Tarantulas and pregnancy

So, as you know ladies, when you are pregnant there are a billion things u can't do. I've heard certain things in the air - pet hair especially - can be harmful to a developing fetus. Considering that tarantulas are furry, can breathing or touching the uricating hairs of a tarantula during pregnancy hurt the forming baby in any way? I intend to start a family soon and I cannot think of a better place to pose this question. Please if anyone has info I'd love it.

MrsHaas said:

So, as you know ladies, when you are pregnant there are a billion things u can't do. I've heard certain things in the air - pet hair especially - can be harmful to a developing fetus. Considering that tarantulas are furry, can breathing or touching the uricating hairs of a tarantula during pregnancy hurt the forming baby in any way? I intend to start a family soon and I cannot think of a better place to pose this question. Please if anyone has info I'd love it.

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Although I'm certainly no expert, I sort of doubt it. Maybe if you got bit.....

I read some other threads on arachnoboards and it seemed up in the air a bit so I'm reposing the question

I really doubt that the hairs would harm a baby in utero. The hairs are irritating because of barbs that work their way under the skin causing irritation. being bitten, on the other hand may be of concern depending on species. I have never heard of pet hair being harmful to a baby in utero either.

Maybe it's the dander on the hair? I'm really not too sure... So a bite could of damage tho?

I'm no expert on being pregnant, but I think things that harm developing babies are things that get in the bloodstream. Like something eaten or drank, or, in this case, getting envenomated and the venom traveling through the bloodstream to the baby.

Spepper said:

I'm no expert on being pregnant, but I think things that harm developing babies are things that get in the bloodstream. Like something eaten or drank, or, in this case, getting envenomated and the venom traveling through the bloodstream to the baby.

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I was specifically thinking of ts who's venom causes muscle contractions possibly causing uterine contractions.

I'm more allergic than most to urticating hairs. I can feel it even if only one hair penetrates my skin, then I get an attack of eczema. However, the reaction is only a skin reaction, highly unlikely to be harmful to a fetus. I doubt that a tiny tarantula hair could work its way down, through the uterus, and affect a fetus. If the hairs were to get into the mother's lungs, that might be a different story, because if the mother is having trouble breathing this could deprive the fetus of oxygen. The way to prevent exposure to the urticating hairs is to wear gloves, long sleeves, safety glasses and a paper mask. This is what I do when I'm tending to my T's, especially my L. parahybana who kicks a lot. But even working with dry substrate while cleaning a cage will raise a cloud of hairs. I've read that T's deliberately scatter their hairs around their burrows to deter parasites and predators.

Re the venom, I think it would depend on the strength and type of venom. For example, bees inject venom when they sting, but I've never heard of a woman having a miscarriage because of one bee sting unless she's highly allergic. If she were stung by a swarm, that would be different. I was bedridden for several days after walking over a nest of bumblebees and being stung about 30 times. If you're thinking of getting a T but worried what might happen if you get pregnant, some species have weaker venom than others. The other factor to consider is how likely a species is to bite. In general if you're concerned about venom, it's best to stay away from the Old World species which don't have the urticating hairs, but use their stronger venom to defend themselves. They are also faster-moving and more skittish. The New World T's tend to rely on their hairs for defense, only using venom as a last resort.

My own philosophy when it comes to pets and pregnancy is this: if you're not comfortable caring for or handling an animal while pregnant, then either don't get that pet, or if you do, plan to protect yourself and the baby (like arranging for someone else to look after the pet, or wearing protective clothing, or checking with your doctor first).

I doubt most doctors would have a positive attitude regarding the keeping of tarantulas anyway. Most people in general do not.

I agree with the sentiment of getting someone else to look after the T's if you can, especially because their care is overall pretty minimal compared to most other pets. That would help you sleep better at night for sure.

Very helpful. Perhaps in this instance I will ask a scientist AND a doctor...

MrsHaas said:

So, as you know ladies, when you are pregnant there are a billion things u can't do. I've heard certain things in the air - pet hair especially - can be harmful to a developing fetus. Considering that tarantulas are furry, can breathing or touching the uricating hairs of a tarantula during pregnancy hurt the forming baby in any way? I intend to start a family soon and I cannot think of a better place to pose this question. Please if anyone has info I'd love it.

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They aren't really furry; meaning urticating "hairs" aren't hairs in the mammalian sense.

vespers said:

They aren't really furry; meaning urticating "hairs" aren't hairs in the mammalian sense.

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Hmm that turns the tables a bit

I don't post much these days, but a little birdie directed me to this thread since I just gave a talk on this very subject at this year's ATS conference.

Urticating hairs aren't too much of a threat during pregnancy, unless you happen to be one of those that have intense reactions to them that would require further treatment. Spinster is right on target there - it's what goes into the bloodstream that you have to concern yourself with.

When I was pregnant with my son, my OBGYN and I had several long talks about my tarantula and scorpion keeping. The bottom line is - almost no research has been done on the subject of pregnancy and the effects of venom, so erring on the side of caution is the best precautionary measure. My doc said one thing that still sticks with me - "What's bad for the mother is bad for the baby."

The biggest potential risk we identified was one of common sense - if you read the bite reports for several of the OW species, many species have an effect of muscle cramping and heart palpitations. The uterus is one big muscle. Therefore, being envenomated by a species that is known to have muscle cramping in the effects of their venom could, theoretically, induce premature labor. Some women (not all, but some - myself included), also have natural heart palpitations and/or tachycardia in their 2nd and 3rd trimesters - taking a bite from a species that is known to have venom that can cause heart palpitations and tachycardia on top of an already existing pregnancy tachycardia could cause problems.

Then there's the risk to the fetus itself. This is the huge unknown. However, we do know that some Australian species are on record as having venom potent enough to kill dogs, so it's probably common sense enough to assume that you wouldn't want that venom in your bloodstream being filtered into your unborn child.

So - here's what I did when I was pregnant. I still tended to my NW spiders normally. I let my husband do the maintenance and feeding on all our OWs. I was confident in my keeping of the OWs, but I didn't want to take any kind of risk, so I just let him tend to them, along with the cat litterboxes.

As for doctors not understanding...mine was fascinated by what I do, and even picked up a couple Ts for his kids in the long run. If you trust your doc, have a heart to heart and see what he or she says. But no matter what - don't do anything you're not comfortable doing. Good luck!

~Jen

Amazing advice thx so very much!!!



--J.Haas

It's been a while since I posted this thread originally, but I'd like it to resurface in the event that anyone else has any new information for me as I am now currently expecting and my doctor had zero clue regarding advice to give me. HorrorPhD (Jen)'s thread was wonderfully insightful and I would like to hear if any new discoveries have been made. Much appreciated!!

Hey. I am pregnant, and is going to give birth in a couple of weeks. And i have 2 children beside that one. The hairs is not an issue, but i believe that if you got bitten it would be a problem to your unborn baby.

So i am very careful dealing with the t's at the moment.

Good luck with your pregnancy

louise f said:

Hey. I am pregnant, and is going to give birth in a couple of weeks. And i have 2 children beside that one. The hairs is not an issue, but i believe that if you got bitten it would be a problem to your unborn baby.

So i am very careful dealing with the t's at the moment.

Good luck with your pregnancy

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Congrats !
Bites however are rare if you avoid putting your hands near Ts , unless they manage to tag you during rehousing. Toxic Fluoride added to the water & food is probably why America has so many health Issues. Most of Europe does not use this stuff , In toothpaste it isn't that bad unless swallowed then its highly toxic.
I guess theirs no way to filter it out of the water , so never-mind nothing we can do about it. Another loss for the Uneducated public:cry:.

louise f said:

Hey. I am pregnant, and is going to give birth in a couple of weeks. And i have 2 children beside that one. The hairs is not an issue, but i believe that if you got bitten it would be a problem to your unborn baby.

So i am very careful dealing with the t's at the moment.

Good luck with your pregnancy

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And you and I wish you the best birth you can have!

---------- Post added 06-26-2015 at 11:21 AM ----------

Ultum4Spiderz said:

Bites however are rare if you avoid putting your hands near Ts , unless they manage to tag you during rehousing. Toxic Fluoride added to the water & food is probably why America has so many health Issues. Most of Europe does not use this stuff , In toothpaste it isn't that bad unless swallowed then its highly toxic.
I guess theirs no way to filter it out of the water , so never-mind nothing we can do about it. Another loss for the Uneducated public:cry:.

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You posted about this in my other thread too. There's a million what-ifs and paranoia is that last thing an expectant mother needs. I appreciate the info, but There's enough to worry ab.

Best of luck sorry if info on fluoride scared anyone , No way to filter in anyway its such a small element. :: . Just be sure to never swallow toothpaste.

No, knowledge is a wonderful thing! Don't get me wrong my friend! I'm hoping that the benefits of drinking water far outweigh the possible detriments. Maybe I'll start drinking more bottled water