Tarantula Blood Questions

[Miss Bianca]

1. Does it really have no clotting caipabilities?

2. Are there really mites/microscopics in it?

I had an accident a week ago or so w/ one of my juvi's
(already posted about it) and actually got to touch the stuff...
and was just wondering... thanks in advance.

 

[Miss Bianca]

major typo..

I meant 'capabilities'....

 

[betuana]

I'm new to the T keeper world and far from an expert on inverts!

That said, from things I remember reading, I do remember mention that T's don't have clotting ability. Their blood is distinctly different from ours. Thats why they will amputate an injured leg that is bleeding - their body can constrict around where the leg was attached to prevent bleeding, but otherwise they'd bleed out until they died...so to the first part, to my knowledge their blood cannot clot on its own (thus why superglue and cornstarch are needed for accidents that don't involve legs that can be pulled).

As to the 2nd question - I can't remember reading anywhere about mites in the blood. If they had some sort of parasitic infection then perhaps the parasites might be detected in the blood (an earlier thread mentioned a spider with an infection from a fish - it pulled off its own leg and when squeezed onto a slide little 'worms' could be seen in the fluid.), but I've never heard of that being seen in a normal, healthy T. But I don't know for sure on this one.

I'm sure some of the more knowledgeable people will offer up some answers to these as well! But these are my answers from what I remember reading!

 

[bakaichi]

2.. i dont think naturally they will have micro organism in their blood. but they might have some in their digestive system to help break down food..

but im just assuming that ,coz some insect have organisem living inside them symbiotically to help break up the food they eat like cellulose and other matter

 

[Zoltan]

Well, I read somewhere a long time ago, that there are microscopic things living on humans' eyelash, and it's perfectly normal. Don't know about tarantula "blood" though, but I'm sure it's not mites or any harmful creatures, could be symbiotic ones.

 

[saminthemiddle]

I seriously doubt it. I mean, anything living inside a bloodstream is going to get some serious immune system response.

 

[crpy]

Well, I read somewhere a long time ago, that there are microscopic things living on humans' eyelash, and it's perfectly normal. Don't know about tarantula "blood" though, but I'm sure it's not mites or any harmful creatures, could be symbiotic ones.

They don't have veins, hemolymph is pumped through out thier body. My guess is that there can be more of a possibility of invasive nematods through the gut, spiricle.......I hate getting old I forget so much