# Cricket Phobia



## iemmaamme (Sep 20, 2014)

I've read about many folks getting Ts to conquer arachnophobia. But today is feeding day, and I am oh so not looking forward to dealing with those dang *gulp* crickets! It doesn't help that I have them in a makeshift Tupperware house, I feel like those cricket keeper tubes would be a godsend. And getting those buggers IN the T enclosures, fuhgeddaboutit.

I have gotten better. I can now *look* at the crickets without cringing or muttering obscenities. Unfortunately, feeder roaches are banned in Canada, and I don't trust super worms in my arboreal enclosures, so here I am, mentally preparing myself for what has to be done.

I knew this was part of the deal when I got into the hobby, I'm just hoping that one day I can get over this ridiculousness. :sarcasm:

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## cold blood (Sep 20, 2014)

iemmaamme said:


> I've read about many folks getting Ts to conquer arachnophobia. But today is feeding day, and I am oh so not looking forward to dealing with those dang *gulp* crickets! It doesn't help that I have them in a makeshift Tupperware house, I feel like those cricket keeper tubes would be a godsend. And getting those buggers IN the T enclosures, fuhgeddaboutit.
> 
> I have gotten better. I can now *look* at the crickets without cringing or muttering obscenities. Unfortunately, feeder roaches are banned in Canada, and I don't trust super worms in my arboreal enclosures, so here I am, mentally preparing myself for what has to be done.
> 
> I knew this was part of the deal when I got into the hobby, I'm just hoping that one day I can get over this ridiculousness. :sarcasm:


If you have any vials that slings were sent in, just lower them into the cricket enclosure and lead crickets in with an object, pop the top on and you don't have to touch them, just dump into the t enclosure or freeze them if you are feeding pre-kill.  That's what I do.

Its incredible that you have no issue with t's, but you do with a harmless cricket.  You definitely should familiarize yourself with them more, it should help take "fear" away.  Just know that they are WAAAY more afraid of you than you could possibly be of them....you don't have to worry about accidentally being crushed.

If you crush superworm heads before you feed, they can't burrow away and will be in the same place if you need to remove them later.  They still move enough to get a t's attention.  You also don't have to worry about those big jaws damaging the t.  This is how many people feed worms.


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## NewAgePrimal (Sep 20, 2014)

Don't sweat it. There's people who are scared of all kinds of things. I knew a guy in basic training who had such an intense phobia of cotton balls that every time he saw one he would almost faint! It really didn't help that everyone in the barracks used them to polish their boots...


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## cold blood (Sep 20, 2014)

NewAgePrimal said:


> Don't sweat it. There's people who are scared of all kinds of things. I knew a guy in basic training who had such an intense phobia of cotton balls that every time he saw one he would almost faint! It really didn't help that everyone in the barracks used them to polish their boots...


Haha, was his name Monk?

op....you are crichethaphobic

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## ratluvr76 (Sep 20, 2014)

don't feel too bad OP.. I'm Mottephobic..... at least crickets could conceivably nip you..... :/

I get cold sweats, hyperventilate and almost pass out. I've been stuck in the bathroom for 3 hours one time because there was a moth in the door way flying back and forth from post to post. My husband finally came home from work and rescued me.

Every time I'd calm down enough to be rational about it I'd convince myself I could just walk through the door.. then the damn thing would move again and it would start all over. 

*shudder*

---------- Post added 09-20-2014 at 06:08 PM ----------




cold blood said:


> Haha, was his name Monk?
> 
> op....you are crichethaphobic


the term you're looking for is Orthopterophobia.. the fear of crickets.

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## cold blood (Sep 20, 2014)

Moths?   that's ridiculous!  You are WEAK...toughen up!   lmao (I'm joking, of course).  How does one live with this?  You must not be able to go outside from dusk till dawn, and forget about mowing the lawn...or any kind of gardening or even just hiking for that matter...I could see it leading to full on agoraphobia...moths are literally, everywhere and in huge numbers...you poor thing.   I'd love to breed them as they are available in all sizes from tiny to really good size, pose zero dangers, even after molting, and IME are a real favorite that virtually never get turned down.

Who am I to talk, I used to be so afraid of spiders that I would pull chunks of hair out in panic if someone said there was one on my head...it was embarrassing on more than one occasion...so glad I am past that!

Currently I only suffer from a little triskiadekaphobia.


Thanks for the correction, the medical website I consulted had the phobia listed as I wrote it....hmmmm.


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## NewAgePrimal (Sep 20, 2014)

Any one here suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia?;P

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## iemmaamme (Sep 20, 2014)

Cold blood, thanks, I'll have to try the pill jars & superworms! I think the issue with crickets isn't that they could hurt me, just tht I find them...gross. In every way possible. Thankfully not as embarrassing as a fear of cotton balls (my goodness) but still irrational.

Ratluvr, I feel your pain. I've spent a lot of time in the bathroom hiding from rogue wasps. And I'm also very not fond of, get this, caterpillars. Once you find one of those in your shoe wriggling around between your toes they stop being cute real quick.


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## ratluvr76 (Sep 20, 2014)

NewAgePrimal said:


> Any one here suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia?;P


I actually knew what this was.. lmao. thanx for that. haha!!



iemmaamme said:


> Cold blood, thanks, I'll have to try the pill jars & superworms! I think the issue with crickets isn't that they could hurt me, just tht I find them...gross. In every way possible. Thankfully not as embarrassing as a fear of cotton balls (my goodness) but still irrational.
> 
> Ratluvr, I feel your pain. I've spent a lot of time in the bathroom hiding from rogue wasps. And I'm also very not fond of, get this, caterpillars. Once you find one of those in your shoe wriggling around between your toes they stop being cute real quick.


Yeah, I don't caterpillars that much either, although I can tolerate them, I just know they turn into those creatures that shall not be named.... LOL and thus, I do not like them.


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## BobGrill (Sep 21, 2014)

They are related to roaches, so I can see why someone would find them gross.


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## Beary Strange (Sep 21, 2014)

I had no idea this was a thing. o-o I find them disgusting and don't want to deal with them at all but that's about it. Roaches on the other hand I think are actually kind of cute, so my biggest issue at feeding time is the massive guilt I feel about it.

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## ratluvr76 (Sep 21, 2014)

Belle Fury said:


> I had no idea this was a thing. o-o I find them disgusting and don't want to deal with them at all but that's about it. Roaches on the other hand I think are actually kind of cute, so my biggest issue at feeding time is the massive guilt I feel about it.


Lol me too but. I didn't want to say it. I hate feeding my dubias off and have a pretty small colony as of yet so only have 4 mature females... They have names.... LoL


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## scorpionchaos (Sep 21, 2014)

NewAgePrimal said:


> Any one here suffer from hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia?;P



Ironiccaly the fear of long words


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## Neoza (Sep 21, 2014)

I dont find any creature that mothernature has made 'grose', 'discusting' or fearfull. I like my crickets, my mealworms and even the beetles that were once a mealworm. I always feel guilt when i feed my T's though. But i understand people for being afraid of things, its not like they can do much about it. Im not a person who will say 'dont be so silly, its only a..'. I respect the people who are afraid of bugs or anything, its not their fould. But i dont respect people who would kill a spider, cricket or anything else just because they are afraid of it !! The little thing would never harm you, its even more afraid of you than you are! Why killing it? Would you like it to be crushed under a shoe because someone is afraid of you??


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## Dizzle (Sep 22, 2014)

I have a completely irrational fear of spider crickets (camel crickets, etc..) only. Anything Rhaphidophoridae really. I totally agree with what you said Neoza, I wish I could love them...but it is a fear I have yet to conquer and it has been with me since I was a small child.  I would never kill them at first sight though, nothing deserves that treatment IMO, least of all harmless crickets. Never had a problem with any other living creature...except spider crickets...
Anyway just though I would add that. To the OP, if you can conquer your fear of all crickets perhaps I still have hope as well, together we will overcome!

Reactions: Like 1


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## miss moxie (Sep 22, 2014)

cold blood said:


> Moths?   that's ridiculous!  You are WEAK...toughen up!   lmao (I'm joking, of course).  How does one live with this?  You must not be able to go outside from dusk till dawn, and forget about mowing the lawn...or any kind of gardening or even just hiking for that matter...I could see it leading to full on agoraphobia...moths are literally, everywhere and in huge numbers...you poor thing.   I'd love to breed them as they are available in all sizes from tiny to really good size, pose zero dangers, even after molting, and IME are a real favorite that virtually never get turned down.
> 
> Who am I to talk, I used to be so afraid of spiders that I would pull chunks of hair out in panic if someone said there was one on my head...it was embarrassing on more than one occasion...so glad I am past that!
> 
> ...


At least she'll be safe if vampires ever decide to try and take over the world, hm? And it's good to see a fellow arachnophobic in the hobby! I used to be so petrified of spiders. Screaming, running, panicking, all that sort of awful and piteous stuff. 

I'm still irrationally terrified of certain kitchen equipment... Meat grinders, mostly. But also deli slicers. I can't go into that section of camping/outdoor type stores. The sight of them makes my skin crawl and all I can imagine is sticking my hand into one of them. Or having a psychopath deli-slice my face off. "Is this thick enough, or would you like it thinner?"

The employees at my local market's deli section probably think I'm nuts when I order while staring at a fixed point, and try not to watch them.


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