Glochidae

While we were in Los Angeles, Skipper picked up a fruit from the ground. Unfortunately, it was a cactus fruit and she got herself stuck full of teeny tiny little spines. She refused to allow us to pull out very many of these spines,* and she didn't seem too bothered by them, so I decided to be calm about it and just let her body push them out like splinters. It was very hot in our upstairs living quarters when we got home yesterday, so we stripped Skipper down to her skin, and were slightly horrified to discover that her torso was speckled with little red spots, many with the tiny spines still sticking out of them, so holding her was a slightly prickly experience.

I just looked it up and discovered that no, they are not easily expelled like splinters, but can remain stuck in your skin for a really long time. They have barbs, you see, unlike splinters. Also, they get infected. Also, I discovered last night as I folded the washed and dried clothes that she was wearing when she picked up the cactus that the spines do not get destroyed or washed out in the laundering process, but remain in the clothing.

Parenting is so educational. I'm not sure what my next step should be in addressing the problem, but I'm pretty sure that Skipper will not enjoy it.


*Though Cook and I managed to get a bunch of them into our own hands, clothes, and torsos while we were trying to get them out of her.