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General Tarantula Discussion
Serious questions from an arachnophobe- about species, enclosures etc.
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<blockquote data-quote="SwedishArachnophobe84" data-source="post: 165724" data-attributes="member: 31783"><p>Thank you all so much for your answers! </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I will absolutely take this whole thing very slow. The last thing I want to do is to rush into getting a tarantula. My phobia is real and I need to take that into consideration and make tiny steps towards owning a tarantula of my own. Once it´s here…it´s kind of late for second thoughts so I will make absolutely sure that I want to go down that road before making any decisions.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Thank you. Already found Tom and have watch a bunch of his videos. I have decided against getting a C. elegans (at least as a first spider or even a second). They are pretty with their little “heart-butts” but their speed…I honestly believe I would not be able to handle that at all; and freaking out is probably not the best start to owning a tarantula…and it may also be detrimental for the animal (…I can´t really promise I would be able to keep cool if it sped a cross the floor…). </p><p></p><p>Euathlus sp red seems like a better choice for me and that one has ended up on the second place after my all-time favorite A. chalcodes. I do realize that it might be difficult to find any of my favorite two species in “the perfect size/age” for me (I believe that to be a juvenile or young adult after looking into it a bit more), but I will keep an eye out (if I decide to get a tarantula…or two…). Who knows I might get lucky…or I may just have to get used to the idea of getting a sling (preferably a sexed female) …even thought that seems more difficult to care for, than a slightly larger specimen or an adult.</p><p></p><p>The reasons for me wanting a female rather than a male are 1) they live longer and I hate losing pets, even if it´s a guppy or something... 2) and this is an important one; they seem to be less “leggy” and have a bigger abdomen and not be as “slim-butted” (yeah…that´s a word now, haha) as males generally and therefore I usually find females less…ehm…disgusting and creepy, hehe… </p><p></p><p>Stupid question (like this is the first one I’ve asked…): The spiders in your pictures look rather different, are they different localities or is the darker one (which looks different from other A. chalcodes I´ve seen) in premolt or something?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Hello there fellow (at least former) arachnophobe! Good to hear from someone that has managed to overcome the fear and now has quite a few pet spiders. That gives me hope. I find them so interesting and I hate being scared, even though a know that they are nothing to be afraid of.</p><p></p><p>My brain knows this but sadly my body/feelings does not…chills down the spine and completely freaking out at the site of one…I mean come on…they are tiny!</p><p></p><p>Arachnophobia suck! I really wish I could just tell myself to stop being so ridiculous. I screamed like a madwoman just the other day due to a small spider (rolling my eyes and shaking my head at myself). Fun fact, I had seen the same spider previously and thought “ok, you can stay”. It was sitting in my kitchen by my table, like on the floor in a web. Later that evening I was standing by my table cutting up my dogs’ medication in the correct sizes and putting them in their “pillboxes/pill dispensers”. All of a sudden, the spider (you know, the one I didn´t freak out about before) comes down from the ceiling (in a tread) and “lands” on the bag with all the medications in (the bag was in front of me on the table). Cue “Instant freak out time” …I mean…ok…</p><p></p><p>I will let this take time and won´t rush into getting a tarantula. I am not ready yet at all…but I hope I will be someday in the future. Some days I wish I could just find the “perfect one” and bring it home right away…but I know that wouldn’t be a good idea; so, I will let it take whatever time it needs to take. I need to feel that I will be able to handle it (having a large spider in my home that is). </p><p></p><p>I don´t think I have to fully get rid of my arachnophobia beforehand, but I need to feel like I can get used to the idea of having one in my home and feel like I can get used to taking care of it. I obviously don´t want to put myself in a situation where I have a full on panic attack (or something like that) every time I need to fill its water bowl etc. I need to feel a bit surer about being able to cope with a spider living in my house and depending on me to survive…before taking on a live animal…and then having trouble caring for it without being panicked. </p><p></p><p>I still think dubia roaches are creepy and I don´t want to touch them, but even from the beginning (when I first got them) I was able to give them food and water etc. and as time has gone by, I feel less and less creeped out by them. I need to somehow get to that point with a tarantula (like when I first got the roaches), so that I can take care of it, even if I still feel creeped out by it. </p><p></p><p>Eventually I believe I will be less creeped out…just like with the roaches. The difference between a tarantula and the roaches for me are 1) I have a phobia for spiders but not really for bugs/roaches…just don´t particularly like them. 2) I am fascinated by tarantulas and interested to know more about them etc. Roaches are just here because I need to feed them to my other pets, I don´t have the same fascination for them at all. This makes me feel optimistic that I may get used to the tarantula faster…but then there is the stupid irrational fear…so I guess it might just take as long time as it did (does) with the roaches after all.</p><p></p><p>Regarding the mentioned species: I think “curly hairs” look absolutely disgusting, so I will definitely not get one of those. They creep me out like crazy. I will however take a closer look at the Euathlus parvulus, because I don´t know much about it (and definitely not enough to make a decision for or against it).</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Haha, thanks!</p><p></p><p>That sounds absolutely terrifying! I can´t even imagine being bit by a spider let alone a venomous one, yikes! Hope you´re doing ok now and it didn´t give you any lasting problems, but either way what a horrible experience that must have been. Just awful.</p><p></p><p>I find tarantulas less ehm…crazy creepy (creepy…but not as creepy) than a lot of other spiders. Not sure if they are the ones known as true spiders but I guess so. They are “leggier” and less “cuddly-looking” (can´t believe I wrote that while talking about tarantulas) than tarantulas so that type of spiders freaks me out more (but tarantulas still freak me out).</p><p></p><p>I wish knowledge would make my arachnophobia go away…but I don´t believe it´s that “easy” for me. I know plenty about tarantulas (and spiders, as I said fascinating creatures) and my brain says “see nothing to be afraid of” but my body and feelings…still screams and freaks out. It´s infuriating when your “realistic mind” knows that there´s nothing to worry about… but you still react like an idiot when there is a spider in your home (or worse still, on you) …stupid “reptile brain” …</p><p></p><p>Regarding your “arachnophobe-newbie-tarantula owner” tips: I will absolutely stay far away from fast moving ones. I know that would be a… to say the least…not good (lets go with that) idea. This is why I feel as though C. elegans is probably not the best to start with…I like them for their size and looks…but their speed would definitely be more than I can handle. When it comes to a defensive species…yeah… let’s just say that such a spider, would probably be an even worse idea, just the thought of a big angry spider threatening to bite… (so I´m out of here, where´s the door?)</p><p></p><p>I´m well aware of the difference between watching movies and actually taking care of one…if I didn´t I would already have a tarantula; but having it in my home and “interacting” with it, is miles away from seeing it from afar. I can look at a tarantula in a terrarium but it´s “the whole opening the terrarium and messing about inside” (like changing water bowls, feeding etc.) that really freaks me out (not to mention having to rehouse it for some reason or having it bolt out, worst case scenario onto me…oh, my, don´t even get me started on the “freaking out level” of that one).</p><p></p><p>Yeah, they seem to have personalities from what I have seen on all the YouTube clips that I´ve been watching. If I decide to get one (or two…) I hope to get a docile, calm, slow moving girl without too much attitude. So basically, I´m looking for a sweetheart not a rambunctious, crazy, “wild child”, haha.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Well, I have realized that I´m far from the only arachnophobe who want´s to get a pet spider (or two…). Hearing about other arachnophobes (like yourself) getting over their fear and being able to keep tarantulas gives me hope (even if you still kill spiders running towards your feet). </p><p></p><p>I´m not looking to get as many as you have, but I would like to get one (or maybe two). I have plenty of other animals so having “a million” tarantulas like you (even if I would be able to get over this stupid fear) is not plausible; after all, there´s just twenty-four hours in a day. But I could definitely manage caring for one or two.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes…I´m beginning to feel as though dwarf species might not be the best to start with, at least not for an “arachnophobe-newbie”. From what I understand Euathlus sp red is smaller (not really a dwarf) but still quite slow moving for the most part (correct me if I have gotten that wrong) so, I still feel as they could be an option. However, I have decided against C. elegans because I don´t believe I would be able to handle such a fastmoving species as they seem to be (at least not for my first or even second spider). </p><p></p><p>So basically, I am the complete opposite of your wife then…I can (usually) handle the tiny ones but… bigger spiders really freak me out. If I decide to get a tarantula, I would want something “normal sized” at most. I would never be able to have a “bird eater” as a pet for example…I mean…whoa! Those are CRAZY BIG!</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes, I have actually (considered a jumping spider, I mean). I find their face and big eyes rather “cute” (yep…I said that about a spider…the world must be upside down, hehe). I mean “Lucas the spider” …pretty endearing. </p><p></p><p>However, despite me finding them kind of “cute” they are still spiders, so…they still freak me out. In the end (after doing some research) I decided against them, because to me they have a huge downside; and that is the fact that they jump. The thought of opening the terrarium and the spider jumps out and lands on me, holy cow…that would freak me out (despite the “cute” appearance). They seem very personable and inquisitive… but the whole jumping thing; just no, that would not work for me. </p><p></p><p>Another thing that makes them less ideal for me personally, is that they seem to have a very short lifespan. I hate losing animals (weird if you would like that…but yeah…) and a short lifespan especially in this particular case doesn´t seem ideal. I would need time to get used to it and with such a short lifespan, it´s possible it would die just as I am starting to feel more comfortable with it; obviously that wouldn´t be an ideal situation. </p><p></p><p>I am very interested in and fascinated by tarantulas (and spiders in general) and I am always trying to learn more. Hopefully, I will get to a point when I feel as though I can handle having one as a pet. I believe the interaction will “force” me to start getting over my arachnophobia; but knowing my fear is irrational, knowing about different species etc. have not changed anything about how I feel and react in the presence of spiders. I think I need to physically be around spiders to get used to them and to get less phobic. This is partly why I would like to get a pet tarantula.</p><p></p><p>As someone mentioned earlier in this thread; there is a big difference between reading about an animal and actually having it as a pet. </p><p>This (I believe) really applies to getting past the arachnophobia as well, a picture or a movie is nothing like having the real thing running over the floor etc. </p><p></p><p>I can definitely relate to the statement of it being nothing like you think beforehand. Before you get yourself some parrots…you literally have no clue what you´re getting yourself into (and that is despite planning for it for nearly twenty years). Don´t get me wrong, I love my two crazy “feathered kids” …but…they can be a handful, haha. They can be lovely, sweet and fun…just to turn into a bitey, crazy “attack machine” the next second; it can hurt (and I have small parrots).</p><p></p><p>If I would (with the help of one or two pet spiders) be able to get a little less fearful of doing normal everyday things; like opening a door (in the summer) or walking into my parents basement without looking around everywhere…I think my life would be a lot less stressful (at least I would not be stressed out for no good reason whatsoever). </p><p></p><p>Your story makes me feel like that might be a possibility someday. Maybe I won´t be able to be fully free from my phobia, but if I can get just a little less freaked out at the site of as spider; that would be a big win for me. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes, “Lucas the spider” is quite cute (at least for being a spider). I sent a link to a YouTube clip of it [MEDIA=youtube]VrS6akzR3sk[/MEDIA] to one of my siblings at one point and got the reply (after I had written something like that it was cute and if spiders looked more like that cartoon, I probably would not freak out at all) “…yeah…but it still has the creepy legs and moves like a spider…”. I am less of an arachnophobe than the sibling mentioned…so I find it rather adorable actually (despite the legs and all).</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes…well maybe not everybody (see the story about my sibling in #10), but I find him rather cute despite my arachnophobia.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yeah…research…that´s definitely what it is…</p><p></p><p>/SwedishArachnophobe84</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="SwedishArachnophobe84, post: 165724, member: 31783"] Thank you all so much for your answers! I will absolutely take this whole thing very slow. The last thing I want to do is to rush into getting a tarantula. My phobia is real and I need to take that into consideration and make tiny steps towards owning a tarantula of my own. Once it´s here…it´s kind of late for second thoughts so I will make absolutely sure that I want to go down that road before making any decisions. Thank you. Already found Tom and have watch a bunch of his videos. I have decided against getting a C. elegans (at least as a first spider or even a second). They are pretty with their little “heart-butts” but their speed…I honestly believe I would not be able to handle that at all; and freaking out is probably not the best start to owning a tarantula…and it may also be detrimental for the animal (…I can´t really promise I would be able to keep cool if it sped a cross the floor…). Euathlus sp red seems like a better choice for me and that one has ended up on the second place after my all-time favorite A. chalcodes. I do realize that it might be difficult to find any of my favorite two species in “the perfect size/age” for me (I believe that to be a juvenile or young adult after looking into it a bit more), but I will keep an eye out (if I decide to get a tarantula…or two…). Who knows I might get lucky…or I may just have to get used to the idea of getting a sling (preferably a sexed female) …even thought that seems more difficult to care for, than a slightly larger specimen or an adult. The reasons for me wanting a female rather than a male are 1) they live longer and I hate losing pets, even if it´s a guppy or something... 2) and this is an important one; they seem to be less “leggy” and have a bigger abdomen and not be as “slim-butted” (yeah…that´s a word now, haha) as males generally and therefore I usually find females less…ehm…disgusting and creepy, hehe… Stupid question (like this is the first one I’ve asked…): The spiders in your pictures look rather different, are they different localities or is the darker one (which looks different from other A. chalcodes I´ve seen) in premolt or something? Hello there fellow (at least former) arachnophobe! Good to hear from someone that has managed to overcome the fear and now has quite a few pet spiders. That gives me hope. I find them so interesting and I hate being scared, even though a know that they are nothing to be afraid of. My brain knows this but sadly my body/feelings does not…chills down the spine and completely freaking out at the site of one…I mean come on…they are tiny! Arachnophobia suck! I really wish I could just tell myself to stop being so ridiculous. I screamed like a madwoman just the other day due to a small spider (rolling my eyes and shaking my head at myself). Fun fact, I had seen the same spider previously and thought “ok, you can stay”. It was sitting in my kitchen by my table, like on the floor in a web. Later that evening I was standing by my table cutting up my dogs’ medication in the correct sizes and putting them in their “pillboxes/pill dispensers”. All of a sudden, the spider (you know, the one I didn´t freak out about before) comes down from the ceiling (in a tread) and “lands” on the bag with all the medications in (the bag was in front of me on the table). Cue “Instant freak out time” …I mean…ok… I will let this take time and won´t rush into getting a tarantula. I am not ready yet at all…but I hope I will be someday in the future. Some days I wish I could just find the “perfect one” and bring it home right away…but I know that wouldn’t be a good idea; so, I will let it take whatever time it needs to take. I need to feel that I will be able to handle it (having a large spider in my home that is). I don´t think I have to fully get rid of my arachnophobia beforehand, but I need to feel like I can get used to the idea of having one in my home and feel like I can get used to taking care of it. I obviously don´t want to put myself in a situation where I have a full on panic attack (or something like that) every time I need to fill its water bowl etc. I need to feel a bit surer about being able to cope with a spider living in my house and depending on me to survive…before taking on a live animal…and then having trouble caring for it without being panicked. I still think dubia roaches are creepy and I don´t want to touch them, but even from the beginning (when I first got them) I was able to give them food and water etc. and as time has gone by, I feel less and less creeped out by them. I need to somehow get to that point with a tarantula (like when I first got the roaches), so that I can take care of it, even if I still feel creeped out by it. Eventually I believe I will be less creeped out…just like with the roaches. The difference between a tarantula and the roaches for me are 1) I have a phobia for spiders but not really for bugs/roaches…just don´t particularly like them. 2) I am fascinated by tarantulas and interested to know more about them etc. Roaches are just here because I need to feed them to my other pets, I don´t have the same fascination for them at all. This makes me feel optimistic that I may get used to the tarantula faster…but then there is the stupid irrational fear…so I guess it might just take as long time as it did (does) with the roaches after all. Regarding the mentioned species: I think “curly hairs” look absolutely disgusting, so I will definitely not get one of those. They creep me out like crazy. I will however take a closer look at the Euathlus parvulus, because I don´t know much about it (and definitely not enough to make a decision for or against it). Haha, thanks! That sounds absolutely terrifying! I can´t even imagine being bit by a spider let alone a venomous one, yikes! Hope you´re doing ok now and it didn´t give you any lasting problems, but either way what a horrible experience that must have been. Just awful. I find tarantulas less ehm…crazy creepy (creepy…but not as creepy) than a lot of other spiders. Not sure if they are the ones known as true spiders but I guess so. They are “leggier” and less “cuddly-looking” (can´t believe I wrote that while talking about tarantulas) than tarantulas so that type of spiders freaks me out more (but tarantulas still freak me out). I wish knowledge would make my arachnophobia go away…but I don´t believe it´s that “easy” for me. I know plenty about tarantulas (and spiders, as I said fascinating creatures) and my brain says “see nothing to be afraid of” but my body and feelings…still screams and freaks out. It´s infuriating when your “realistic mind” knows that there´s nothing to worry about… but you still react like an idiot when there is a spider in your home (or worse still, on you) …stupid “reptile brain” … Regarding your “arachnophobe-newbie-tarantula owner” tips: I will absolutely stay far away from fast moving ones. I know that would be a… to say the least…not good (lets go with that) idea. This is why I feel as though C. elegans is probably not the best to start with…I like them for their size and looks…but their speed would definitely be more than I can handle. When it comes to a defensive species…yeah… let’s just say that such a spider, would probably be an even worse idea, just the thought of a big angry spider threatening to bite… (so I´m out of here, where´s the door?) I´m well aware of the difference between watching movies and actually taking care of one…if I didn´t I would already have a tarantula; but having it in my home and “interacting” with it, is miles away from seeing it from afar. I can look at a tarantula in a terrarium but it´s “the whole opening the terrarium and messing about inside” (like changing water bowls, feeding etc.) that really freaks me out (not to mention having to rehouse it for some reason or having it bolt out, worst case scenario onto me…oh, my, don´t even get me started on the “freaking out level” of that one). Yeah, they seem to have personalities from what I have seen on all the YouTube clips that I´ve been watching. If I decide to get one (or two…) I hope to get a docile, calm, slow moving girl without too much attitude. So basically, I´m looking for a sweetheart not a rambunctious, crazy, “wild child”, haha. Well, I have realized that I´m far from the only arachnophobe who want´s to get a pet spider (or two…). Hearing about other arachnophobes (like yourself) getting over their fear and being able to keep tarantulas gives me hope (even if you still kill spiders running towards your feet). I´m not looking to get as many as you have, but I would like to get one (or maybe two). I have plenty of other animals so having “a million” tarantulas like you (even if I would be able to get over this stupid fear) is not plausible; after all, there´s just twenty-four hours in a day. But I could definitely manage caring for one or two. Yes…I´m beginning to feel as though dwarf species might not be the best to start with, at least not for an “arachnophobe-newbie”. From what I understand Euathlus sp red is smaller (not really a dwarf) but still quite slow moving for the most part (correct me if I have gotten that wrong) so, I still feel as they could be an option. However, I have decided against C. elegans because I don´t believe I would be able to handle such a fastmoving species as they seem to be (at least not for my first or even second spider). So basically, I am the complete opposite of your wife then…I can (usually) handle the tiny ones but… bigger spiders really freak me out. If I decide to get a tarantula, I would want something “normal sized” at most. I would never be able to have a “bird eater” as a pet for example…I mean…whoa! Those are CRAZY BIG! Yes, I have actually (considered a jumping spider, I mean). I find their face and big eyes rather “cute” (yep…I said that about a spider…the world must be upside down, hehe). I mean “Lucas the spider” …pretty endearing. However, despite me finding them kind of “cute” they are still spiders, so…they still freak me out. In the end (after doing some research) I decided against them, because to me they have a huge downside; and that is the fact that they jump. The thought of opening the terrarium and the spider jumps out and lands on me, holy cow…that would freak me out (despite the “cute” appearance). They seem very personable and inquisitive… but the whole jumping thing; just no, that would not work for me. Another thing that makes them less ideal for me personally, is that they seem to have a very short lifespan. I hate losing animals (weird if you would like that…but yeah…) and a short lifespan especially in this particular case doesn´t seem ideal. I would need time to get used to it and with such a short lifespan, it´s possible it would die just as I am starting to feel more comfortable with it; obviously that wouldn´t be an ideal situation. I am very interested in and fascinated by tarantulas (and spiders in general) and I am always trying to learn more. Hopefully, I will get to a point when I feel as though I can handle having one as a pet. I believe the interaction will “force” me to start getting over my arachnophobia; but knowing my fear is irrational, knowing about different species etc. have not changed anything about how I feel and react in the presence of spiders. I think I need to physically be around spiders to get used to them and to get less phobic. This is partly why I would like to get a pet tarantula. As someone mentioned earlier in this thread; there is a big difference between reading about an animal and actually having it as a pet. This (I believe) really applies to getting past the arachnophobia as well, a picture or a movie is nothing like having the real thing running over the floor etc. I can definitely relate to the statement of it being nothing like you think beforehand. Before you get yourself some parrots…you literally have no clue what you´re getting yourself into (and that is despite planning for it for nearly twenty years). Don´t get me wrong, I love my two crazy “feathered kids” …but…they can be a handful, haha. They can be lovely, sweet and fun…just to turn into a bitey, crazy “attack machine” the next second; it can hurt (and I have small parrots). If I would (with the help of one or two pet spiders) be able to get a little less fearful of doing normal everyday things; like opening a door (in the summer) or walking into my parents basement without looking around everywhere…I think my life would be a lot less stressful (at least I would not be stressed out for no good reason whatsoever). Your story makes me feel like that might be a possibility someday. Maybe I won´t be able to be fully free from my phobia, but if I can get just a little less freaked out at the site of as spider; that would be a big win for me. Yes, “Lucas the spider” is quite cute (at least for being a spider). I sent a link to a YouTube clip of it [MEDIA=youtube]VrS6akzR3sk[/MEDIA] to one of my siblings at one point and got the reply (after I had written something like that it was cute and if spiders looked more like that cartoon, I probably would not freak out at all) “…yeah…but it still has the creepy legs and moves like a spider…”. I am less of an arachnophobe than the sibling mentioned…so I find it rather adorable actually (despite the legs and all). Yes…well maybe not everybody (see the story about my sibling in #10), but I find him rather cute despite my arachnophobia. Yeah…research…that´s definitely what it is… /SwedishArachnophobe84 [/QUOTE]
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