Tarantula mange?

[wsimms]

O.K., until now I've never had a hair kicker that didn't kick hair, so I have NO experience with this problem. Two nights ago, I noticed my 4" E.campestratus had some "crud" on the top of her abdomen. When I brushed it off, I found it to be a pile of hair, and (horrors!) she had the ragged beginnings of a bald spot underneath. Last night she had an even bigger pile...the stuff was just sitting loose on the top of her abdomen. I fed her a couple of crickets three days ago, which she wasn't interested in, but she fed last week. The crickets are still in her enclosure, since she tends to be rather leisurely about her feeding at times. She molted over 2 months ago, and currently seems fine otherwise. Could this be the result of her flicking at the annoying crickets, or is something else going on?

:? W

 

[TheWidowsPeak]

I have seen T's flick hairs at crickets before but not sure if thats the problem. my rose hair would just kill the crickets and then leave them there if she wasn't hungry. I have also seen t's kick hair for no reason at all. anyway sorry I couldn't be more help but I would say that it is the crickets

 

[FelixA9]

I'm not sure if we're talking about the same thing but mine (a.iodious) has the short, dark, velvety hair and then the longer, more sparse hair and sometimes I see the same thing. I don't think it's "mange" :? but more like it's just the shorter hair getting rubbed off. Mine rarely ever kicks hairs but if it's been digging a lot or if it's butt rubs on the top inside of it's hide when it walks in and out it will get the same thing going on.

 

[Code Monkey]

It sounds like hair they've kicked off that didn't achieve airborn status. My A. genics usually have this fuzzy lint which is hundred or thousands of small evil hairs that I'm more than happy see stuck in the longer hairs of their abdomen instead of settling on the back of my neck.

 

[wsimms]

Thanks guys. IMO, PZB's would never win a tarantula beauty contest, but I took consolation that at least she was "perfect". Now she's starting to look like like my smithi, but without the colors. Her "crib" is one of those rough wood hemicylinders sunk into the substrate at an angle, and I have noticed that of late, rather than hanging out of her "front door" as usual, she stays in the back of it where the top of her abdomen could very well be rubbing on the "ceiling". I will remove the offending crickets as a precaution. Maybe I can find her a toupee until her next molt...

W

 

[xanderTluv]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
It sounds like hair they've kicked off that didn't achieve airborn status. My A. genics usually have this fuzzy lint which is hundred or thousands of small evil hairs that I'm more than happy see stuck in the longer hairs of their abdomen instead of settling on the back of my neck.

Hey Chip,
Isn't it crazy, how the hairs always find the back of our necks. lol=D

 

[da_illest]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
It sounds like hair they've kicked off that didn't achieve airborn status

yep, and i think this happens to the t's who aren't good at kicking hairs like 2 of my rosies.. both have kicked hairs at me but none fast and hard enough to make the hairs airborn... it's kinda funny to watch them attempt this and fail... one mine will usually threaten me first by putting it's leg on the hairs and if i continue to attempt to pick it up for cleaning purposes it *attemps* to kick hair but all slow as if it was brushing them off..

 

[kosh]

my male rose hair has what sounds like the exact same thing ....looks a lot like mange or something.....i found out the hard way also that they were loose but not airborne hairs and so i left them alone and they are still there over a year later...i didnt get them on my neck but i didnt know what it was when i touched the stuff and then i touched my face.....you can guess the rest...