I feel so bad for how i used to feel about spiders in the past...

[Azi]

Hello,

Honestly, i would have such a vivid phobia of them that i wouldn't rest until i got them out of my house, sometimes quite unpleasantly i must confess, it's only now after falling in love with my absolutely gorgeous A. Genic who i have lovingly named "cinnamon fluff" do i truly feel regret for my past actions. does anyone else here have a similar period in their life where they hated spiders only to gain the courage to own a tarantula and ultimately realise how foolish they were? Or is it just me?

Thank you.

 

[Enn49]

You'd be surprised just how many of us on this forum are ex-arachnophobes. I'm nowhere near as bad as I was although I still don't like them loose in the house and yet I don't flinch if one of my Ts runs onto me.

 

[Arachnoclown]

I kill house spiders every day. They bite the $h!t out of everyone while you sleep. They have no purpose in my house...they don't even make good pets. Don't feel bad about your past...always look forward to the future.

 

[Whitelightning777]

I got my Ts more out of interest. Still, I found myself showing too much aversion to scorps so I got one at repticon when they came to Baltimore.

If I was buying purely on phobia elimination, I'd have to get the biggest centipedes possible!! Those are like watch out!! in my mind. If the invert is bigger then my cat, thats a bit much.

Because Nyx, aka the nippers, is an ex feral cat that actually knows how to hunt I'd never even know if there was a loose spider in the house. She did kill a probable exotic that got into my apartment. There would be dead roaches lined up in a row like a roach firing squad each day by the food dish in my last place. The roaches never flew like the German ones. They looked like B lats.

 

[Azi]

I kill house spiders every day. They bite the $h!t out of everyone while you sleep. They have no purpose in my house...they don't even make good pets. Don't feel bad about your past...always look forward to the future.

For me it's fostered a whole new respect for insects in general, before having my T if i couldn't take it out the house alive, i would end up murdering the poor animal just because they creeped me out, now however, i would still take them out of my house but not at the cost of killing them, even if one where to suprise me, i would be more considerate of their well being than my fear...

Except for roaches... i would burn the goddamn house to the ground if ever have to go through living with those things, just the thought of them can cause me to gag...

 

[Whitelightning777]

Roaches can be dealt with naturally. I think that the mere presence of a predator reduces their activity.

Getting a cat with a similar history is very rewarding, but it's like essentially having a bobcat in your house for years. Rehab and socialization can take between 1 to 2 years and some of the wild traits remain.

Having said that, she likes people and human contact especially since I purposely feed her a little more when she's friendly.

 

[Azi]

She really is very beautiful, if only my two maincoons helped me out with the roach infestation i had several years ago, god knows my wife pampered them to the point where they never had the desire to do... anything, heck all the memories i have of those two little buggers is them just laying down haha.

 

[Whitelightning777]

The breed type for cats and dogs varies greatly. If you had mice or even rats, those Maine Coones would've torn them to shreds. Those are big cats that have even taken the occasional squirrel or in rare occasions small rabbits. They are more likely to lock in on larger prey items.

The ex suspects that she is an Egyptian Mau that doesn't conform to the color breed standards. She likes water much more then normal and behaviorally matches the traits almost exactly.

Nyx like other ferals had insects and inverts as a large percentage of their diet. I can't stand when people say all cats ready nothing but birds. They are much more likely preying on mice nibbling of bird food under the feeder, and hugs of all kinds.

Nyx takes an active interest in any invert that shows up on TV and watches national geographic for hours.

Although it often isn't done anyone, people used to feed semi domesticated cats live food such as pinkie and adult mice or even chicks like newborn chickens in order to teach them to keep vermin at bay. These were probably more of dietary supplements not primary food.

That and playing chase games will probably make almost any kitten into a murder cat / great mouser. As with working or hunting dog breeds, this needs to be taught young, one of the few things cats and dogs have in common.

 

[Enn49]

Because Nyx, aka the nippers, is an ex feral cat that actually knows how to hunt I'd never even know if there was a loose spider in the house. She did kill a probable exotic that got into my apartment. There would be dead roaches lined up in a row like a roach firing squad each day by the food dish in my last place. The roaches never flew like the German ones. They looked like B lats.

Whether it's a feral cat or not it will still have the hunting instinct. I have 5 cats and only 1 has ever been outside yet they all hunt flies, crickets and sit glued to the sight of a bird in the garden.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Except for roaches... i would burn the goddamn house to the ground if ever have to go through living with those things, just the thought of them can cause me to gag...

Funny to me that you've gone through this transformation with spiders, some species of which can put you in the hospital, yet your mind is still firmly entrenched in that place with a totally harmless and very beneficial different group of "bugs".

I used to feel that way about roaches, but I forced myself to get over it. Then I started keeping them and I like my roach colonies every bit as much as I like my spiders. There are some spectacular roach species in the world.

I used to work in a pet shop and I would catch and bag 100s of crickets every day for customers. One day with my hand in the bin and dozen of crickets in my hand, it occurred to me: Why am I totally fine with these crickets in my hand, but a little harmless roach outside on the wall completely freaks me out? That night I went out and over a period of about 20 minutes I first touched one, then covered one with my hand, then picked one up and held it in my closed hand. Then just didn't bother me after that. Now I snatch up great big wild ones when I'm traveling. That's fun at parties!

Here is my daughter learning about Archimandrita tessellata:

 

[Thistles]

Funny to me that you've gone through this transformation with spiders, some species of which can put you in the hospital, yet your mind is still firmly entrenched in that place with a totally harmless and very beneficial different group of "bugs".

I used to feel that way about roaches, but I forced myself to get over it. Then I started keeping them and I like my roach colonies every bit as much as I like my spiders. There are some spectacular roach species in the world.

I used to work in a pet shop and I would catch and bag 100s of crickets every day for customers. One day with my hand in the bin and dozen of crickets in my hand, it occurred to me: Why am I totally fine with these crickets in my hand, but a little harmless roach outside on the wall completely freaks me out? That night I went out and over a period of about 20 minutes I first touched one, then covered one with my hand, then picked one up and held it in my closed hand. Then just didn't bother me after that. Now I snatch up great big wild ones when I'm traveling. That's fun at parties!

Here is my daughter learning about Archimandrita tessellata:
View attachment 30974

View attachment 30975

OMG that second pic has me laughing so hard!

 

[MassExodus]

I kill house spiders every day. They bite the $h!t out of everyone while you sleep. They have no purpose in my house...they don't even make good pets. Don't feel bad about your past...always look forward to the future.

Those are crabs biting you, leave those spiders alone you big bully! OH GOD THE HUMANITY! Seriously though don't be a spider racist. Wolf spiders and jumping spiders are badass, and if they take a little nip while you're asleep, or take up residence in your mouth, so what? They're cool little guys. I put jumping spiders in my closet, is that weird? Maybe a bit much? Creepin just a bit?

 

[Whitelightning777]

At this point, the dreaded tarantula song must be inserted!!