Oops, learned a lesson!

Got home Saturday night and found my big male B. smithi hanging from the rim of his tank by LI & LII legs (not stuck, just clinging for dear life to the rim of the aquarium). He's seriously pre-moult, so the rest of his legs were not getting a grip on the glass at all. Silly me, I think, "I'll just help him down so he doesn't hurt himself". So, I take the top of the tank off, which triggers a barrage of hair kicking like I've never seen. He's using BOTH hind legs to kick. I subdue the hairs with a few puffs from my mister (which didn't help his attitude at all), and decide I'll just come up from underneath him with a deli container, then put him back in his tank. Wrong! When you touch a tarantula's butt, what direction do they go? If your answer was, "where you want them to go, down into the deli container", you are WRONG! He goes forward, up over and out the container, where he then falls all the way to the floor because his feet have no grip! Expecting the worst, I'm prepared to find T splatter when I look under the shelf. Lucky T. Lucky me. He's fallen onto some plastic containers and is none the worse for his experience. He is, however seriously p.o.'ed at this point, and continues kicking hairs like crazy. Got him cupped and returned to his tank uneventfully and he's fine. Lessons?
1. Get the tank down first and do it at floor level!
2. Keep benadryl/hydrocortisone on hand at all times!
3. Wear more clothes

Even with misting, at least a couple dozen hairs managed to connect, and um, they're mostly in a really uncomfortable place. Yes, I was in the process of getting ready for bed and um, wasn't wearing much more than shorts. Yikes! All the ointment in the world isn't helping at this point! I'd include pictures, but I think the mods might object!

Fun!
When I had my brachys I would keep a long sleeve turtleneck hanging in the room so i can slip it on if I had to do something with them. I am REALLY sensitive at this point. I also keep a few surgical masks around for my apophysis, I'd hate to think what inhaling the hairs must be like!

UrbanJungles said:

Fun!
When I had my brachys I would keep a long sleeve turtleneck hanging in the room so i can slip it on if I had to do something with them. I am REALLY sensitive at this point. I also keep a few surgical masks around for my apophysis, I'd hate to think what inhaling the hairs must be like!

Click to expand...

add some safety goggles to complete your anti bristle gear. sure you dont want to get those hair in our eyes.

Those surgical gloves come in a box of 100 and are really inexpensive. Can't say about gloves for the ah, rest of you.

I can avoid most hair related incidents w/ my brachy's & nhandu's (the N coloratovillosus kicks like it's a freakin soccer match) with disposable latex gloves, a tight cuffed long sleeve denim shirt (more of a spidering smock at this point) and quick reflexes. If i see the kicking happen i just jump back for a few minutes so i don't get any on my face.

The reflex part wouldn't have worked for the OP's story but for general tank maintenance it works just fine.

Sorry but that story just gave me a really good laugh. Glad your T is ok and you learned something

what a week

It's a week later, and the um, itching has subsided for the most part. He looks so cute with his little bald butt (he's never kicked at all, and I've never seen his little pink behind). If I was a girl, I'd have been wearing skirts all week. Pants suck. Friction.