Worst Urticating Hairs In tarantulas????OUCH ...which ones HURT the most?

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I once cleaned out my Nhando coloratovillosus cage & got into contact with its hairs... my hands burned for 20+ HOURS@!@!@!
aparently it kicked so many hairs in the subsrate I had a HORRIBLE reaction & the Itching lasted 20+ hours
it also kicked hairs at me before & I itched for 10+ hour's.... OUCH!!!! ..
The GOAL 0f this thread is too decide which TS.. have the WORST Urticating hairs.
Different people react to the hairs..differently so List is not correct for everyone some people are(more) Allergic to certain hairs
supposably this is the order of worst hairs; in my research

1. Goliath pinkfoot
2. T blondi /Stirmi
3. Nhando coloratovillosus (Nhando Genus)
4. Lasiodora parahyban & any other Lasiodoras
5. Mexican fireleg & other Brachys
6. Megaphobema robustum
7. + add your suggestions until the list is correct Nhandos & theraphosas IMO are Worst

I was short on time making this List... there are MANY New world Ts I didnt list with bad hairs

There seems to be a correlation in the size of a T to the Pain hairs inflict.. to some degree since Brachys & Nhandos can get rather large 6-8" .. Lasidora & theraphosa are the undoubted largest discovered Ts to date
This is not a SET in stone list !!!its just my opinions + research
ADD YOUR IDEAS !!!

 

[DaveM]

The GOAL 0f this thread is too decide which TS.. have the WORST Urticating hairs...

Maybe add the caveat that different people react differently.

 

[Grin]

Maybe it's time to invest in some disposable rubber gloves or allergy tablets!?

My B. boehmei has kicked hairs, don't bother me.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Maybe it's time to invest in some disposable rubber gloves or allergy tablets!?

My B. boehmei has kicked hairs, don't bother me.

Yeah LOL my firelegs hairs & Nhandos hairs are devastating... none of my other Ts hairs bother me quite as bad,.
my Nhando's hairs didnt effect me until it hit 5".... there more POWerfull the Larger it gets
Ts hairs clearly effect me pretty bad,.,. its why I opted to start buying a LOT more Old worlders. & pokies

 

[squamata99]

L parahybana gave me the worst reaction. I felt pain - like intense bruising - associated with the itch.

 

[groovyspider]

ive been haired by many except like t.blondi or strimi, and never had a reaction i dunno i used to play in the woods alot when i was younger maybe developed "gator skin"

 

[DansDragons]

Thrixopelma ockerti for me by far, i was haired over a month ago and still wake up scratching my hands.

 

[BrettG]

Brachy's bother me,but Nhandu hairs make me a puffy,whiny mess.

 

[Anonymity82]

I think it depends on the persons allergic reaction to it. I was covered in hairs because I didn't know what they were. I didn't feel a thing. I held them up to my face and looked real closely. Nothing. It's also a G. rosea which has less irritating hairs from what I understand but none the less, someone who is more susceptible to a reaction might have had a really bad experience even with the G. rosea's urticating hairs.

 

[SBeekman]

Definitely different from person to person. I've been sprayed by my T. Blondi's hairs a few times, and it just hurt a tiny bit. No swelling, rash or anything. Then again, I seem to be immortal anyway judging from certain things I've done in my life, but that's another story.

 

[Necromion]

I think it depends on the persons allergic reaction to it. I was covered in hairs because I didn't know what they were. I didn't feel a thing. I held them up to my face and looked real closely. Nothing. It's also a G. rosea which has less irritating hairs from what I understand but none the less, someone who is more susceptible to a reaction might have had a really bad experience even with the G. rosea's urticating hairs.

funny you say this as G. rosea is the only one of my T's whose hairs I do react to

 

[jayefbe]

I've heard of this happening and just wanted more input. How often do people develop an allergic reaction to urticating hairs over time? I've never had a reaction to urticating hairs (Brachys, Pamphobeteus, Nhandu), but I also mostly keep OW species. How possible is it that if I keep NW for a long time, I may eventually develop sensitivity to their hairs?

 

[Apollo Justice]

I don't generally hold my T's, but Brachypelma smithi hairs are the worst for me! I get massive swelling around the affected area and have head to toe hives. It's extremely uncomfortable and had to go to the hospital after getting hairs in my face. I keep loads of allergy meds on on just in case. My doctor actually advised me to have an EpiPen on hand if I continued to own this Sp. which I don't anymore.


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=34.189111,-119.169137

 

[Anonymity82]

funny you say this as G. rosea is the only one of my T's whose hairs I do react to

I've heard other people say that was the only species that didn't bother them. I made and anecdotal assumption. Guess I was wrong. I basically snorted the hairs before I knew what they were and it didn't affect me at all. I will stick with the different allergic reaction for different people theory though.

 

[OphidianDelight]

Lasiodora parahybana, multiple Brachypelma species (smithi, albopilosum, emilia), and Grammostola pulchripes and rosea give me wheals. Urticating hairs from the Theraphosa genus are as bad as fiberglass splinters IMO. I don't usually have reactions to other allergy triggers like foods or stings and my reaction to the urticating hairs has been fairly constant over the years; however, allergy exposures are like blowing up a balloon: it just takes one exposure too many and POP! I wear gloves and long sleeves when inside of a new world T's enclosure.

 

[Anonymity82]

I've heard of this happening and just wanted more input. How often do people develop an allergic reaction to urticating hairs over time? I've never had a reaction to urticating hairs (Brachys, Pamphobeteus, Nhandu), but I also mostly keep OW species. How possible is it that if I keep NW for a long time, I may eventually develop sensitivity to their hairs?

I doubt it. I guess it's possible but unlikely. I would guess being around it enough would lessen your chances of an allergic reaction. I could be very wrong though. I used be very allergic to poison ivy. I would get it as a kid all the time. I once had an argument with a friend about a certain vine that I was sure wasn't PI. I rubbed it all over (yes, all over) and sure enough I had a reaction all over. 7 years later I was pulling it out of the ground with my bare hands by the pound and only got like two little bumps that itched (no joke) only once and began to heal immediately. My father on the other hand, had pollen allergies as a kid (he needed shots) but never had any reaction to PI. 20 years later he came in contact and got covered head to toe in bumps. I lost track of my point I think haha. I wouldn't worry about becoming allergic though. There are plenty of things that cause allergic reactions in people that most of us come in contact with every day that will almost never cause an allergic reaction to anyone not allergic even though we have had lots of contact. I don't see how urticating hairs should be any different.

---------- Post added 12-09-2011 at 05:09 PM ----------

Lasiodora parahybana, multiple Brachypelma species (smithi, albopilosum, emilia), and Grammostola pulchripes and rosea give me wheals. Urticating hairs from the Theraphosa genus are as bad as fiberglass splinters IMO. I don't usually have reactions to other allergy triggers like foods or stings and my reaction to the urticating hairs has been fairly constant over the years; however, allergy exposures are like blowing up a balloon: it just takes one exposure too many and POP! I wear gloves and long sleeves when inside of a new world T's enclosure.

Just read this after I posted my last post. Is that how allergic reactions work? I honestly have no idea. I always wash my hands after handling because I don't want to get the bristles in my eyes. I hear that is horrible.

 

[jayefbe]

Just read this after I posted my last post. Is that how allergic reactions work? I honestly have no idea. I always wash my hands after handling because I don't want to get the bristles in my eyes. I hear that is horrible.

Yes, this is how allergic reactions work. There is an initial exposure(s) and then subsequent events produce an elevated immune response. I live in the Willamette valley in Oregon that has the reputation for having some of the worst pollen loads in the US. Many people move here never having had a pollen allergy, but after a few years it begins to develop. I have read posts from keepers that initially had no problems with NW species and then had to sell of their entire collection of NW because they couldn't handle the urticating hairs anymore. I would just like to know how common that may be.

 

[Anonymity82]

Yes, this is how allergic reactions work. There is an initial exposure(s) and then subsequent events produce an elevated immune response. I live in the Willamette valley in Oregon that has the reputation for having some of the worst pollen loads in the US. Many people move here never having had a pollen allergy, but after a few years it begins to develop. I have read posts from keepers that initially had no problems with NW species and then had to sell of their entire collection of NW because they couldn't handle the urticating hairs anymore. I would just like to know how common that may be.

How does that explain my experience with PI? Not arguing or saying you're wrong at all, but I had the exact opposite thing happen to me with the ivy.

 

[jayefbe]

How does that explain my experience with PI? Not arguing or saying you're wrong at all, but I had the exact opposite thing happen to me with the ivy.

Some people develop resistance to things they were initially allergic to. For instance, I had a friend that had a severe chocolate allergy as a child. By the time she was in high school, she was fine with it. In short, reactions to allergens are extremely complex.

One possible explanation for your poison ivy experience may not have anything to do with the development of resistance. I'm not sure if this occurs in poison ivy, but in poison oak there is a period of the year when development of toxic chemicals is brought to a halt. Many people are capable of touching poison oak during this time of the year with little to no effect. During the rest of the year, they will still develop a reaction.

 

[Suidakkra]

Yes, this is how allergic reactions work. There is an initial exposure(s) and then subsequent events produce an elevated immune response. I live in the Willamette valley in Oregon that has the reputation for having some of the worst pollen loads in the US. Many people move here never having had a pollen allergy, but after a few years it begins to develop. I have read posts from keepers that initially had no problems with NW species and then had to sell of their entire collection of NW because they couldn't handle the urticating hairs anymore. I would just like to know how common that may be.

I too have read several post where certain individuals seem to get worse reactions as time goes on. Wonder what the key factors in those cases are, of course if this was known then we wouldnt have people selling off their NW collections.

For me, so far I have had the worse (yet still mild) reaction from my L.difficilis. She unloaded a good cloud right at my hand while I was removing her water dish. Reminded me of getting fiberglass in my hand for those who dealt with fiberglass installations.