Capiz
He was feeding a baby regalis (about 2.5"), and he got a little too close (apparently the spider mistook his thumb for food). It held on for 20-30 seconds. After that, he took benadryl and laid down for a nap (it was in the morning that the bite occured). He didn't wake up until that evening... He could hardly walk (walked like granny), knees were stiff, chest was tight, breathing heavily. He went to the doctor (at the insistance of others, he didn't really want to go). They didn't really have any idea what to do, so they flushed his system with two or three bags of saline. The kept him overnight for observation, but there were no effects after that evening.




Thus it is easy to assume that they develop fully functional venom glands at a young age.


-V

 

[Wade]

I am thinking that the up-and-down orientaion of myglamorph fangs will make it difficult for small slings (less than an inch) to get suficient leverage for a good bite on something as large and thick skinned as a human.

Once while coralling usambara slings, I was occasionally forced to actually pin some of the slings between thumb and fore finger, hard enough to restrain them, but gently enough not to hurt them. I could feel them TRYING to bite, their little chelicerea working away...I think if I kept the restrained that way for long, they would have eventually succeded.

Botar-

Widows and recluses usually need a lot of "assitance" to bite a person. Normally, what happens is the fangs are actually pressed into the flesh, and the spider is killed in the process. This often happens because the spider drops into somones clothing and gets trapped between fabric and skin and is essecially cruched into the skin, resulting in involuntary envenomation.

Wade

 

[Vayu Son]

hahaha

My 1.5"-2" cobalt blue sling just attacked me. I was putting a cricket in its vial, and it came running out...but let the cricket into its burrow! i touched my tongs to the substrate and it came running at the tongs and struck them three times, then danced in a little baby threat position!

really cute and funny.

-V

 

[Botar]

Wade,

Makes sense to me with one exception. It was my understanding that most blackwidow bites occurred before indoor plumbing as a result of them living in outhouses. I've also heard that most of those bites were on male victims on the penis as the victim was sitting on the outhouse. Now unless I'm missing something, that wouldn't be a crush/bite incident... and for those of you who are wondering... no, I'm not kidding.

Also, along the same lines, there was a scientist that allowed a blackwidow to bite his hand so that he could record the results of the bite. His intent was to invoke several bites over a period of time to see if he would develop a tolerance. Apparently the results were so severe the first time that he decided against the rest of the experiment. I don't recall the exact year of the experiment, but it seemed to me it was in the late 1800's or early 1900's... anyone know?

Botar

 

[Wade]

Botar-

I've heard that about the outhouses as well. What's not clear is, does the bite happen when the guy sits down, or is after he stands back up and pulls up his pants, with an "accidental tourist" ?

Widows mouthparts are more versitile than recluse's anyway, and would be a bit better equipped to bite in that senario, plus the skin in that area as thinner and softer anyway. It's certainly possible that a widow would bite if her web were suddenly...er..."invaded" that way, especially if she was guarding an eggsac. She's not the only one who should have been guarding a...uh, nevermind!

Recluses, on the other hand, I've heard are completely incapable of biting without being pressed into the skin. Many bites result from somone who sees the spider on them and slap it, envenomating themselves.

I don't know anything about that experiment, but I've heard that modern scientist have had a difficult time inducing them to bite anything. I did see a documentary once where they showed widows biting simulated rubber skin, but the filmakers wouldn't divulge how they did it. It looked to me like they just pressed the spiders into the surface!

Wade

 

[Alonso99]

hey

I move or touch the curly hair babies around and they dont bite, Im thinking you would barely feel the bite

 

[bness2]

Originally posted by Botar
Also, along the same lines, there was a scientist that allowed a blackwidow to bite his hand so that he could record the results of the bite. His intent was to invoke several bites over a period of time to see if he would develop a tolerance. Apparently the results were so severe the first time that he decided against the rest of the experiment. I don't recall the exact year of the experiment, but it seemed to me it was in the late 1800's or early 1900's... anyone know?

Although I can't recall when the experiment was done for sure, I believe it was sometime in the latter half of the 20th Century. The whole story is recounted in "The Red Hourglass: Lives of the Predators" by Gordon Grice (A very good book, BTW). I would look it up, but I am out of town and the book is in my office.

Anyway, the guy who did the experiment was a medical doctor and at first he had a hard time getting the widow to bite. Even when they do bite, something like 1/3 of the bites are dry. He finally got it to bite him and then the fun began. I don't remember all the details, but he described the experience as causing excruciating pain all over the body, so bad that he wished he would just die and get it over with. The only relief he got at all was from taking very hot baths. Seems like the worst of the symptoms lasted for about a day. To say the least, he never wanted to try it again.

Oh, and as to how the widow bit . . . It just bit him on the hand and he did not have to press on it for the spider to nail him.

The stats on mortality from widow bites are at about 1%, so there isn't really any significant danger in dying from a bite, but it sounds to me like death might be preferable. There are worse spiders to get bitten by.

Bryan

 

[bness2]

Originally posted by Wade
Recluses, on the other hand, I've heard are completely incapable of biting without being pressed into the skin. Many bites result from somone who sees the spider on them and slap it, envenomating themselves.
Wade

Wade,

Actually, from what I have read about recluses, is that they are quite capable of biting, but they do not bite deep. Apparently they bite just below the upper layer of skin, which is apparently sufficient to cause considerable damage. Strangely, some people show no effects from being bitten, whereas other develop such excessive necrosis that it can lead to gangrene and other complications, leading to amputation or death.

It does appear though that recluses only bit when provoked, but unfortunately they tend to be actively hunting at night and many people are bitten in their sleep. The spider walks across them, and while asleep their reflex action to brush them off provokes them. Because the bit is so shallow, a person often doesn't realize they've been bitten until the venom starts taking effect.

Bryan

 

[Joy]

Originally posted by bness2
Wade,

Actually, from what I have read about recluses, is that they are quite capable of biting, but they do not bite deep. Apparently they bite just below the upper layer of skin, which is apparently sufficient to cause considerable damage. Strangely, some people show no effects from being bitten, whereas other develop such excessive necrosis that it can lead to gangrene and other complications, leading to amputation or death.

Bryan, I don't know if you're familiar with the treatment Dr. Breene describes in his book on recluses. Apparently if you apply a 1% nitroglycerin patch to the site soon after the bite occurs, it prevents symptoms from developing. The doctor who discovered this has had a 100% success rate for the 15 years or so he's been using it, but unfortunately most doctors know nothing about it. Also unfortunately (as you mention in your post), a lot of recluse bites occur without people realizing what bit them or even that they were bitten at all.

Joy

 

[Chris]

Originally posted by Botar
Wade,

Makes sense to me with one exception. It was my understanding that most blackwidow bites occurred before indoor plumbing as a result of them living in outhouses. I've also heard that most of those bites were on male victims on the penis as the victim was sitting on the outhouse. Now unless I'm missing something, that wouldn't be a crush/bite incident... and for those of you who are wondering... no, I'm not kidding.

Also, along the same lines, there was a scientist that allowed a blackwidow to bite his hand so that he could record the results of the bite. His intent was to invoke several bites over a period of time to see if he would develop a tolerance. Apparently the results were so severe the first time that he decided against the rest of the experiment. I don't recall the exact year of the experiment, but it seemed to me it was in the late 1800's or early 1900's... anyone know?

Botar

Well... I am sure it stands to reason that a dude's soft scrotum skinned sack is easier to bite through than his thick skinned calloused finger! lol