I have arachnophobia and (TW photos!)

[SpideyMam]

Just bought a tarantula 🙈

Trying to get over my fear s/he(?) just arrived this morning and has already eaten.

Only about 2" right now.

Very cute but am scared of it getting out 😂

I need a name too!

I don't understand how someone with arachnophobia buys a tarantula? I have it and just looking at your photos has made my heart start banging. All the best though if it helps you.

Exposure therapy!

I started last year with a tiny jumping spider.

I'm really scared of it tbh but I'm hoping caring for it will desensitise me even more to them.

It's quite a common thibg in spider boards, people who are afraid owning them.

I've been doing alot of therapy lately for anxiety and facing my fears has really helped my anxiety so I figured I'd jump in the deep end here.

I've obsessively checked the lid about 6 times since it arrived 😂

omg that is very cute. Mabel? Geoffrey?

Fluffy?

Hope it goes well, you are far braver than me!

I feel like it's a male. Just a hunch.

Is that a Yorkshire pudding in the left corner ? 😆

Oh and I'd call him Aragog (but hopefully he won't grow to be quite as big)

Terence?

But also, are you mad?!

This is putting my anxiety way up and it's just a photo.

Good luck op, you're a braver woman than I am (and a bit mad).

Way too many eyes and legs to be cute!
I'd call it Kenny or Rex

Alan
Brian
Colin
Dave
Eric
Fred
Gerald
Horace
Ian
Jeffrey
Keith
Lawrence
Maurice
Norris
Obadiah
Paul
Quentin
Roy
Stuart
Timothy
Uri
Victor
Webster
Xavier
Yves
Zeke

Dave, Derek, Gerald, Alan,

That is amazing, OP, well done! I am a huge advocate for exposure therapy, having seen the transformation it made in DD"s phobia (not arachnophobia). Good luck!

It's really working in other areas of my life!
I'm glad it worked for your DD too. Can I ask what her fear was?

You're a brave person! I'd call it princess sparkle fluff to try and make it sound as cute as possible ... but really you're mad!!

Aragog

It's emetophobia, OP. Exposure therapy, done with the right mindset (trying to embrace discomfort rather than getting it over as quickly as possible) took her from being unable to leave the house to getting back to 95% normality within around six months.

She's also very scared of spiders (although not quite to the point of phobia, I think) so we will be working on that at some point too!

How do you find out if it's a boy or girl?! Maybe a unisex name. Leggy.

Kevin

Call it Sparkles. Or Cute Toes. Or a super friendly name like Samuel or Sally.

Salmon pink?

Congratulations! Good docile, active, fast-growing species as a first tarantula.

Feel free to pm on here (if we can? I don't know, haven't looked...).

If it's in a secure enclosure and you can see it regularly, this is a great way to get over your fear. You'll soon see they're nothing to be afraid of and I'd bet money on you getting another within a year... that's just how it works with the hobby 😉

You have to look at the moult.

Ooo pretty. I have a jumping spider

He’s on my hand. He’s helped my phobia massively