Re: Hamsters are so cool.
My Mum had very severe arachnophobia and has passed it on to my daughter. Only a few weeks ago, it was around midnight and I was reading in bed. Well the bedroom door burst open and there was my daughter (she's 21) sobbing. I honestly thought there had been a tragedy or something, like one of her mates. She was gasping for breath and pointing at her bedroom.
So I looked and there was a huge house spider on her curtains. It was a female by the body size and house spiders are very quick. Anyway I managed to catch it in my spider and moth jug (the moths are for Mrs F), and set it free in the garden. But my daughter is afraid of even small spiders, so this was a worst nightmare. I wouldn't want a spider as a pet though.
But we used to have two European Eagle Owls, the world's biggest owl. I used to feed them white rats (dead) and they would take them so gently, despite their huge talons.
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'It was a wedding ring, destined to be found in a cheap hotel, lost in a kitchen sink, or thrown in a wishing well' - Marillion, Clutching at Straws, 1987