[Katt Fink]

Hey all. I'm wondering if anyone might be able to give me some insight as to what sort of bite (I'm assuming) I may have.<br><br><br><br>
It's a red, round, slightly raised bump, a little under an inch in diameter on my shoulder. It's not itchy at all (unless my bra strap rubs against it) but it's a bit tender to the touch. I think I can make out one puncture mark. The weird thing is the shape of it... like I said, it's round, but has these distinct 2... um, curved arms(?) on either side of it. I looks very much like a hurricane symbol, lol.<br><br><br><br>
Now it's just a little bug bite and I don't feel sick or weird or anything, but the reason I'm worried is because I noticed it yesterday and I didn't really go out of my room at all yesterday or the night before, so that could only mean that whatever bit me is IN my room somewhere... and I'd like to make it, you know, not be in my room anymore. I don't want it to get ahold of the Ratties, because a bite that size could be devastating to them. So what do you think I'm lookin' for? I know this post is a bit silly and dramatic, but I don't like to mess around when it comes to hungry bugs in my living space lol. Thanks so much!

 

[Tesseract]

That sounds like it could be a spider bite. They usually don't itch much, and they tend to get a red inflamed area around them that spreads over a few days, and it can develop an irregular shape. They often develop a largish pustule at the site after a few days, and they can take up to several weeks to go away. I got one on my elbow back in march, and the red area was a good two inches in diameter before it stopped spreading. It took a month to go all the way away, and several months later, I have a small scar at the bite site. Mine apparently bit me while I was in bed asleep, and while I do have spiders here and there in the house, I'm having trouble figuring that one out!

 

[Katt Fink]

Eeep! Thanks, Tess!<br><br><br><br>
Haha, I like spiders.. just not spiders crawling over me while I'm sleeping. I was kinda thinking spider bite, too. My b/f's mom has an exterminator come once a month to spray around the rooms/outside of hosue, but I still put at least 3 spiders outside every couple weeks or so. The spiders that like to take residence in my room are notorious for jumping in CareFresh and that just wigs me out 'cuz it's a needle in a haystack... or you know, a spider in CareFresh, heh. I just wanna keep my ratties safe. Well, at least it's a spider and not a "dirty" kind of bug. So why do they bite? Is it when they're threatened or are they drinking my blood like they do with insects they trap in their web? *getting the willies*

 

[karenlovessnow]

Does it look anything like a bullseye? Could be the classic lyme disease rash from a tick bite.

 

[bstutzma]

Take a picture of it. I'm a little worried about a tick bite as well, from the way you describe it.

 

[Tesseract]

Here are some pictures of Lyme Disease rashes for ID purposes. You can clearly see the characteristic bullseye in many of these.<br><br><br><br><a href="http://www.lyme.org/gallery/rashes.html" target="_blank">http://www.lyme.org/gallery/rashes.html</a><br><br><br><br>
Oh, and to answer your question about spiders, spiders normally bite to inject venom that paralyzes their prey (usually an insect). All spiders are at least slightly venomous-- it's a key part of how they hunt. Spiders also bite defensively, and that's usually how humans get bitten. Technically spiders don't drink the blood of their prey so much as they inject digestive enzymes that liquefy the entire contents of the prey. I'm sure that made it seem so much better than just sucking their blood, eh?<br><br><br><br>
Unfortunately, a bullseye appearance is also characteristic of the two most serious spider bites in the US-- black widow and brown recluse.<br><br><a href="http://www.calpoison.org/public/spiders.html" target="_blank">http://www.calpoison.org/public/spiders.html</a>

 

[Ludi]

If there is a visible puncture mark, it could be a kissing bug "bite." Man, I hate those guys, we are surrounded by them. They are a sucking insect (like a squash bug or harlequin bug) who sucks blood. They have rather large mouth parts and cause a lot of swelling. Nonvenomous, though. Just gross.

 

[Katt Fink]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>karenlovessnow</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
Does it look anything like a bullseye? Could be the classic lyme disease rash from a tick bite.</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
Nah, it's pretty solid in appearance... almost like a giant, blind pimple, but not exactly... Doesn't look like the pictures Tess posted. I'll try to get a clear pic and post in a bit...

 

[Katt Fink]

<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Ludi</strong> <a href="/forum/post/0"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
If there is a visible puncture mark, it could be a kissing bug "bite." Man, I hate those guys, we are surrounded by them. They are a sucking insect (like a squash bug or harlequin bug) who sucks blood. They have rather large mouth parts and cause a lot of swelling. Nonvenomous, though. Just gross.</div>
</div>
<br><br><br>
ACK! I about jumped out of my seat when I googled a picture. I REALLY hope it's not one of those things! lol

 

[Katt Fink]

OK, here it is, in person:<br><br><br><br><a href="http://home.comcast.net/~katt_fink/bite01.jpg" target="_blank">http://home.comcast.net/~katt_fink/bite01.jpg</a><br><br><br><br>
Sorry it's a little blurry, it's my b/f's camera and I think it only likes him! And, eek! While I was photo'ing, I noticed another smaller spot closer to my neck... see it? I didn't see that earlier. Those "arms" I was talking about definitely look longer than they did this morning.. hmmm.....

 

[karenlovessnow]

Got me stumped! If it continues to spread, please see a doctor just make sure it isn't anything to worry about. It really doesn't look like a tick bite.

 

[Tesseract]

Well, according to that spider page I linked, spiders rarely bite more than once, and multiple bites are usually caused by "fleas, bedbugs, ticks, mites and biting flies." Those look like they could easily be a bad reaction to a mosquito bite. But you say they're not itchy...? I'm stumped as well. Just keep an eye on it, and maybe give the rats' enclosures a good cleaning to make sure no beasties are lurking.

 

[Lothar M Kirsch]

How did your bug bite develop during the past week? Anything left? Or is it migrating (erythema migrans)?