Urticating hairs

D. Stiegler

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 3, 2004
Messages
5
I'm sure I'm not the only tarantula lover who is really REALLY sensitive to urticating hairs....boy do I itch if one of my girls or guys flings hairs around!!! I get a LOT of red welts and I feel like I just got a batch of super itch! It generally manifests on my face and hands. I wash after fussing with any of the animals, no matter how little. I never handle them. Sometimes it takes weeks to get completely cleared! I use benadryl cream, I use poison ivy soap, it takes days and days and days.....Geeezzzz! Anyone out there have the solution besides giving all my friends away??
 

Buspirone

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
1,064
The topic has been covered quite a bit in the past so you could try using the "search" feature.

Many different remedies have been tried and suggested with mixed results. The best advice is to wear gloves if you are "that" sensitive to the hairs. People have tried duct tape or wax to remove the hairs, various lotions and pills to fight the itching and skin reaction and I even recall someone saying they singed the area affects by the hairs with an open flame. One of the more recent offerings came up in this thread:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18822
 
Last edited:

MrT

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
2,171
I don't react quite that bad, but they really bother me too.
I don't handle my new worlders anymore. In fact I don't hold any of them.
In my case it seems to get worse with time. But I love my T's, so I live with it.

Welcome aboard D. Stiegler :D


Ernie
 

DnKslr

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 6, 2003
Messages
1,255
gloves?:D
I get itchy too so I'd rather have direct contact with them unless I'm sure it's not a flicker. I use a rubber slotted spoon to scoop them up and that's how I move them. They seem to just fall into a daze as soon as they get on the spoon. I use a little plastic spoon for the little ones.:p
 

BBlack

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 5, 2003
Messages
322
D. Stiegler friend,

that’s seriously bad luck you have there. from the sounds of it, as you say you never handle your T's the only advice iI can give is that you wash your hands and arm religiously after doing anything (excluding non T related stuff) .

Other than that have you considered a welding mask?
 

metzgerzoo

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 12, 2003
Messages
984
I would say wear protective gloves and something to sheild your face....oh what the heck, just call up NASA and order a space suit!!!;P Welcome to the boards!!!!
 

SkyeSpider

Spider Queen
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 17, 2002
Messages
1,250
I'm deathly allergic to hairs of type II, III, and IV. As a sidenote, that's why I love my pinktoes so much! ;) Here are some of my ways of dealing with urticating hairs.

First things first, know your spiders. I have several Brachypelma sp. and one Theraphosia blondi. None kick hairs. If they did, they wouldn't be in my house anymore. All are very well behaved in that manner.

If I need to work with any new world tarantulas (outside of Avicularia), I wear latex (you can use nitrile if you're sensitive to latex) gloves, long sleeves, and a face mask. Goggles are also good, but not always nessisary unless you've got a regular kicker on your hands.

After working in a cage of any new world spider, I wash my hands and arms very well. Never forget to do that when you're done, just to be safe. It's one thing to get the hairs on your skin and have a terrible breakout. It's another thing to get them in your nose or eye if you're extremely sensative.

Just be careful, and respect the animals and all should go well. Let me know if you need anymore advice :)
 

D. Stiegler

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 3, 2004
Messages
5
Thanks for all the comebacks and welcomes. The laytex gloves are a must from now on. I never pick my spiders up directly...I always use the transfer method...have for 20 years. This problem is getting worse with time. Something I completely overlooked is that I didn't wash my hair after setting up these last vivariums and transfering new stock into them. I believe I transfered hairs from my own very long hair into my bed !!!! and onto my pillows and blankets! YIKES!!! I suspect this because my face is completely broken out even up to my eyebrows under my chin, my neck all around, down my chest and it wasn 't that bad 5 days ago. I also now have it all over my arms, hands and tummy and I washed my hands and arms very very well after the transfer. There was a slip up in the process somewhere.....I think it was my hair.....Dang! I hate it when this happens!

So now I sit here with the baking soda full body mask...fplease God, don't let anyone come to the door.....It does seem to be helping some. I tried a little experiment. I made a paste with meat tenderizor and water like when the kids had bee stings and plastered that on one side of my face. I did some with just the baking soda/water paste and put that on the other side. Then I did my arms and everywhere else with both the baking soda paste and the tenderizer paste. I'll let you know.
 
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