Yesterday(25/11/2010) I cleaned out some of my tarantula enclosures and moved some to new enclosures. These were the T's I worked with: A.broklehursti, B.albiceps and A.geniculata.

I've always been very sensitive to there urticating bristles but never had it this bad. While I was still busy cleaning and moving things around I started itching, being me, it is normal, so I carried on with the job at hand.

I had to stop with the work because it became so unbearable and went to the chemist for some anti-hystamine tablets (Celestamine- these are S4 pills and very strong), plus I used some "dovate cream"(topical corticosteroid) as I always do.

The pills knocked me out for about two hours and when I woke up my right hand was swollen to about dubble it's size and I could only close it halfway. My gums were numb(I heard it happens some times when you get bitten by a T) and the muscles between my neck and right shoulder really hurt.

This morning when I woke up, my hand was still a bit swollen and stiff. I'm getting myself some long-cuff latex gloves and will wear a long sleeve shirt from now on when working inside the tarantula enclosures.

You are lucky to be alive. You could have gone into anaphylactic shock and died in your sleep. If you have ever seen the tarantulaguy vids on youtube you will notice he always wears gloves when cleaning or changing a setup.

Has this happened to anybody else?

I have gone into anaphylactic shock. When a hairy catipilar - brand wurem landed on my neck. Chickie in hospital was quite happy to let me die in the waiting room whilst waiting for a doctor.

On a good day Urticating bristles feels like when you have been working with aerolight and on a bad day you will wind up in hospital. I read somewhere where a guy was cleaning his enclosure and the T sprayed a mist of hairs some of which hot him in the eye. This was only discovered some weeks later and had to be plucked one by one.

OUCH!!!

@ Snarf, it happened to me two days ago, not that intense, but still bad enough.

Mine experience is for my L parahybana, and B albopilosum's accounts.

It itched and burned like hell till last night.

So ja, latex for me too thank you very please!

TH