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

[asunshinefix]

I've only ever been haired via contact with substrate, and so far I've reacted the most to, of all things, my B. albo. It was bad enough that I'm extremely careful to avoid any contact with substrate now, and I do rehouses with long sleeves tucked into arm-length gloves, plus a face mask and lab goggles. Probably looks absolutely insane, but I have a mast cell disorder and I'm prone to anaphylaxis so I don't mess around when it comes to allergies.

 

[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 !!!

Any more opinions on this topic and ways people are avoiding hairs besides the obvious glove? Been 12 years and I’m still keeping new world Ts and just them .
Any update to Urticating hairs strength order? Or new information discovered?
I’m wondering how challenging it is to avoid the hairs of the ones Ive considered getting eventually like Megaphobema robustum etc .. T Stirmi

Useful info here also from this thread . Interesting although I’m sure many have seen it .

Urticating Hair

Just found an awesome write up on urticating hairs and decided it should be posted on here for people to read and understand just how amazing a defense mechanism these things really are!!! Urticating hairs Urticating hairs are one of the primary defense mechanisms used by some New World...

arachnoboards.com

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Giving another update I accidentally got haired by pinch grabbing a t albo don’t do this if you want to avoid getting haired. Lp hairs are bad too I had a Bad breakout earlier this year were I had small red hives.
Again I’m looking for arm guards or something that I can use. I never had to get rid of my new worlds unlike many others who are allergic to the hairs like me.
Edit; I never held my lp that’s a t albo.

 

[HooahArmy]

I'm not particularly sensitive to hairs, but I will say the ones from L. parahybana are the worst I've ever encountered. Most Ts just give me minor fiberglass-like itching that goes away with some antihistamines and rash cream, but LP hairs are a whole different animal. Me being dumb in the past and cleaning an enclosure without gloves earned me a set of fiery itchy Micky Mouse hands that stayed irritated for more than a week.
Here are some other Arachoboards forum posts on gnarly hairs:

The worst urticating hairs...

I am taking a poll on what species of T's do you think has the worst arsenal of urticating hairs and the worst reaction to the barbed intruders. My pick would be Theraphosid Apophysis... Any ideas?

arachnoboards.com

On The Topic of Urticating Hairs

Hello! So i was just wondering and would love to hear stories and facts on the topic of urticating hairs. In your experience, what is the "effective radius" of a Ts urticating hairs when they do decide to kick them off? I've heard that theraphosa and nhandu has TERRIBLE hairs, what other...

arachnoboards.com

 

[SpookySpooder]

Ultumz: im really allergic to the hairs they gave me hives so i never handle my T's
Also Ultumz: hey guys i handled my LP and the hairs messed me up

 

[HooahArmy]

Ultumz: im really allergic to the hairs they gave me hives so i never handle my T's
Also Ultumz: hey guys i handled my LP and the hairs messed me up

Me: I am a dignified army officer.
Also me: Hey guys, watch me jump this cactus.

We all have those moments.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Me: I am a dignified army officer.
Also me: Hey guys, watch me jump this cactus.

We all have those moments.

Yeah pinch grabbing broke my strict no handling hands off approach but was showing the rug burn under the t. strictly for educational purposes. Next time I’ll put it in a clear container.

Ultumz: im really allergic to the hairs they gave me hives so i never handle my T's
Also Ultumz: hey guys i handled my LP and the hairs messed me up

Don’t do what I do , that was a foolish thing to do handling the t albo. Haha I itched for 3-5 days after that pinch grab I learned my lesson. The itchy painful way . I’m Back to using gloves and no more pinch grabs.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I'm not particularly sensitive to hairs, but I will say the ones from L. parahybana are the worst I've ever encountered. Most Ts just give me minor fiberglass-like itching that goes away with some antihistamines and rash cream, but LP hairs are a whole different animal. Me being dumb in the past and cleaning an enclosure without gloves earned me a set of fiery itchy Micky Mouse hands that stayed irritated for more than a week.
Here are some other Arachoboards forum posts on gnarly hairs:

The worst urticating hairs...

I am taking a poll on what species of T's do you think has the worst arsenal of urticating hairs and the worst reaction to the barbed intruders. My pick would be Theraphosid Apophysis... Any ideas?

arachnoboards.com

On The Topic of Urticating Hairs

Hello! So i was just wondering and would love to hear stories and facts on the topic of urticating hairs. In your experience, what is the "effective radius" of a Ts urticating hairs when they do decide to kick them off? I've heard that theraphosa and nhandu has TERRIBLE hairs, what other...

arachnoboards.com

Thanks for supplying two more threads I can go and read for more information on avoiding urticating hairs.

Me: I am a dignified army officer.
Also me: Hey guys, watch me jump this cactus.

We all have those moments.

I itched for days after that pinch grab!! Ouch … won’t be doing it again.

 

[Asti]

I have two Theraphosa apophis slings coming tomorrow and my battle plan so far is to just never cause them ANY stress whatsoever so they will never kick hairs. I'll let you know how that goes.

Also, I'm thinking of having a hair-kit ready with antihistamine pills and ... what cream would be recommended?

Wondering ... for the people who dress up in gloves and glasses and such: How do you take that all off, with the hairs being on it? Like, if you take of the glasses and gloves, and then you have to change your shirt later that they, wouldn't the hairs be stuck to the shirt still?

Do the hairs get caught by the filter of a vacuum or would that your disperse them all over the room even more?

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I have two Theraphosa apophis slings coming tomorrow and my battle plan so far is to just never cause them ANY stress whatsoever so they will never kick hairs. I'll let you know how that goes.

Also, I'm thinking of having a hair-kit ready with antihistamine pills and ... what cream would be recommended?

Wondering ... for the people who dress up in gloves and glasses and such: How do you take that all off, with the hairs being on it? Like, if you take of the glasses and gloves, and then you have to change your shirt later that they, wouldn't the hairs be stuck to the shirt still?

Do the hairs get caught by the filter of a vacuum or would that your disperse them all over the room even more?

I use medicated powder for the itchy ness but cortisone cream etc similar stuff might help .
duct tape etc helps if you know we’re you got haired.
I don’t dress in a lot of gear unless I’m rehousing. But I take off gloves from the inside out to avoid the hairs.
I’ve had mixed results using a vacuum last time I didn’t get haired the time before that I did.

 

[gambite]

Yeah if I'm gonna be doing any intensive work with them I'm wearing gloves and a face mask (the COVID kind) and using the tongs as much as possible. I think I've held a T once in the past decade and that was enough for me.

Mask is really helpful so you don't inhale the hairs and also so your breath does not blow on them and spook them causing more hairs

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

My collection is mostly made up of NW species and the only genera whose hairs I currently react to (reactions can occur with repeated exposure so this list could get longer as time goes on) are Nhandu, Phormictopus, Acanthoscurria, and Lasiodora, Lasiodora are by far the worst out of those.



Some people wear long sleeves/latex gloves.

I need long sleeves that are thick enough to block hairs .

I'm not particularly sensitive to hairs, but I will say the ones from L. parahybana are the worst I've ever encountered. Most Ts just give me minor fiberglass-like itching that goes away with some antihistamines and rash cream, but LP hairs are a whole different animal. Me being dumb in the past and cleaning an enclosure without gloves earned me a set of fiery itchy Micky Mouse hands that stayed irritated for more than a week.
Here are some other Arachoboards forum posts on gnarly hairs:

The worst urticating hairs...

I am taking a poll on what species of T's do you think has the worst arsenal of urticating hairs and the worst reaction to the barbed intruders. My pick would be Theraphosid Apophysis... Any ideas?

arachnoboards.com

On The Topic of Urticating Hairs

Hello! So i was just wondering and would love to hear stories and facts on the topic of urticating hairs. In your experience, what is the "effective radius" of a Ts urticating hairs when they do decide to kick them off? I've heard that theraphosa and nhandu has TERRIBLE hairs, what other...

arachnoboards.com

5 of my 15 Ts are lp.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

The ones you eat in Mexico

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Yeah if I'm gonna be doing any intensive work with them I'm wearing gloves and a face mask (the COVID kind) and using the tongs as much as possible. I think I've held a T once in the past decade and that was enough for me.

Mask is really helpful so you don't inhale the hairs and also so your breath does not blow on them and spook them causing more hairs

Mask fogs up my glasses .

Me: I am a dignified army officer.
Also me: Hey guys, watch me jump this cactus.

We all have those moments.

Wish I had more lps .
Yeah sometimes I do stupid stuff.

 

[Kada]

I wonder. The reaction some animals have to the hairs. More related to physical structure of the hairs, perhaps slightly different chemical makeup, or perhaps related to the various biota and filth on the hairs getting into the skin?

I dont have much reaction, but I also dont hold my spiders unless moving them or an escape.

 

[spideyspinneret78]

For me the worst hairs have been from Pamphobeteus. I oddly have very sensitive skin and numerous allergies, but have never had much of a reaction to tarantula hairs aside from very mild itching. Until I got haired when unboxing a P. antinous. She's a very "spicy" specimen, and immediately started kicking up a flurry of hairs as soon as I unpacked her, along with lunging forward and trying to bite anything that moved! I was wearing gloves and long sleeves but some of the hairs landed on my neck. About an hour later I broke out into a red, intensely itchy, blistering rash where the hairs had contacted the skin on my neck. I haven't had a reaction comparable since. However, I always wear gloves, long sleeves, a mask, and goggles whenever doing intensive work in Theraphosa or Pampho enclosures like changing out the substrate. I think I've mentioned this story before, but I knew someone back in CA who really didn't make the brightest decision and stuck his face right next to an adult T. stirmi to get a photo. Was haired right in the face, with some getting directly into his eyes. Almost 2 decades later, supposedly still had an urticating hair lodged in one of his corneas. I'll wear goggles and keep my distance, thanks!