Originally Posted by
WiredIncorrectly
Nora is the same as my partner, and to an extent the same as me.
Do you want to cure this once and for all? The solution is simple. Buy a tarantula. They're cheap (less than £10 here), and easy to look after. For example you can get one as a baby (called slings) and it will live in a small vial for quite a while. It will be the size of a money spider and you will grow with it.
I used to hate spiders, and any creepy crawly. But one day, I seen a tarantula for sale with the setup. I though to heck with it, why not.
And that was my first spider. I rarely had to open it's tank and it was secure. She was very interesting to watch.
I was warned that once you own 1 spider you will quickly own more. And it's true. I'm sure Nora can back this up.
I then went on to own all sorts of tarantulas. Many were the defensive species, which means they had more toxic venom and were ready to attack without question. It also meant they were very fast. So fast they look like they teleport. But I never got "tagged" (i.e. bitten).
Putting the spiders into their homes after buying, or rehousing, is the fun part. With the defensive species it's scary, but you hold yourself together. While putting them into their homes they are more likely to escape, or teleport up your arm and bite you. Oddly this never had any affect on my anxiety. Maybe because I wasn't scared.
I never had a spider escape. I had a few close calls but thankfully never had one run up the wall.
I have also never handled a spider. They're not pets and handling them is more dangerous to them than it is for you. Even a fall from a small height can damage their sacks and kill them. They're very very delicate creatures. You also risk a bite.
Now, onto the bite. There's very few tarantulas that will kill you, and if somebody does die it's more than likely due to an allergic reaction, or an existing health problem like a weak heart. A tarantula is not in the same family as a brown recluse, black widow, Brazilian wandering spider etc. I'd be more scared of a dog bite, than a tarantula bite. The former will be far worse.
I still hate attic spiders. They're ugly. I think most British spiders are ugly to be honest.
Owning spiders taught me a lot about them. They're fascinating and beautiful. They're also very clever. Some like to web a lot, others burrow, others hide in holes.
I owned a six eyed sand spider. You probably seen one from an old meme. They bury themselves under sand. Their venom will kill you and there is no anti venom. But, they bite rarely and don't climb glass. They're relatively safe to own.
For many spider owners their spiders live behind the glass and rehousing day is an exciting experience.
There isn't really a tarantula I recommend as a beginner. There's old world, and new world, species. New world tarantulas have other defensive mechanisms which means they rarely bite, and their venom isn't as potent. For example, new world species will flick hairs at you from their back legs. Old world species don't have any other defensive mechanism except to bite. Their venom is stronger.
Asian species are awesome. I had a few. They are definitely up there with the most defensive though.
Some people say a Chilean Rose is a good tarantula as a beginner, but I think there's more beautiful species out there.
If you're going with a baby spider ignore the above and get any spider you like. By the time it's big enough to bite you, you'll have already built a respect and a love for your spider and you will no longer fear it. You'll learn it's temperament as it grows.
I respect all creatures big and small. I don't kill or trap anything. Not even flies. If you have flies in the house generally there's trash, or dog mess, somewhere. It's not their fault our lifestyles provide a breeding ground for them.
The good thing with spiders is they're cheap, and you can order them online.
But, there are some very expensive tarantulas too such as the Poecilotheria metallica, which are a lovely blue color. They got for $200+.
I'm getting into snakes at the moment. Would really like a Boa or a Python. In the future I would most definitely love a King Cobra. Or even a False Water Cobra.