Urricating hair Q/A

Roosterbomb · Sep 11, 2015

When I first started reading about Ts (lol I never thought I would actually buy one let alone have 30) I assumed that urricating hairs were irritating because of their shape. I was recently told that they are poisonous and that's why they itch. So my question is are they poisonous or is it the shape? I thought I read that there are different classifications but I don't remember reading if they are poisonous or not. If they are is there a gland or is it a coating? Thanks guys.

cold blood · Sep 11, 2015

They are not poisonous.

And the word is urticating....the word is a medical term that means irritating or inflaming.

Roosterbomb · Sep 12, 2015

Lol don't know why I spelled it that way but thanks for the answer.

MikeC · Sep 12, 2015

I liken them to fiberglass insulation, that crazy cotton-candy looking stuff you find between the walls in attics and whatnot.
If you touch it, small pieces of it break off (it's very finely spun glass strands mushed loosely together) and embed themselves in your skin. That causes the irritation and inflammation.

Urticating hairs are covered in tiny, tiny barbs and do pretty much the same thing.

viper69 · Sep 12, 2015

I think they cause an immune response but they are not poisonous. People typically don't get "heat blisters" from wood splinters. But they do from the setae.

MikeC · Sep 12, 2015

viper69 said:
I think they cause an immune response but they are not poisonous. People typically don't get "heat blisters" from wood splinters. But they do from the setae.

I would agree with this.
I break out in some pretty nasty hives from those bristles.
I've always thought it was because they're an organic material from a living creature. Who knows what kind of chemical makeup urticating hair has? I thoroughly doubt it's a toxin, though.

cold blood · Sep 12, 2015

For 13 years I was unaffected and didn't really get the worry about them, I actually thought they were exaggerated. In the past 2 years however, things have changed. When I get haired now, I break out, in fact it blisters and looks and feels EXACTLY like poison ivy.

Oddly most of my life I was never effected by poison ivy, but in the past 3 or 4 years I've become really susceptible to that as well, which sucks as its everywhere around here.

The reaction from hairs lasts from a day to maybe 3...the ivy reaction lasts much, much longer at times and unlike being haired, will spread if I'm not careful.

Roosterbomb · Sep 12, 2015

Thanks for the answers guys. Occasionally I read or hear that they are poisonous even on care vids and documentaries. But then again...internet lol.

Faing · Sep 12, 2015

Some urticating hairs can secrete poisons, but it's not found in tarantulas. Different species of tarantulas can have different structures to their urticating hairs. I'm thinking people that have higher sensitivity to a particular species probably has a higher sensitivity to that type of urticating hair. I cannot tolerate Lasiodora sp. but can Theraphosa sp. I'm assuming the structures of the urticating hairs is different, but I'm curious as to what makes the Lasiodora sp. hairs so different that they affect me greater than Brachypelma, Theraphosa, etc when cleaning the cage if I forget to wear gloves?

cold blood · Sep 12, 2015

Faing said:
Some urticating hairs can secrete poisons, but it's not found in tarantulas. Different species of tarantulas can have different structures to their urticating hairs. I'm thinking people that have higher sensitivity to a particular species probably has a higher sensitivity to that type of urticating hair. I cannot tolerate Lasiodora sp. but can Theraphosa sp. I'm assuming the structures of the urticating hairs is different, but I'm curious as to what makes the Lasiodora sp. hairs so different that they affect me greater than Brachypelma, Theraphosa, etc when cleaning the cage if I forget to wear gloves?

+1

Nhandu and avic hairs seem to be the worse for me....oddly the Pamph and Phormic, which both have hairs known to be particularly bad, don't seem to bug be as much...same for Brachy's...even the Thrixopelma don't seem to be an issue....but man, those Avic/Nhandu hairs are no fun for me.

Chris LXXIX · Sep 12, 2015

I personally like the sensation of hairs on my fingers. Not even one of my "hair kickers" T's are kickers, but when i do maintenance on my Megaphobema robustum enclosure i end up sometime with hairs (she leave hairs for predators, in the little web near her burrow entrance).
I don't dislike that feeling. Just a bit itchy, red for one hour or two. Nothing compared to African mosquitoes we have here now.
They are a serious issue only when it comes to eyes or if you breath those.

Chris LXXIX · Sep 12, 2015

cold blood said:
+1

Nhandu and avic hairs seem to be the worse for me....oddly the Pamph and Phormic, which both have hairs known to be particularly bad, don't seem to bug be as much...same for Brachy's...even the Thrixopelma don't seem to be an issue....but man, those Avic/Nhandu hairs are no fun for me.

I never had problems but seems that Nhandu sp. hairs are one of the worst.

Poec54 · Sep 13, 2015

I wouldn't be surprised if the urticating hairs of some species have evolved to encourage bacterial growth, to enhance their effect. There are other animals and plants that have done this.

viper69 · Sep 13, 2015

PTX said:
I would agree with this.
I break out in some pretty nasty hives from those bristles.
I've always thought it was because they're an organic material from a living creature. Who knows what kind of chemical makeup urticating hair has? I thoroughly doubt it's a toxin, though.

Life on this planet is carbon based, and thus everything is organic (minus metal elements). I too wonder exactly what's up with setae and human's reaction to them. It's certainly effective against some people. I doubt there's a toxin too, but nature always surprises me, so I can't rule it out.

What's interesting to me is how some species product strong reactions from some, and little or NO reaction in other humans. As well as the same person being affected by some T species and not others. In the latter case that suggests that not all setae are created equal. So it's not simply their physical shape being embedded into human skin that causes the problem IMO.

Urricating hair Q/A

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MikeC

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Roosterbomb

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Faing

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Chris LXXIX

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