spiders freak me out

[niatohosa]

My son has this tarantula and I thought it was dead, I swear it looked dead so i left it and was totally weirded out because I have arachnophobia. I can't barley stand to look at it much less touch it. So a few hours later I decide to torture myself and look again just to see that it molted... I freaked out again ... WHY can I just be normal and deal with it? Damn I'm trying so hard! Anyway... is there anything I should know about molting that I should look out for? Not that I'd see it cause its really freaking me out to even look! thanks for your input

 

[jb62]

My son has this tarantula and I thought it was dead, I swear it looked dead so i left it and was totally weirded out because I have arachnophobia. I can't barley stand to look at it much less touch it. So a few hours later I decide to torture myself and look again just to see that it molted... I freaked out again ... WHY can I just be normal and deal with it? Damn I'm trying so hard! Anyway... is there anything I should know about molting that I should look out for? Not that I'd see it cause its really freaking me out to even look! thanks for your input

the fear is all just " what if's" I was arachnophobic and I got over it by holding one..
T's have a bald rump thar turns black and lose hair around that patch.
When they moult it will make a web mat and flip over on it's back ready to get out of the old skin.
They don't need feeding for a week or two after a moult to harden the fangs that are white and turn black when hard.

Don't panic and relax.. panicking will make you feel at a loss and make mistakes.
It looks worse then it is and the fear just gets worse because it's in your mind.
If it's in a tank with a lid on that it can't lift up .. then it's cool .. if it got out just trap it in a tub or tube that's clear and has a lid .. then your see it and not over stress of where is it !!.. when they walk it tickles and have no real weight .. but keep your mind controlled and you will be ok and watching it helps as your see it's not as bad as your mind thinks.

 

[Slimdean]

Shine the light of compassion on all that frightens you to find healing and freedom.

-Tara Brach

here is a good link

beneits of facing our fears

 

[hassman789]

Don't touch the tarantula or offer it food after it molts, it's very sensitive right now. And there really isn't anything to be afraid of, tarantulas aren't deadly and wont hunt you down in your sleep, they keep to themselves. as long as it's contained I think you should stare at it a little bit and observe it, see how they are just boring and harmless.

 

[Barons]

My son has this tarantula and I thought it was dead, I swear it looked dead so i left it and was totally weirded out because I have arachnophobia. I can't barley stand to look at it much less touch it. So a few hours later I decide to torture myself and look again just to see that it molted... I freaked out again ... WHY can I just be normal and deal with it? Damn I'm trying so hard! Anyway... is there anything I should know about molting that I should look out for? Not that I'd see it cause its really freaking me out to even look! thanks for your input

You might not want to try to over come your fear of them by holding your son's until he's there. Depending on what kind he has holding it may not be a very good idea =P

I've always been fascinated by spiders and all sorts of critters. I'm guessing that happens more often in guys but watch it for a while and see if it grows on you =)

 

[niatohosa]

thank you all for your kind words. I'm not afraid that it will hurt me I'm just squeamish about it I guess. I cant' stand to have any type of little bug or thing crawl on me. As long as she stays in her tank I'm all good. I just felt so bad when I thought she was dead and then was totally shocked when I saw that she finally molted. I'm glad she did though cause she looks so much better. She's actually prettier AND I was able to remove the carcass. Glad to know she doesn't need to eat for two weeks. She hasn't had food for over two weeks already cause I was anticipating her doing this. The last cricket I put in she didn't touch so I removed it, that was quite the task, and threw it outside. See I can't even stand to handle the crickets! lol My son is 11 and NEVER takes care of it so its up to me! This is why I joined this board so that I could get more information. You all have been so helpful, thank you

 

[newspidermom]

Looks like you're already doing a better job than your son....lol. Well you better get ready cause you WILL become a T lover!! I'm willing to bet more people than you realize on this forum were once arachnaphobic...including me. I actually bought one for a friend's b-day and had to take care of it for about a month while he was getting ready to move. needless to say I had a hard time letting him take her. Next thing I know I was buying one for myself. Now I have 4. With more on the way! Start reading and learning and there's always someone here more than willing to answer any questions. You'll be amazed at all the different species. You'll be drawn into their web (pardon the pun) just like we all were and you won't be able to get enough. And I know you can't believe it now but you'll also become pretty numb to handling the feeder bugs as well...lol.

 

[madamoisele]

My friend was afraid of spiders too, but my interest in them intrigued her, and now she's collecting them to.

Try to shift your thinking into observing the tarantula as you might any other of God's creatures. Watch some YouTube videos of Tarantulas being handled. The love others have for their T's is quite infectious.

People are afraid of what they don't know or understand. To eradicate fear, educate yourself on the topic. Thanks to the internet, its not as hard as it once was.

Once you learn more about them, I'm betting your fear will change into addiction. Enjoy! (we all are!)