Posted by:
reptilicus81
at Tue Jan 6 00:20:13 2004 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by reptilicus81 ]
Urticating hairs are designed to ward off predators...so if you have a tarantula with these hairs your snake will be injured. I have a brachypelma smithi (a relatively docile species of tarantula-common name=mexican redknee)and she flicks hairs at me every week lol! These hairs are extrememly itchy to our skin if the spider releases them in large quantities. Most likely a snake would not be affected in the same way. HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!!! Urticating hairs can be released into the snakes eyes or respiratory tract...if a snake has these hair logded into its eyes it will develop severe eye infections and may go blind (and keep in mind this is likely to happen if snake and spider are housed together), if the snake breathes in the hairs it's trachea will swell up and it will have difficulty breathing (in some cases rodents have died from inhaling urticating hairs). These hairs cause humans problems, so they will cause you snakes problems. If you have a spider with these hairs you are asking for a blind snake who will develop constant respiratory infections if it survives. Now even if your spider does not have these hairs you are presenting yourself with another issue...fang rearing and biting (on the spiders part). Is it advisable to keep a snake with a mouse permantly...NO...the mouse will eventually bite the snake....a spiders fangs will penetrate a snakes skin. Some snakes will have a bad reaction to the spiders venom, others will develop infection. Now all this talk about the snakes safety and no ones thinking about the poor spider. The spider is likely to be injured especially during the sensitive time while the spider is trying to molt. Ultimately, if you want to keep a spider and snake together you will cause them undo stress and likely harm! Spend a few extra bucks and get a cage divider!
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*Amy*
0.1 Green Iguana (yes, I have a lizard in my bathroom)-iggy
2.1 Ball Pythons (normal)-cosi, jake, and howie
0.1 B.smithi (mexican redknee tarantula)-athena
0.0.1 midland painted turtle-nemo
1.1 dogs-rocky and skippy
1.0 normal grey cockatiel-opie
0.0.30 betta, guppies, rosy reds, fantail goldfish, clown pleco,...
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RE: Keeping a spider with a Ball - reptilicus81, Tue Jan 6 00:20:13 2004