According to a Reuters report posted by FoxNews.com, a man experiencing eye irritation was told by Ophthalmologists at St. James’s University Hospital in Leeds, England that he had hair-like projections stuck in his cornea. The man in question has a pet Chilean Rose Tarantula. Apparently while cleaning the tarantula’s cage a few weeks earlier, the tarantula sprayed a “mist of hairs” at the man.

The spider was merely “defending against predators”.

This story got me thinking about how this man could have defended himself against his own “pet” spider. First off, according to the report, it is advised to wear eye protection when dealing with these spiders. Obviously, the owner of the spider was not well versed in the defense mechanisms of Chilean Rose Tarantulas or just did not take precautions.

So, how do you prevent a Chilean Rose Tarantula from poking you in the eye?

My first tip would be to get educated about them before you commit to having one.

My second tip would be to decide whether or not it’s a good idea to even deal with anything that may only recognize you as a “predator” and not a pet owner.

My third tip would be to not have one of these spiders at all, but that is for each individual to decide. Clearly wearing eye protection is a must when going anywhere near a Chilean Rose Tarantula.

This is not exactly a warm, cuddly pet who likes hugs and kisses, but to each his own. Personally, I will stick with cats and dogs that don’t shoot barbed hairs at me.

Another thing to note besides the dangerous hairs, according to Jon Fouskaris at PetBugs.com, all tarantulas do have venom which can affect some people. This obviously would be another great reason to exercise caution if you have a pet tarantula.

Exotic animals are very popular and some people think it’s cool to have one. This may include boa constrictors and other types of species that are not normally pets. Education is key to preventing harm to oneself and family. What if it had been a child in the house trying to clean this tarantula’s cage or standing nearby?

We only get one set of eyes and although this story falls into the slightly bizarre and maybe even slightly humorous category, it probably wasn’t exactly a picnic for the guy with tarantula hairs stuck in his eyeballs. At least he will have learned from this and will hopefully use caution in the future.

Sources: Reuters, “Pet Tarantula’s Barbed Hairs Found in Owner’s Eyes”, FoxNews.com
Jon Fouskaris, “Chilean Rose Tarantula”, PetBugs.com