Irrational Fear of my pets!!!!

[catzeye21138]

I am tired of my friends not wanting to come to my house just because of the animals that live in it. We have two ball pythons, that keeps 4 of them away. They are terrified. "What if it gets out and bites me and I die?!?!!" I mean come on! One of them is a hatchling and the other would have to make it all the way upstairs even if it did happen to get out! Not to mention they aren't even poisonous!

When we had our birds one of my friends would come over, but never go into our living room. They were in their cages and she wouldn't go within 10 feet of them. She was like "It is going to fly up, attack me, bite me, and fly back and pretend like nothing happened." I once had one out when she came by to drop something off, she had walked into the yard and knocked on the window, she saw the bird and ran back to her mom's car. It was giving me kisses. >(

Plus I have one friend who now has a phobia of my pigs because one day one bit her[she had her finger in it's mouth, what do you expect?] and made her bleed. I've been bit like that before, and I don't have an irrational fear of them.

Thankfully non of my friends are afraid of my cat. Too bad my cat is afraid of them.

Discuss: Irrational fears!!!!

 

[wickedrodent]

I have a friend that is terrified of Peaches, my cockatiel..

I must admit.. I have some fears.. Elevators (not really irrational.. I got stuck in one..), Cactus' (totally irrational, they just scare me), and train tracks (I don't know about this one, I have just always been scared crossing them).

EDIT: Oh, and I had a boyfriend that was terrified of rodents. As if I could be expected to stay with someone like that. lol

 

[piggly wiggly]

I must admit, the snakes would tottaly freak me out, but a bird and guinea pigs, come on. I can't say if I would avoid going to somebody's house just because of a snake, it might depend on how big they are. A snake can travel pretty quickly if it escapes enclosure. On the news here there was a huge dangerous snake that escaped a tank, and the whole apartment building had to be evacuated for over a month, until the snake was caught by animal control. It kept getting away from them in the heat vents and pipes. They are quick and fast. Sorry, but they really give me the heeby jeebies.

 

[clover-crystal]

I tend to get anxieties as apposed to fears to be honest. Most of the time I don't have any idea where they come from. I don't like travelling on trains, I'm scared about being sick, and I often worry about the most daft things. The thing is I don't mind what most people are scared of, like spiders, snakes, big dogs, daddy longlegs to name a few. I must be strange.

 

[catzeye21138]

Thanks YuselinMaikel, I am the one who cares for them. Plus some fish but who the heck would be afraid of a little tropical fish?
Its just that, the thing that irks me is that all my friends really overexaggurate how dangerous they are and what they are like. I did get one of my friends who isn't terrified to touch my smaller snake, just the tail. And she claimed it was slimey. >_> Most of my friends claim guinea pigs are stinky, and birds are mean. It is just like people saying taranchulas are man eating monsters when they can actually be quite docile.

I guess I just needed a good rant.

 

[catzeye21138]

Nonono, no one is afraid of my fish haha! I was just saying if they were that'd be stupid.

On a seperate note, once a week is too many times for a guinea pig to get washed. It makes their skin too dry. I wash mine 2-3 times a year. Once in the spring, once in mid/late summer, and sometimes in the autumn.

 

[i-love-nev]

I am going to be honest, your friends are down right stupid! I mean come on, a bird? ok if it was a bird of PREY (many people are scared of falcons etc, I have had one sitting on my shoulder!) anyways I have to say I LOVE snakes! we had loads when I was little I used to sit with my corn snake (I was about 4 yrs old) and she would sit on my should for EVER! or her trick was to wrap around my fingers but that was hard when she was around my fingers and I was trying to type ha ha anyways we also had a HUGE snake (can't remember what it was, give me a break I was only 4! ha ha!) and I loved her some much! but she became dangerous so we had to rehome her.

 

[pigsforlife]

Thanks for the info. what do you do to avoid when they smell kinda of funny?

Guinea pigs have no natural odor, they should not smell if they are housed in a large cage, with an absorbent bedding. What bedding are you using? How big is your cage? How many guinea pigs do you have?

As catzeye21138 said, washing weekly is way to often and unnecessary. It dries their skin out. Baby (or human) products are way to harsh.

 

[Calliso]

To be fair I think we all or most of us have irrational fears. And while it may seem irrational to you to them they might feel like they have a darn good reason to fear your pets. For instance if they have ever gotten bit by a bird I can understand why she would be nervous. Cause it hurts! And just because a bird is friendly with it;s owner doesn;t mean it will be friendly with others. I had a friend with a bird like that...nice with her not so nice with most other people. As for the snake thing I haven;t had any bad experiences myself but I can understand that fear too I guess. For some people snake equals bad regardless of whether it;s poisonness or not.

 

[catzeye21138]

Well I get your point, but it was a tiny parakeet for goodness sake. lol I'd bug him a bit and he'd tug on my skin just so show my friends it didn't hurt. It obviously didn't do anything but make the bird angry with me.

I also can understand the fear of snakes, like getting nipped. I admit, if it was our older snake and he was starving and you were wiggling your finger in front of him, me may strike. But with my baby you won't feel it unless you jerk your hand back. [it was more the whole they are "slimey" thing that irritated me. I love my pythons!! They are the most docile snake that I know of!]

On another note, I have a 2x4 with two pigs in it. I clean it twice a week and I use newspaper and kiln dried pine. I think it smells magnificent in my room, I have half a bale of hay in there. But my friends are like, "It smells like guinea pig!" "It'll make me smell like guinea pigs!!" "You smell like guinea pigs!" lol

But the people who aren't afraid of them admit there is no oder in my room cept for the hay.

 

[ortal]

I would stay away from anyones pet snake, no matter how big or small it was. I think if it was big enough, I would avoid their house altogether.

 

[Calliso]

Well I get your point, but it was a tiny parakeet for goodness sake. lol I'd bug him a bit and he'd tug on my skin just so show my friends it didn't hurt. It obviously didn't do anything but make the bird angry with me.

.

Yeah for something as tiny as a parakeet your friend/friends are over reacting. It's one thing to refuse to hold the animal or whatever. But to refuse to even go in the house...is a bit much. I mean my friends bird was a Quaker parrot and while small I think it is still bigger then a parakeet and can pack a bigger bite. *I think at least can;t remember the last time I have seen a parakeet up close* But I am guessing your friend must have had a bad experience if she is that terrifed

 

[Jenni_Feathers]

I can see someone being afraid of snakes, but a bird, and guinea pigs...come on people sheeesh. I think its crazy, all my friends love my pets ecspeically the piggies, but my pets are the simple dogs(2 are 100+ibs though), cats, hamster, guinea pigs. One of my firends arent crazy about the horses but she will still come over and even go out to the barn and fields. Are they really that afraid or are they just being over dramatic about it.

 

[i-love-nev]

I remember when I had my corn snake, I was 4 and she bit me about 5 times, never hurt it was more like rubbing a peice of sand paper rubbing against your skin, I learnt my lesson! she became the nicest snake I have ever met.

 

[piggerz]

I don't think I'd go in your house either if I knew you had snakes. Not one of my favorite animals, just one of them things I'm afraid of. Saw one once on a hike, and that freaked me out, but I didn't like them before that. And the issue with birds - my sister has this big blue and gold macaw. Lovely bird, except, that he hates me and a couple of other people. If he sees me he starts running back and forth across his cage, and he gets very agitated. If I stay within his line of site, eventually he will fly to me and land on my shoulder and start pecking on my head. I'm fine with her other birds, but I don't take kindly to a bird pecking my head.

 

[Calliso]

I don't think I'd go in your house either if I knew you had snakes. Not one of my favorite animals, just one of them things I'm afraid of. Saw one once on a hike, and that freaked me out, but I didn't like them before that. And the issue with birds - my sister has this big blue and gold macaw. Lovely bird, except, that he hates me and a couple of other people. If he sees me he starts running back and forth across his cage, and he gets very agitated. If I stay within his line of site, eventually he will fly to me and land on my shoulder and start pecking on my head. I'm fine with her other birds, but I don't take kindly to a bird pecking my head.

See now I could understand refusing to go into a house with a macaw in it if you were afraid or suspected it of attacking. Cause a macaw could probably take a finger off if it wanted.

 

[valfl]

Bring on the snakes, spiders, birds, ferocsious guinea pigs, heck even an alligator would be ok. But DO NOT let me see a COCKROACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I scream like a little girl and take off running in the opposite direction. Which is not easy for a BIG girl like me. I could play the Bionic Woman and jump a fence in a single bound at the sight of one. lol

Just my 2 cents!
Val