Help

[Charlie And Lucy]

Hey guys,

I need some help and I am coming to you all because I think you can help me. I have a terrible spider phobia. I can handle small spiders, but anything fuzzy... my chest gets tight. I want to overcome this so I don't have a meltdown every time I see one. I have snakes (as you can see) and I adore them. I don't ever want to own a spider, but I do want to get over my phobia, and understand them better.

Could you guys tell me your experiences with owning spiders? I am going to confront this phobia the best that I can, and am determined to get over it.

No pics, please. I'm not at that stage yet

Thanks!

[Boanerges]

Hmmmm, I love spiders so unfortunately I can't help you. Hopefully someone who had a fear of them and got over it will chime in. I can help you with tarantula's to own one but sadly I am not quite sure how to help you get over your fear of them especially if you do not want to even look at pics of them. It sounds like a pretty deep seeded fear. If there is anything you can think of that I can do to help I would be more then happy to do my best with whatever it is though

[Michelle.C]

I was pretty much scared of everything I currently own at one time. I decided to keep them to get over my fear, now there isn't much in nature that does scare me.

Around ten years ago I had a similar phobia of Spiders. I'd photograph them and I liked looking at them through the glass, but when I saw a large arachnid out in the open or near me, my chest would tighten and I'd feel dizzy. I got over it by purchasing my first Tarantula, a B. smithi sling. I was told that even if it did bite me, it wouldn't be any worse than a bee sting. So, when she came in the mail, I opened the box and let her out of the delicup and instead of going into her enclosure, she slowly crawled up my arm. I was amazed how interesting...amazing they looked and felt. They feel like little balls of silk and their beauty is untouched by many of natures creatures. I've had a obsession of sorts since then.

To get over your fear, it's all about educating yourself. Most spiders/tarantulas are harmless and want nothing other than to survive. They are extremely beneficial to the ecosystem doing just what they do, Arachnid things. They don't want to hurt you, they don't want to even be around you.

I would suggest getting a small, harmless sling (baby) Tarantula and housing it. You don't even really have to touch them to keep them. I rarely remove mine from their enclosures, only to clean them. You'll find just being responsible for something will do wonders for getting you over your fears.

Good luck.

[Igby]

I got over my fear of spiders by gradually working my way up to holding them. I did not really like the idea of being afraid of spiders as a child because some kids would use that against me...so, I started with daddy long legs because i knew that their bite could not puncture human skin. I would let them crawl on my arms for brief periods at a time and gradually increased the amount of time that I could stand it. Then I went for other spiders once I'd gotten used to the daddy long legs. We have black widows all over the place here (in our flower garden, under the porch, etc) and while i will not be touching them I am not afraid of them because i know that people rarely die from the bites anymore. I have a pretty good respect for spiders.

[Mikkwa]

I'm in the same category as some others who have posted. I never really liked spiders & someone else had to get them out of my house (I wouldn't get close enough to touch them). Then about 3 mo. ago, call it a mid-life crisis, I decided I wanted a tarantula. I went to my local pet shop & bought the "garden variety" G. rosea (rosehair). Then I started ordering them & 11 tarantulas later I'm hooked. I still won't handle them, one day I will work up to that, but since I've kept the Ts I am very tolerant of wc spiders that wander into my home, giving them a free ride outside instead of killing them.
I can't explain it better than I finally decided to conquer my fears instead of my fears conquering me. Now the wolf spiders that get into my bathtub don't even bother me anymore!

[Charlie And Lucy]

Wow, you all are great Yet another reason why I love it here.

It is a deep seeded fear, and I have yet to discover where it came from. I never had anything traumatic happen to me when I was young involving spiders (deep water, yes), and I never done anything or seen anything that would raise such a fear. It was so bad when I was a kid that I would have these horrible nightmares.

I used to not be able to even look at stuffed spiders without getting upset. Now I can and I have a ton as Halloween decorations. But, at the pet store, or animal expo's, if we walk past a T vendor, my husband has to hold my hand. At Tinley Park, a guy from Tarantula's, Inc., was taking one of his spiders out. I noticed that, and I don't think I've moved so fast in my life. I distracted myself with a Pied and forgot about it. That night I thought about it and decided I have to get over this because it's not helping anything.

I was, at one point, able to look at the spiders at PetCo, back when they sold them. I was getting better, but then they stopped selling them, I stopped looking at them, and it seems my fear is back.