LythSalicaria
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2014
- Messages
- 122
Hey all, I was going to post this in TWC, but it is related to inverts and I thought that it might be good discussion fodder. Not sure if this is going to be classified as fluff or not; if it is, sincere apologies.
Like so many here, I got into the hobby to help conquer my fear of "creepy crawlies". For the most part spiders were my biggest triggers, though large insects and centipedes could make me squeal pretty loud too. Since I've gotten into this, I've come a very long way. I've had a few escapes, 2 where I ended up with slings either crawling up my arm or down my leg, and I've handled those situations well. Stayed calm, held still, waited for them to stop running and then got them back in their homes quickly. Not posting this looking for pats on the back though. I'm posting this because it would seem that while I have indeed come a long way, I still have a bit of a way to go.
I was on the couch with my S.O. earlier watching Netflix, and I felt a crawling sensation on my leg. I checked where I had felt it, found nothing, figured it was just a random itch and returned my attention to the TV. A minute later, I glanced down and a big honking house centipede was casually strolling across my thigh! I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my life. I jumped to my feet and started spinning around in circles chanting, "Get it off!" like it was some sort of mantra, trying to figure out where the bloody thing was and finally punctuated my little spaz attack with, "Holy oop: on a cracker!" as I ripped off my pants to ensure the transient stowaway was off of my person. The centipede got through the experience unscathed and is now living happily in my basement, and I think my S.O. peed himself a little from laughing, but the experience certainly made me stop and think. I am so, so glad that I followed the advice of those who told me to work my way up to advanced species. Yeah, I've got a couple of Psalmos and I used to have a P. regalis and a couple of H. gigas, but my experiences with all of them wasn't bad at all, even when I had to do rehousings. Researching the bag technique on here helped me a great deal when I was working with them. (Many thanks for that, AB!)
Regardless, this experience has given me even more reason to take my time. As interesting and beautiful as a lot of OW species appear to be, I'll be working my way up to them very slowly. I had plans to possibly try Ceratogyrus species in a year or so, but now I'm second-guessing myself. Beginning to think that it would be wise to wait several years until I'm positive that my fears are gone. I'm pretty sure that the main reason I reacted so badly to this incident is because I wasn't in any way prepared for it - hadn't even seen any of these centipedes in my house in over a year. Be that as it may, better to be safe than sorry. Any new additions I get for the foreseeable future will be those comparable in temperament and speed to the species I've already got.
So here's what I'm curious about: How do you go about testing yourself to see if your fears are under control without putting yourself or your animals in potential danger? Are there any other members who have had similar wake-up calls? Lastly, why do you think it is that so many people have this primal, deep-seeded fear of arachnids and insects?
Like so many here, I got into the hobby to help conquer my fear of "creepy crawlies". For the most part spiders were my biggest triggers, though large insects and centipedes could make me squeal pretty loud too. Since I've gotten into this, I've come a very long way. I've had a few escapes, 2 where I ended up with slings either crawling up my arm or down my leg, and I've handled those situations well. Stayed calm, held still, waited for them to stop running and then got them back in their homes quickly. Not posting this looking for pats on the back though. I'm posting this because it would seem that while I have indeed come a long way, I still have a bit of a way to go.
I was on the couch with my S.O. earlier watching Netflix, and I felt a crawling sensation on my leg. I checked where I had felt it, found nothing, figured it was just a random itch and returned my attention to the TV. A minute later, I glanced down and a big honking house centipede was casually strolling across my thigh! I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my life. I jumped to my feet and started spinning around in circles chanting, "Get it off!" like it was some sort of mantra, trying to figure out where the bloody thing was and finally punctuated my little spaz attack with, "Holy oop: on a cracker!" as I ripped off my pants to ensure the transient stowaway was off of my person. The centipede got through the experience unscathed and is now living happily in my basement, and I think my S.O. peed himself a little from laughing, but the experience certainly made me stop and think. I am so, so glad that I followed the advice of those who told me to work my way up to advanced species. Yeah, I've got a couple of Psalmos and I used to have a P. regalis and a couple of H. gigas, but my experiences with all of them wasn't bad at all, even when I had to do rehousings. Researching the bag technique on here helped me a great deal when I was working with them. (Many thanks for that, AB!)
Regardless, this experience has given me even more reason to take my time. As interesting and beautiful as a lot of OW species appear to be, I'll be working my way up to them very slowly. I had plans to possibly try Ceratogyrus species in a year or so, but now I'm second-guessing myself. Beginning to think that it would be wise to wait several years until I'm positive that my fears are gone. I'm pretty sure that the main reason I reacted so badly to this incident is because I wasn't in any way prepared for it - hadn't even seen any of these centipedes in my house in over a year. Be that as it may, better to be safe than sorry. Any new additions I get for the foreseeable future will be those comparable in temperament and speed to the species I've already got.
So here's what I'm curious about: How do you go about testing yourself to see if your fears are under control without putting yourself or your animals in potential danger? Are there any other members who have had similar wake-up calls? Lastly, why do you think it is that so many people have this primal, deep-seeded fear of arachnids and insects?