You All Lied to Me!

[ZippiesPal]

Help for all of you...

A phobia is an example of a 'single incident learning'. In this case the mind learns to be afraid (or sick to stomach, ie, some response), instantly and automaticaly whenever a certain stimulous is presented.

To overcome a phobia, one need only recode the experience in their mind, so that a spider nolonger means jump and screem, or a cricket nolonger means flop around in a panic.

I have already noticed great progress in the origional posters response in laughter. That is a great start, but there is more that can be done.

Anyone can do a google search on NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and find many books about the subject of NLP in general. What, specificaly, is called for here, is an NLP exercise called, The fast phobia cure.

Look this up and follow the directions and you will notice a change in your response to bugs in general. The results you get will be totlay dependant upon how you apply this technique.

 

[tananda]

I've never fed off roaches or hornworms (yet) but by far the creepiest so far is the Silkworms, I hate when their fuzzy legs stick to me. What my husband finds odd is the silkies freak me out but feeding live mice to the snakes doesn't.

 

[shellyanne]

I dropped a box of crickets in the sitting room once, i didn't cry but i sat with my hover waiting for them. LOL

lol... i did think of that but i didnt think my mother would have been too pleased wen it came 2 emptying it.... she hates them!

 

[Kaianuanu]

roaches will make me, a man, scream, and ive had pet tarantulas and scorpions

 

[shellyanne]

yea they r nasty little things i heard they smell bad aswell!

 

[justjumpit621]

yea they r nasty little things i heard they smell bad aswell!

Roaches have no smell whatsoever. I have a colony and the only smell given off by the tank is the smell of old veggies. They are great little insects I love em, especially hissers, they are so cute!

 

[crapwhereaminow]

I think chameleons as pets, deserve an owner who isnt afraid to offer them a wide variety of insects. I am quite comfortable handling any insect.
IMO I think you should get over your fear. Do it for your lovely cham, im sure he'll appreciate it.
I understand if any ladies on here are freaked out but some guys too...!LOL

I'm going to disagree with this comment. I think it really says how much I adore my cham that I'm terrified of all these bugs, but I'm still willing to deal with all of them to make sure he has a well balanced diet. Little bugger eats better than I do.

Rosy Maple Moth

Ok, these two are kinda cute. And I have to tell my dogs all the time that the chameleon isn't food! I don't feed the snakes live, I couldn't do that.

YES you are the only pansy and should feel like a baby!! lol jk

 

[GooglezNvincent]

I have no problem with worms and insects for the most part, but I highly recommend DO NOT try to breed your own hornworms. When my hawkmoths hatched out I nearly screamed like a little school girl. These moths are freaking HUGE! and gave me the heebygeebies! lol

I thinks its kick ass of you to go through all the stuff you do for your cham, shows your love for it! keep up the struggle hopefully you will get a little more used to it after a bit longer.

 

[sallyb]

Thank you so much, this thread has cheered me up no end tonight I too have a massive phobia of creepy crawly critters. Those crickets terrify me !! I accidentally left the lid open one day and they all started running riot in the lounge I am so ashamed of the quivering wreck i became, but i did exterminate them all by myself.

 

[Olimpia]

You're not alone!

I don't touch ANYTHING. I have three tweezers of different lenghts that I use to actually grab the things, and then I have a collection of plastic containers to dump them into and move them around. But I never actually grab them with my hand if I can help it. I'll still scream like a little girl too lol.

 

[lisagr07]

this thread is a HOOT!!!!!

now i don't feel so bad with being squeemish about the "possibility" of feeding roaches, any of the other feeders i won't have a problem with...

but just in case of a "feeder escape", i'm going to have one of these handy.

hope it works.... lisa

http://www.hammacher.com/publish/73620.asp

 

[crapwhereaminow]

this thread is a HOOT!!!!!

now i don't feel so bad with being squeemish about the "possibility" of feeding roaches, any of the other feeders i won't have a problem with...

but just in case of a "feeder escape", i'm going to have one of these handy.

hope it works.... lisa

http://www.hammacher.com/publish/73620.asp

I'm really loving all the responses I'm getting. (even the people that are calling me a pansy/baby/etc. )

And that is THE BEST IDEA EVER. I'm ordering one, like right now. Now I can pick up the superworms I drop!!!

 

[Lizardlover]

Nothing bothers me when it comes to bugs. Insects are actually what started my love for reptiles. My favorite bugs I keep at the moment are my 4 inch cave roaches

 

[Montium]

You're all pussies!

(except for maybe 3 who have posted)



-Brad

Werd

 

[eppcheck]

roaches will make me, a man, scream, and ive had pet tarantulas and scorpions

Just to add to the discussion. Although I am afraid of superworms and hornworms freak me out some of the more common phobias with spiders, scorpions, mosquitos, and bees/wasps I have no problem with. There is something about overgrown worms that freak me out.

 

[Avana Miaramila]

I don't mind handling black field crickets, locust, wax worms and butterworms, got used to them now. However I know what you mean by the superworms and mealworms, they freak me out so I don't bother with them. Going to try out silkies though as feeders and hope to get some to coccon as the moths are cute Hope to get a colony of Dubias going this year as I think they are cute too

 

[justjumpit621]

.....Hope to get a colony of Dubias going this year as I think they are cute too

Finally! Someone agrees! They are such darlings, don't bite and don't fuss. I say roaches make one of the best pets.

 

[VeiledOwner87]

lol this thread is rediculous. i dont think anyother thread has as many posts as this one does lol. and what a subject lol. YOU GUYS ARE CHICKENS!

 

[Ellron]

What programs us in our evolutionary past to be afraid of insects? We must be afraid of them for a reason? What makes some of us afraid and others happy? The bugs can't hurt us, except for supers, but we are still deathly afraid.. Makes me wonder....

 

[justjumpit621]

What programs us in our evolutionary past to be afraid of insects? We must be afraid of them for a reason? What makes some of us afraid and others happy? The bugs can't hurt us, except for supers, but we are still deathly afraid.. Makes me wonder....

Humans have a tendency to be afraid of things that are different, alien to us. Like snakes, everyone I have talked to that is afraid of snakes says it is because they have no legs and are so called "slimy"(which makes me angry because everyone who says they are slimy has never touched one). Similarly, spiders have 8 legs and 8 eyes. Other bugs have 6 legs, can fly, and make weird crunching noises when being eaten or squashed. They are not soft and cuddly either.

In conjunction to that, dogs, cats, horses, things people are more likely to love and cuddle, they have 4 apendages like we do, an inner skeleton, fur, and 2 warm sparkly eyes. Get my point?