A question for all my fellow female Arachnofanatics.

[Godzilla2000]

Well the guys can answer this too about first hand experiences they've had once with people who've been told they owned tarantulas, but I just had an experience on the bus today that had me thinking. Do you find people puzzled that you as a female own creepy, crawlies, huge spiders? The busdriver, who was a lady, told me she found it pretty interesting that I like spiders. She told me the popular perception is that ladies are terrified of anything with 6, 8, 1,000 legs and so on.

 

[Nixy]

I don't find my love of T's unusual for me.
But then I'm " odd for a woman" anyway.
I get more surprised looks at the Twins loving T's.
As if their supposed to be terrified of them because they are small girls.
It's just stareotyping.
If we as females don't jump up on chairs and tables squealing and screaming to be rescued by the horriable monster.
Then we are odd.

But hey. I love being odd.

 

[Code Monkey]

To be honest, to the general public, I don't think there's any real difference in the level of disbelief, surprise, and shocked bewilderment that voluntarily living with giant hairy arachnids causes. Oh sure, the average schmoe might find it a little more surprising that one arachnophile is a female versus an arachnophile who's a male, but that's kind of like the difference between falling 3.5 miles without a parachute versus only falling 3 miles without one

OTOH, I would dare say the average schmoe probably finds the female arachnophile more fascinating. The male is just weird, but the female is ... intriguing.

 

[pategirl]

My parents are the worst about that.....they think that their darling young lady shouldn't play with bugs. I get strange looks from lots of people when I tell them about my T's. I scared some woman stiff when I was inspecting a tarantula at the local pet shop before purchasing it. She thought I was plain crazy and that I was going to get bit and die.....she said those exact words to me. I agreed with her about the being crazy part, but I doubt I'm going to die from an A. Seemani bite. One of my aunts, who is pretty much a nutcase anyway, always tells my parents that they shouldn't allow me to keep such things in the house. If I wasn't a nice young lady, hehe, I'd probably tell her a thing or too, but I just ignore it. My dad is always asking me if T's are poisonous and stuff, and I always tell him no. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, IMO. He doesn't plan on touching one anyway. He's one of those people that think all spiders, snakes, and things should die no matter if they're dangerous or not. They allow me to keep mine as long as they stay in my room, but they say that if one more escapes, they'll all be gone.

 

[Godzilla2000]

I myself have always loved spiders. They never scared me at all. I'd routinely pick one up that had become trapped inside the house and set it loose out into the wild. What was always a delight for me as a kid were the huge spiderwebs that garden spiders would build. Call me sadistic but I used to pick up big black ants and throw them onto the webs, watching as they were encased in spidersilk, futilely wriggling to escape. I like to call it pre-conditioning for taking care of my future pets.

 

[Maggie]

=D
Well. I think i have run the gamut of people being very accepting to being very hostile.
When my daughter mentioned that we had tarantulas at school, a couple people flipped out. LOL, Social Services was called, to give them some credit, they thought i was within my rights and that the whole thing was idiotic.
However, this is a small town. And the Chief Of Police was called. Needless to say i had my go around with him. He, like many people, was a believer in much false information. When the truth came out he didnt look too intelligent. Now everyone thinks i am odd but they leave me alone about the matter.
My family has been very supportive about my hobby. They believe it is a little bizarre,lol, but are at the same time intrigued.
The blatant ignorance annoys me a little, but for the larger part, i care not for what others think as long as the children and i are comfortable with our situation.

 

[rapunzel]

most I have encountered act like it is a turn-on..

I think my boyfriend just thinks I am crazy. Thats all fine..especially since a house spider gives me the willies and I jump all over the place until someone removes it. But, not the T's..they aren't SPIDERS..(remember, they gotta be fuzzy if I am to like them)...
Most guys I have come across find it fascinating..my ex and I had snakes and other large reptiles, and I have come across men who expect me to be scared of whatever it is they are handling, and I honestly like the shock factor they show in their face when I, instead of high-tailin it out of there, handle or show an interest in it. This being, the "occasional reptile owner.." I dont think people of either gender that are "seriously into herping, or tarantulas " have any difference of opinion if a woman shares their interest.
On the flip side, I have friends who are afraid of birds, fish, etc. and they drive me crazy. Wimpy women..I have no patience for at all. My neighbor called me because a baby robin fell thru her chimney and she ran out the front door calling me on her cell to save her.My one girlfriend won't even take her kids goldfish out of the bowl with a net...and that kind of "helpless little woman" dramatics just drives me crazy. Of course, next to them, I feel like She-Ra...or Xena or someone,,, but that is not the point.

 

[MizM]

I get WAY MORE surprised looks when people find out I know what a torque wrench is and I know how to use it! What... a woman that can replace a valve cover gasket?!?!

As far as T's go, men usually aren't as shocked that I collect spiders as women are. Men can identify... other women (MOST other women) cannot possibly fathom holding big fuzzy crawling SPIDER!!!

 

[MizM]

Oh and Rapunzel.... right on about wimpy women!! They drive me crazy!!

 

[Godzilla2000]

Re: most I have encountered act like it is a turn-on..

Originally posted by rapunzel
I think my boyfriend just thinks I am crazy. Thats all fine..especially since a house spider gives me the willies and I jump all over the place until someone removes it. But, not the T's..they aren't SPIDERS..(remember, they gotta be fuzzy if I am to like them)...
Most guys I have come across find it fascinating..my ex and I had snakes and other large reptiles, and I have come across men who expect me to be scared of whatever it is they are handling, and I honestly like the shock factor they show in their face when I, instead of high-tailin it out of there, handle or show an interest in it. This being, the "occasional reptile owner.." I dont think people of either gender that are "seriously into herping, or tarantulas " have any difference of opinion if a woman shares their interest.
On the flip side, I have friends who are afraid of birds, fish, etc. and they drive me crazy. Wimpy women..I have no patience for at all. My neighbor called me because a baby robin fell thru her chimney and she ran out the front door calling me on her cell to save her.My one girlfriend won't even take her kids goldfish out of the bowl with a net...and that kind of "helpless little woman" dramatics just drives me crazy. Of course, next to them, I feel like She-Ra...or Xena or someone,,, but that is not the point.

But House Spiders have such big butts if fed well rapunzel! Anyways, people terrified of any wildlife running across their backyards I roll my eyes at. Where I live we get alot of deer and rabbits jaunting across yards and such. What I think is funny is that we've got this guy originally from New York City living in my apartment units and he's terrified of all sorts of critters. I guess fwear of the wild goes both ways.

 

[sunnymarcie]

YOU can be She-Ra, I'LL be Xena! LOL!
I can't stand wimpy "people" AT ALL.
I use to date this guy, back in high school, real good looking,
the whole nine yards......turned out to be a total wimp!!
At the time I had pet rats, he wouldn't even come into my parents house............he could have at least been affraid of my father, not my little babies. ROTFL

Here I sit, same as always, wondering about SOME people!;P

I just can't understand that kind of fear, I guess
He'd probably fall over dead if he new I had even more wierd pets now=D

 

[Godzilla2000]

Originally posted by sunnymarcie
YOU can be She-Ra, I'LL be Xena! LOL!
I can't stand wimpy "people" AT ALL.
I use to date this guy, back in high school, real good looking,
the whole nine yards......turned out to be a total wimp!!
At the time I had pet rats, he wouldn't even come into my parents house............he could have at least been affraid of my father, not my little babies. ROTFL

Here I sit, same as always, wondering about SOME people!;P

I just can't understand that kind of fear, I guess
He'd probably fall over dead if he new I had even more wierd pets now=D

Oooooh! Can I be Wonder Woman?

 

[sunnymarcie]

Here's a pair of bracelets, go right ahead! LOL! ROTFLMAO!!;P
If you REALLY want to, Zilla!

 

[pategirl]

So if you all are She-ra, Wonder Woman, and Xena.....who does that make me? My fiance actually likes my spiders, though he doesn't particularly like my H. "Longipendum". He thinks it's ugly, but I just don't see it.

 

[KelliH]

My husband just can't get into the tarantulas at all. He tolerates them. It's funny because he works at a zoo with venomous reptiles all day long but he is afraid of the spiders. Really funny too when I am feeding/cleaning etc. when one of my Avics climbs up and over to the outer part of the enclosure, it bothers him so much he sometimes has to leave the room!

Oh well, I am working on him ;-)

 

[sunnymarcie]

@pategirl

You can be.............Batgirl or even Cat Woman! LOL!

 

[pategirl]

I'm pretty much blind as a bat anyway......I'll be batgirl, hehe.

 

[Godzilla2000]

Originally posted by pategirl
So if you all are She-ra, Wonder Woman, and Xena.....who does that make me? My fiance actually likes my spiders, though he doesn't particularly like my H. "Longipendum". He thinks it's ugly, but I just don't see it.

You have a wide variety of sidekicks to choose from. ^_^

 

[LunarFaery]

Originally posted by Godzilla2000
You have a wide variety of sidekicks to choose from. ^_^

Well even though Im fairly new, havent ordered my first Ts yet...the key word is yet : ) Waiting for good ol uncle sam and his refund money....Can I put dibbs on Storm, from xmen? That way this newbie can always have the humidity just right

As far as the strange looks, my parents as usual will freak out. My mom is like why?? And Im like why not =D I think shes just shaking her head, after all her daughter had the nerve to get a tattoo at 32 OMG And also saving for my next one

Ive learned that people will always have something to talk about...and if its me and what kinds of creatures I keep in my home then they are really sad people and Im glad I can occupy their time ;P I gave up caring what people think about me a long time ago.

Jen

 

[Godzilla2000]

Originally posted by LunarFaery
Well even though Im fairly new, havent ordered my first Ts yet...the key word is yet : ) Waiting for good ol uncle sam and his refund money....Can I put dibbs on Storm, from xmen? That way this newbie can always have the humidity just right

As far as the strange looks, my parents as usual will freak out. My mom is like why?? And Im like why not =D I think shes just shaking her head, after all her daughter had the nerve to get a tattoo at 32 OMG And also saving for my next one

Ive learned that people will always have something to talk about...and if its me and what kinds of creatures I keep in my home then they are really sad people and Im glad I can occupy their time ;P I gave up caring what people think about me a long time ago.

Jen

Well I guess we all have to start getting addicted to arachnids in some way. I myself have 4 T's. I'm also waiting to get 4 more from Swift Inverts tomorrow. I can't wait.

And sure you can be Storm. ~_^ Check out my new avatar too! ^_^