Asthma & urticating hairs-HELP/ADVICE NEEDED

I am asking this question out of worry for my 7 year old son-not my T's.
My mom came round today & expressed her concern for her grandson & his passion for T's. My little boy is asthmatic & takes a ventilin & steroid inhaler twice everyday for his condition.
Our horses nor any other animal hair bother him. BUT.....when my mom mentioned these urticating hairs it sort of freaked me out a bit.
I rang the medical centre & they cant help as they know nothing about T hair.

Does anyone else here suffer from asthma & have contact with T's?
Upto now he has been absolutley fine, none of our T's have (luckily) flicked hairs. Sonny has almost everyday, hands on contact with his G.rosea / avic / B. albopilosa. I have just ordered him a pulchra from the net which will be coming on Tuesday, no doubt he will want to hold his new one.

Any info or advise would be more than greatly appreciated.

I have asthma and allergies to just about anything with hair or fur and have had no unusual reactions to urticating hairs (other than the typical itchiness after manipulating some molts).

If your son breathed in the hairs, there may be a greater chance that something bad would happen, since asthmatics can be irritated by (sometimes) the slightest thing.

If you're concerned, the best thing to do would be to either...

1. Not let him hold the Ts (they are fascinating to just watch) or make him wear a surgical mask when he does.

2. Get him some type of Avicularia spp., since they press their hairs into a person instead of kicking them into the hair like (for example) T. blondi. Other spiders that don't have urticiating hairs are probably not a good idea, since they typically have speed and attitude to make up for the lack of hairs.

great advice from Becca. I also have asthma and have not had any problems to date from my ts, although it is certainly a possibility that it could happen and I am really careful where kids are concerned, especially because I worry about the hairs ending up in someone's eyes. I am having problems though when cleaning out my cricket bin, and there is currently another thread by a keeper with an allergy problem and their roach colony, I think the potential for asthmatic reaction is probably greater from the feeder insects. I keep benedryl on hand which is a great help but not if you have to drive after taking it!

I agree with the advice that Becca wrote.

Yup. I'm an Asthma sufferer too... Got a whole bunch of allergies to boot... I got my first T at 11, I'm now 23 (admittedly with a few year gap between the last and the most recent) and I've not had a problem yet.

I'd say its highly unlikely that hairs would trigger an Asthma attack-if you got a mouth full of hairs it would probably cause air-way constriction regardless if you suffer from asthma.
So my best advice, don't get hairs in your face or in your mouth period. Or in your eyes, or in any body part for that matter!

Be careful.

Neither one of my sons had asthma issues until we had T's in the house.

I have since downsized and have far fewer, and removed any from their bedroom, and it seems to have improved.

I have no concrete proof, of course, but I would be a fool not to consider it.

It the hairs cause allergic reactions to the skin which require anti-histimines at times, and they are barbed, and easy to breath in...

Just keep an eye on him, take all precautions and consider OW spiders as your collection continues to grow.

no bother here

I have cystic fibrosis which effects the lungs in the same way as asthma I've had my rose hair, Julius, for about 15 years and have never experienced a problem with allergies.

Thanks to all, Sonny now wheres a surgical mask when playing with his T's.
''No more kissin' them'' i've told him & no more up near your face He's very upset but i feel better.

I have also had severe asmatic reactions to many things, but it seems like never had any reaction to urticating hairs...I have been having problems with my eyes though if I come to close to them when they are rubbing their hairs...

individual basis

i have asthma
and while cats and allergies plague me, spiders dont at all i actually had a G.rosea throw some hairsfrom my arm tward my mouth and i inhaled a few with no reaction (though I thought i was in for it) i have also had B. smithi , B. Emilia and E. campestratus hairs on my forarms

just my input hope it helps


take it easy
chris

I am a severe asthmatic and have been hospitalized on many occasion as a result of it. I also have more than 40 tarantulas. Not once though have I had a problem with the asthma as a result of the tarantulas. This is not to say that it wouldn't effect someone else with asthma...just that it hasn't effected me. The last time I was hospitalized (thankfully) was 10 years ago. After that major attack (I was on a ventilator in the ICU for a week) my medications were all changed and I haven't had a major attack since. At the time of the attack I had only 4 tarantulas. Personally, I would be more concerned with keeping the tanks clean and free of anything that may cause mold or other bacteria from growing as in my experience, this could trigger an asthma attack more than from the actual tarantula. Also, tarantula tanks are dust magnets so I would also recommend wiping the tops of the tanks down with a damp paper towel each time you go to feed your tarantulas - dust is also a major contributor to asthma attacks. If you are really concerned about the hairs then not handling the tarantulas is also a good idea. As long as you follow your prescribed medication directions and doctor's advice you should be ok.