This is awful...I was so mad!

[clive 82]

You know, if the spider isn't submerged for long, and assuming it didn't die from impact, it might still be alive...T's don't drown easily. Whether or not it will mutate...I'll guess we'll find out

The topic of learned versus instinctual fear has been discussed very much on here. I think most is learned behaviour, especially here in Europe. There is absolutely no reason to be afraid of spiders here since we have no killer spiders. The most deadly insects here are mosquitoes and ticks. But you don't see people screaming when they see one of those....
Now, living in Australia, I can imagine the fear being more realistic, but even then, caution is more appropriate than fear.

My five year old never feared spiders. Until she saw a movie at school in which a girl was scared of spiders. I have worked with her for a week to change her mind back to her former 'mr skinnylegs-state' in which she was just curious. A WEEK. It took five minutes of that damn movie to get her scared. So every time she sees a spider, she asks 'no need to be scared, right mommy?' After reassuring her she just moves on, but it has made a big impression on her, and I'm not happy with this at all. But I know that if I contact school about this, I'll be the odd ball...

(Wow, this turned into a rant, sorry about that)

Thumbs up for Mr Skinnylegs!

 

[clive 82]

I went to Heinen's (a local grocery store by me), my mom works there and so she knows everybody. Everybody there knows about my tarantula acquisition recently. While on our shopping trip together today, she introduced me to one of her co-workers...an eight-legged murderess! When her son was at school that day, she flushed her son's B. Smithi. down the toilet for no apparent reason! He was a healthy big boy...she just got "tired of him". How awful! I let her know I was upset and that my heart was broken...I hope he clogged her toilet!!

A very sad story!
I just don't understand the mentality of most people. Do they think that because "its just a bug" that that makes it ok?
If this story was about a mistreated dog or cat this woman would probably feel bad for that animal.
Don't like to see any animal suffer.

 

[doodledog]

I've always been a nature lover. Never disrespected any animal. Though I will admit, I do swat mosquitoes and flies (but only if they think I'm their next meal), and yes, I do feed my lizards and arachnid other lower level prey (hence, the food chain, the pecking order sort of speaking)....but aside from that, I'm 100% pro-animal. I used to feed the spiders on my house as a child, and I had many to take care of back then. I would rescue spiders from our bathroom, to prevent them from meeting a watery demise when my mom would freak out in the shower. I used to love to catch daddy long legs in my yard and go to my elderly neighbors house to show off my eight-legged friends (but she wasn't usually that happy when I stopped by with them...lol). Every creature deserves our respect. I treat my fellow animal friends just as I treat other human beings. I take a lot of pride in respecting others opinions and ways of life....I hope I set a good example for others around me and my kids as well....'nuff said.

 

[Jeff23]

Anything that is feared must be eradicated. Spiders, sharks, bees, people, countries.

Nice going mankind...

People are very narrow minded. Maybe if they could see the 1000X more other bugs eating up their food and flower gardens, bugging them on their picnics, etc. they would then understand the benefit of the spider.

You can add snakes to that list too - another very beneficial creature that is hated.

 

[darkness975]

Why I got my first tarantula I was so excited to get into this hobby. The only bad thing is almost everybody that found this out said how much they would like to kill it. They didn't find it nearly as funny when I asked if it was okay to want to kill their pets to see how it made them feel.

I'll have to start doing this. I tend to not even tell anyone anymore but if the topic does come up then this is the direction it will turn. I am sick and tired of it.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I'll have to start doing this. I tend to not even tell anyone anymore but if the topic does come up then this is the direction it will turn. I am sick and tired of it.

Yeah, people quickly stop telling you to pour petrol on your Tarantulas and light them on fire when you suggest doing the same to their dog/cat/kids.

 

[Andrea82]

Yeah, people quickly stop telling you to pour petrol on your Tarantulas and light them on fire when you suggest doing the same to their dog/cat/kids.

another one that works sometimes is saying 'okay, go ahead, but you'll owe me 60/100 (insert proper amount here) bucks if you do'.
They don't think it is funny anymore after that.

Of course, if someone actually gave me money to pour petrol on my spider, I would just fling it in their face and run for the hills. WITH my spiders

 

[The Grym Reaper]

another one that works sometimes is saying 'okay, go ahead, but you'll owe me 60/100 (insert proper amount here) bucks if you do'.
They don't think it is funny anymore after that.

Of course, if someone actually gave me money to pour petrol on my spider, I would just fling it in their face and run for the hills. WITH my spiders

I'd just take the money and then set the person on fire win/win

 

[user 666]

On the other hand, owners sometimes make dark jokes about their pet.

For example, I sometimes say that the solution to unwanted hermit crabs is butter and garlic. (For the record, I have over a dozen hermit crabs.)

 

[Leila]

I am afraid of driving in busy freeway traffic and now that is not a very accepted fear.

Same here. People turn their noses up at me in regards to my fear/nervousness of driving in heavy traffic. Unlike their baseless fear of arachnids, I have a logical reason to be afraid of idiots driving heavy machinery: I almost died in an accident on a busy freeway.

 

[darkness975]

Same here. People turn their noses up at me in regards to my fear/nervousness of driving in heavy traffic. Unlike their baseless fear of arachnids, I have a logical reason to be afraid of idiots driving heavy machinery: I almost died in an accident on a busy freeway.

I used to have that same fear. Over time I learned to deal with it but I would be lying if I said that I was completely comfortable with that kind of heavy traffic even today

 

[Moakmeister]

Wow. 10/10. F****** stellar. Mom of the year.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Wow. 10/10. F****** stellar. Mom of the year.

I fail to realize why she should win. Flushing in a toilet a Theraphosidae on my personal 'Manson Family' rapture/virulent 'book' isn't like that mom that smashed the whole thing (spider, enclosure thus everything inside) to the wall in front of her son, claiming she was 'arachnophobic'. Plus, high chances that, doing vile things like that, the son/daughter turns deranged 'tomorrow'.

I've read that story on YT under an average T-video and was full of comments saying "... you should do that, you should do this...".

I was the one laughing, I imagined the scene

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Same here. People turn their noses up at me in regards to my fear/nervousness of driving in heavy traffic. Unlike their baseless fear of arachnids, I have a logical reason to be afraid of idiots driving heavy machinery: I almost died in an accident on a busy freeway.

You should drive here, my friend. This was filmed by a tourist years ago.

Priority? A thing that belongs to the 'smart' and fast one :-s

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

If my Mom ever flushed or killed any of my animals on purpose for selfish reasons, I have no idea what I would do. That is probably the most sorry excuse of a mother I have ever heard of. Wish I could give her a piece of my mind, but karma will already do that I'm sure All arachnophobia is fear through ignorance, and it annoys me to no end. Absolutely no reason whatsoever to be afraid or non-lethal spiders or T's (for the most part; an S. cal would frighten me pretty bad if it was loose in my bedroom ). Just so unfortunate that people are so ignorant and vindictive about it too. Wish I could buy and teach every one of my friends and aquaintences a T and get them addicted, but sadly my wallet wouldn't hold up very long. And people don't care...

 

[Chris LXXIX]

(for the most part; an S. cal would frighten me pretty bad if it was loose in my bedroom )

Ah ah, you are lucky you wasn't my roommate (even if I live alone). I lived almost six months with a Scolopendra subspinipes around me and I wasn't even aware of his/her presence until, one night, we (me and one of my cats) spotted that pede crawling out of my door for reach the garden (where still today I assume lives: plenty of food, nice weather, high humidity).

Last time I saw bugger was a pedeling like his/her bros. I wonder if those pedelings were 26... probably I have other S.subspinipes living on my house, and this is amazing

 

[clive 82]

You should drive here, my friend. This was filmed by a tourist years ago.

Priority? A thing that belongs to the 'smart' and fast one :-s

Jeez! That's an accident waiting to happen (just realised I sound more & more like my parents every day!)

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Jeez! That's an accident waiting to happen (just realised I sound more & more like my parents every day!)

Ah ah, pure normality here

 

[GingerC]

That's.... utterly traumatic. That poor kid and his pet tarantula.

Anyone who hurts my pets is getting a book to the corner of the eye, mark my words.

 

[boina]

You should drive here, my friend. This was filmed by a tourist years ago.

Priority? A thing that belongs to the 'smart' and fast one :-s

You know, I like to drive, and drive fast, but I'm NOT driving in Italy, especially not in Rome.