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Original poster

Would you use a CM that had a pet tarantula

34 replies

monkeymonkeymoomoo · 27/04/2007 11:56

?

Seen an excellent CM that has an outstanding OFSTED report but she has a pet tarantuala and that (probably unreasonably!) puts me off!

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jomist · 27/04/2007 11:59

I don't think so!!!! But then I hate spiders and wouldn't go near a house that kept one as a pet. What if it got out?

geekgrrl · 27/04/2007 12:03

it wouldn't bother me. I'd presume she doesn't get it out near the children if she's that good.

kslatts · 27/04/2007 12:03

My dd1 would love a taratuala so it wouldn't put me off, I'm sure it wouldn't be able to escape.

WigWamBam · 27/04/2007 12:05

Why the devil not?

No worse than any other animal, kept in the right conditions, and safer than a lot of more common pets. Easier to keep away from the children when necessary than something like a dog as well.

And I would bet that the kids love to watch it.

The outstanding OFSTED report would be enough for me, spider or no spider.

mummydoit · 27/04/2007 12:16

Presumably the OFSTED inspector was aware of the tarantula and was satisfied that it was housed securely and out of reach of the children. If that's the case, don't be put off.

NKF · 27/04/2007 12:21

Probably not. But then I wouldn't use a childminder that had a dog or a cat. Then again it it was a choice between an excellent childminder with a tarantuala and a bad one without, I might.

dmo · 27/04/2007 13:14

my boys would love it
i took all my mindees to the animal man once and they all held the snakes, spiders and lizards they loved it and talked about it for weeks
if you dont have any pets at home (i dont) than your child will learn to look after an animal

soak · 27/04/2007 14:51

DMO - where di you go to see the animal man??
I would love to take OH's son there as a day out (we don't have pets and neither does his mom).

dmo · 27/04/2007 18:35

at the local libarys he goes to all the one local to me in north west in the summer hols he is fab you can also book him for parties

fryalot · 27/04/2007 18:38

I used to have a tarantula as a pet and I can tell you that they make excellent pets for the lazy (honestly) You rarely need to clean them out, you don't need to take them for walks, or even get them out if you don't want to, they just lurk, and you only feed them once a month.

There is nothing dirty or dangerous about large pet spiders, it is just the thought of something so big and hairy with so many legs that puts people off.

(sorry, forgot which word we're supposed to use instead of spider, so I used the word spider)

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 27/04/2007 18:38

why ever not?

my ds would be in his element. in fact he was eyeing one up at the local pet shop a few weeks ago and later said "we could have a spider mummy, it would live in a tank". err ... not a chance.

Original poster
monkeymonkeymoomoo · 27/04/2007 18:39

It is safely housed, I have two dogs and two cats so don't mind a menagerie of animals but.... spiders.... shudder... I'm sure DD would love to see it.

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Original poster
monkeymonkeymoomoo · 27/04/2007 18:39

Arachnids??

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NannyL · 27/04/2007 18:40

NO way.... but then im terrified of spiders.

wouldnt have a problem with any other animal... but spiders no way!

Earthymama · 27/04/2007 18:41

You have to wear gloves or gauntlets to hold them as they shoot out their spines as tarantulas hate being handled. It's not nice to treat wild animals like this so 'No, I would not'

Aloha · 27/04/2007 18:42

No! A, I am phobic about them so would hate to be in the house and B I, perhaps unfairly, think anyone who keeps spiders and snakes is wierd.

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 27/04/2007 18:42

but it's not you that has to look after it so what is the harm? Im assuming it's not kept in her livingroom so you probably wouldn't even see it when you dropped off/collected your child.

Original poster
monkeymonkeymoomoo · 27/04/2007 18:49

I think it is the 'what ifs' that bother me... ie. if it escapes or even worse what if DD decides she must have a spider

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fryalot · 27/04/2007 18:54

If it escapes, it will find the darkest corner it can find (although it's not really likely to escape)

If she decides she wants a spider, show her a cobweb and tell her to wait.

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 27/04/2007 18:58

if it escapes it's going to hide - it won't lie in wait behind a door ready to jump out on you/your dd. You probably have dozens of spiders in your house that you don't even know about.

and if your dd decides she wants one there's a simple answer - no.

I hate spiders and am not that struck on snakes/other reptiles and I have moral objections to them being kept as pets but that's a discussion for another topic, but it wouldn't bother me if my ds went somewhere where someone else was keeping one as a pet.

Califrau · 27/04/2007 18:59

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Original poster
monkeymonkeymoomoo · 27/04/2007 19:02

She has a dog as well! And that doesn't bother me

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MaloryTowers · 27/04/2007 19:03

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Original poster
monkeymonkeymoomoo · 27/04/2007 19:04

Why is that Mallory?

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MaloryTowers · 27/04/2007 19:05

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