How many of you used to have arachnophobia?

[krazy888]

i was a little afraid of em but nothing like arachnophobia!

but buying a T has helped alot!!!

 

[Hellion299]

Haha yeah........

Lol. I remember the days of running like a scared baby from spiders. Now I try and grab THEM before they get away. Lol!

 

[astraldisaster]

I've always loved bugs, and I was definitely never arachnophobic, but I guess spiders (especially tarantulas) used to make me ever so slightly nervous. When I held my first T (a G. rosea, of course) for the first time, I was actually shaking...since then, though, I have had no fear of arachnids whatsoever.

 

[ZergFront]

No. I did used to fear centipedes and strangely enough, jellyfish make me nervous. :?

 

[cnapple]

Growing up, I was very arachnophobic. I used to make my mom come and catch spiders in a cup and take them outside when i found them in the house. When I took invertebrate biology at my university with an arachnologist (Dr. Cara Shillington), I knew sooner or later I'd have to face my fear. When Cara brought some of her tarantulas into class, I handled my first T (Grammostola pulchripes). Earlier this spring I was able to take an invertebrate field course in Florida where we captured a Brachypelma vagans (there is an introduced population that has established and is breeding near Ft. Pierce). After handling that beautiful girl in the wild I was hooked. I picked up an A. metallica and a B. albopilosum freebie at the local herp show. About a month later, I have 6 T's total and am looking forward to more in the future!

 

[Raven9464]

I've always been intrigued by all animals. I bought my son a G. rosea that he had for almost 9 years. When it died, I replaced it for him, but by then he wasn't really interested anymore, so I kept her for myself........about a year and 50 Ts later.....I'm even more fascinated !

 

[malhomme]

Bayou Baby

As a child I would hunt at night in the bayou by moonlight. I'd get covered in huge Argiope webs and spiders in the dark, as often as a dozen times a night. The webs would just wrap around me and were very strong. Anyway, it was the perfect opportunity to develop arachnophobia but I never did. I just chose not to be bothered by 'em much as I was going to be covered in 'em each night anyway.

 

[loversnsinners]

My fear was and is of the bugs i feed them, like crickets and mealworms. I am getting used to them both but still jump if a mealworm drops to the floor when transporting them from cup to cage or if i see a cricket anywhere that isn't in a cage. And i want but can't get myself to try roaches for them. Which is funny that when i was a kid, i took care of my sister's Hissing Roaches but can't stand any other roaches.

 

[ratluvr76]

I was never really afraid of bugs, more creeped out by them. Then I had a mealworm farm for my leopard geckos, tokay gecko, uromastyx and bearded dragons. Dealing with them on an almost daily basis cleaning out the sheds of the worms as they grew and then the carapaces as the pupa turned into beetles got me over that problem pretty quick. Now my vermicomposting bins have me happily playing with worm poo and worms all the time. I've now acquired 2 Chilean Roses and plan a Green Bottle Blue and a Singapore Blue within the next 6 months. I'm also planning to start a dubia roach farm for my Tarantulas and my Hubby wants to try a couple of scorpions.

I can not get myself to even think about millipedes, centipedes or the bigger roaches like the hissing roaches or the cave roaches :shudders:

 

[TCVulpes]

I was always terrified of spiders. Jumping spiders were the only ones that never scared me. All others would send me running and screaming from the room in a voice many octaves higher than normal. There was never a shoe big enough or a fly swatter with a long enough reach to make me go back in the room. Now I have 2 Ts and a wishlist of at least 3 more I will be getting. True spiders still creep me out a bit, something about the pointy legs and plastic looking bodies. However, I am able to capture and release outdoors any spider that I run across at home. Though, if they suddenly drop down on a thread off the ceiling in front of me, there still might be a bit of a girlish squeal ;-)

 

[MantidMaster]

Of course! I know they have venom and all, so don't get all touchy! Still, to get over arachnophobia, probably let one naturally crawl on your arm! Even though I have never in my life done that, just take the advice!

 

[Prowelder96]

Not exactly arachnophobia but I didn't like them on me. Until the first tarantula I held was a rose hair and I feel in love with the hobby I am the proud owner of 3 now a Rose hair, B.smithi, and green bottle sling.

 

[LythSalicaria]

When I was a kid growing up in rural Northeastern Ontario, I had no fears - I loved animals of all types, including bugs. It was some time later when I developed arachnophobia - I think it might have started with what I used to call "carpet spiders". They were little black spiders that seemed to enjoy living in the shag carpet half the floors in our house were covered with. I would walk over the carpet in bare feet all the time, accidentally squish them between my toes and end up getting bit - and it hurt. The only thing I can compare the feeling to is fire ant bites - a nasty burning, stinging, itching sensation strong enough to bring tears to your eyes. It got worse as I got older to the point that even little house spiders would reduce me to a trembling, whimpering mess.

Eventually I got sick of this; I bought a rose hair and then proceeded to spend the next week doing nothing but research. After spending that week with her in the same room as me, I took the plunge and tried holding her. Thankfully she hadn't developed her attitude problem yet, she just sat in my hand and groomed herself a bit. I was amazed at how soft she was. After that, the fear melted away pretty quickly. Now I'm even starting to collect wild spiders along with my Ts.