Urticating Hairs Questions

[Eden Exotics]

I'm worried about getting these in my eyes or lungs. I'm wondering, what is a safe a safe distance (i.e. how far away do I need to be to not get them in my face)? For those of you who have gotten urticating hairs in your eyes/mouth, what was it like? What did you do about it, and how long did it last?

 

[spiderengineer]

if you are worry about it, then invest protective eye ware and mask, because honestly the hairs can be on the ground and still effect you if they touch skin

 

[prairiepanda]

Our respiratory systems are pretty well defended against such things. If any hairs are inhaled, they won't make it any farther than the nose or possibly the throat. From there, yourmucous will hopefully trap most of the hairs before they get hopelessly lodged into your sensitive tissues. This can be sneezed/coughed out. Obviously it won't protect you 100%, and you'd probably still have a very bad day/week, but it's not as dangerous as if the hairs made it as far as the lungs! Everyone has mixed reactions to u-hairs, though, so for some a few hairs stuck in the throat could lead to the airway swelling shut so seeking medical attention would be a good idea.

U-hairs in the eyes definitely warrants a trip to emerg, though. Right away, too, because the longer they're allowed to wiggle around in there the more damage they will do!

As for safe distance, if you've ever seen a T kick hairs you'll know that they just sort of kick up a cloud around them. A few inches is plenty of room, if you recognize that they are kicking and can back off. Just be careful not to breath(in or out!) near a cloud of hairs. Exhaling can blow them up into your eyes, and inhaling can suck them into your throat. But most of the time just being familiar with the temperament of your individuals is enough to keep you safe.

 

[Poec54]

I wear glasses so I haven't had problems with urticaing hairs in my eyes; but for those that don't some sort of glasses or goggles would be a good idea when working with serious hair flickers. I wear a plastic painters/grinders face shield when I work with my Theraphosa.

As far as getting hairs in your mouth, why is your mouth open when you're working with spiders?

---------- Post added 09-19-2013 at 06:21 PM ----------

Our respiratory systems are pretty well defended against such things. If any hairs are inhaled, they won't make it any farther than the nose or possibly the throat. From there, yourmucous will hopefully trap most of the hairs before they get hopelessly lodged into your sensitive tissues.QUOTE]

The urticating hairs of some species, especially large NW tropical terrestrials can enter the mucous membranes of small mammals and cause enough inflamation and mucous discharge that they suffocate. Great defense. I'm sure that's part of the reason they evolved such extreme hairs. Keep your face away from your hair kickers, put the lid back on when they start kicking, and don't handle them.

 

[Philth]

I'm wondering, what is a safe a safe distance (i.e. how far away do I need to be to not get them in my face)?

When I'm working with my new worlds I tend to get rashes regardless if the spiders are kicking or not as they are just in the environment. Once I've taken the lids off a few cages, Im going to break out with hives up and down my arms and neck no matter what. I rarely get them on my face like this though. If I see a spider kick a big cloud , I gently put the lid on and walk away for a good 10-15 mins. I've had them in my eye , and swell my eye lids before, its not fun. Everybody reacts a little different though. Luckily for me the effects never last for more than a few hours, where I've heard horror stories from people who are still itchy 2 weeks later.

Later, Tom

 

[pocock1899]

Many of the examples in the medical literature refer to the hairs entering the eyes through direct transfer from the person's hands. In this case, there is no safe distance. If you touch anything that is exposed to the hairs, it is possible to then transfer them.

Precautions such as hand washing and never touching your face/eyes are probably important. I've never heard or read of any complications of hairs being aspirated but I'm sure if you show a reaction to skin contact, it's possible you'd show one through contact witha mucous membrane, like the nose, mouth, throat or lungs.

For complete protection, you could wear latex/nitrile gloves, a surgical mask (similar is obtainable from any home supply store), and goggles. ...and always wash your hands after working with your spiders. Whether you need to be that proactive is up to you. I don't think so, but your mileage may vary.

 

[SuzukiSwift]

As everyone has already said, everyone reacts differently to the hairs, just take ample precautions when dealing with your NWs and if you do have a reaction you can gauge how bad it is and take action from there. However if you have certain species like Theraposa or Acanthoscurria then you may want to wear a mask regardless, their urticating hair is some of the worst (there are others too I think but I forgot them)

 

[Poec54]

For complete protection, you could wear latex/nitrile gloves, a surgical mask (similar is obtainable from any home supply store), and goggles.

I've read that Theraphosa hairs penetrate latex, so I use leather yard gloves with them. To complete the outfit, I have a face shield, long sleeves, long pants, and covered shoes. Don't need all that for anything other than Theraphosa (so far). Repeated exposure may increase sensitivity, or you just may build up a big accumulation of hairs embedded in your skin. For years if I saw a picture of a new world T, I'd start to itch. I guess I was conditioned from working with the little monsters for so long.

The worst hair overdose was helping a friend (reptile dealer in Detriot) unpack B smithi shipments back in the 1970's. They'd come in a flat wooden crate, full of 2" squares the spiders were crammed into. You slid the plywood top off, and 100 adult smithi came out at the same time, all in a bad mood and all kicking hairs. My job was to get all of them in deli cups. It was miserable for weeks after those episodes. I also maintained the T's at a local pet store when I was in college (in exchange for free crickets), and most of those were smithi too. I was always itching, it was just a matter of degree. No wonder why OW's have gotten so popular in the last 10 years.

 

[Eden Exotics]

No wonder why OW's have gotten so popular in the last 10 years.

Yeah I know. I'd rather have an OW than something like a T. blondi personally...
I got a piece of sawdust in my eye once, and it was one of the worst things I've ever experienced. That's why I'm so paranoid about this...

 

[Arachtion]

Well guys, I there's one thing I know about first hand, it's the effects of urticating hairs on various areas/orifices... As for not making it past the throat, maybe so in 999999 cases but I (as always) was that 1:1000000 person that managed to breathe them into his lungs, my Lasiodora parahybana gave ONE LIGHT BRUSH of her leg against her abdomen, I ended up off work for 3 days, I was laid in bed shivering with a fever and coughing up BLOOD, they are no joke, no amount of distance is safe as they become airborne, the only safe guards are A) don't keep Theraphosinae B) wear a has-mat suit or C) don't p155 your spiders off, I also once decided to remove the exhuvium from my ultimate male T.blondi wearing shorts as you can imagine, this didn't end well, Theraphosa sp. hairs up the shorts is 3 weeks of unimaginable discomfort not to mention the hives all over my arms neck and hands. Seriously, don't mess with Theraphosinae, I think I'd sooner take a bite on the nuts from my S.calceatum than suffer Theraphosa hairs on them again

 

[SuzukiSwift]

Well guys, I there's one thing I know about first hand, it's the effects of urticating hairs on various areas/orifices... As for not making it past the throat, maybe so in 999999 cases but I (as always) was that 1:1000000 person that managed to breathe them into his lungs, my Lasiodora parahybana gave ONE LIGHT BRUSH of her leg against her abdomen, I ended up off work for 3 days, I was laid in bed shivering with a fever and coughing up BLOOD, they are no joke, no amount of distance is safe as they become airborne, the only safe guards are A) don't keep Theraphosinae B) wear a has-mat suit or C) don't p155 your spiders off, I also once decided to remove the exhuvium from my ultimate male T.blondi wearing shorts as you can imagine, this didn't end well, Theraphosa sp. hairs up the shorts is 3 weeks of unimaginable discomfort not to mention the hives all over my arms neck and hands. Seriously, don't mess with Theraphosinae, I think I'd sooner take a bite on the nuts from my S.calceatum than suffer Theraphosa hairs on them again

Lol! I'm sorry I was just trying to imagine the pain of being bitten on the nuts by a calceatum

 

[jsmalley93]

My advice is just to keep the mouth shut and wear protective glasses. That's what I do when I deal with my MF B. boehmei.

 

[hearsemadam]

the worst reaction Ive ever had was to my Xenethsis immanis MM. When he kicked it was more of a swipe (in very slow motion) and after his ultimate molt, his hairs must have changed in some way. One swipe and I was done.

I had a severely swollen face, with right sided facial droop, drooling out of the right corner of my mouth, right eye swollen shut, and swelling and rash across my entire neck. Benadryl didnt help one bit, I was miserable for a couple days.

all this from a swipe while he was in his cage, sitting at about waist height.

 

[friendttyy]

Whilst holding my 1'' b.albo it wiped its bottom on my finger, i got a lot of hairs on my finger.There was no reaction but i know im not allergic to them.

 

[Philth]

Whilst holding my 1'' b.albo it wiped its bottom on my finger, i got a lot of hairs on my finger.There was no reaction but i know im not allergic to them.

Keep trying, you'll eventually have a reaction

Later, Tom

 

[paassatt]

When my big female N. chromatus died earlier this year I removed the half log hide that was in her enclosure and as I was taking it out, a bunch of substrate got moved with it and evidently there were a hell of a lot of urticating hairs layered in it and they got all over my hand. My entire hand was red and itchy for about 2 days and it sucked horribly. People looked at me like I was diseased or something. That was by far my worst experience with hairs. Over the years I've become pretty adept at using the enclosure's lid as a shield when dealing with the new worlds.

 

[Kazaam]

One wonders what the effect of snorting uricating hairs would be like.

 

[paassatt]

One wonders what the effect of snorting uricating hairs would be like.

Unpleasant.

 

[Kazaam]

Unpleasant.

That has never stopped me.

 

[Eden Exotics]

Is there any correlation between allegries to, say pollen, and reactions to urticating hairs?