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Anonymous
hey /an/
My boyfriends mom was telling a story of how disgusted and freaked out she was by a lizard on the ceiling while on a tropical vacation. I asked about it and after some more description it was probably a gecko. A harmless gecko. She got so creeped out just talking about it.
I told her it wouldn't have hurt her, and it's not poisonous or slimy or anything, but she wouldn't have any of it. I think geckos are probably the most non-threatening lizards ever.

I can understand fear of snakes, scorpions, bees and spiders, as they can potentially hurt/kill you.
But why are people scared of animals that can't hurt them?

pic related
>> Anonymous
geckos are the cutest infestation ever.
>> Anonymous
Agreed,>>216609. Every time I go out somewhere in Kona, I feed the geckos as much as I can. The shop owners get so pissed.
>> Anonymous
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What negative aspect would a gecko infestation bring? I mean, do they carry disease? I would be like, "OMG cute lizards everywhere!"

Pic looks like :D
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
Well, lots of Geckos = lots of Gecko food (insects)
>> Anonymous
>>216615
Um, no, you'd think the shopkeepers would be okay with geckos since they'd be EATING all the bugs.
Geckos =/= more bugs
>> Anonymous
More gecko pictures.
>> Anonymous
i wish these guys would infest NJ.

>>216611
not these because i hear they are loud as fuck and mean
>> Anonymous
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>>216621
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
It pisses me off when people hate rats/mice because "their tails looks like worms." Which even if their tails did look like worms, why the fuck is it so disgusting that it outweighs the cuteness of their front end?

We have a lot of skinks slithering about where I am, sometimes I'll startle when one zooms by really fast and I'm not expecting it, but they're certainly not scary. People are probably just uncomfortable that there's a strange being living close to them, staring at them. Either that, or it's because society teaches girls that it's "cute" to be frightened of creepy-crawlies.
>> Anonymous
Spiders get a bad rap too, ive had several poisonous ones live right above my bed for several years in a row.

Never got bit and never had bugs bothering me.
>> Anonymous
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>>216628
Yeah the rat thing was also in my thoughts when I posted the OP. I am female and had 2 pet rats in high school, but the proportion of my girlfriends who were scared of rats tails was astronomical.
I can sort of understand the "disease thing" that people are taught about rats, or even that they may bite, but to be scared of their TAILS? That's so retarded. What are their tails going to do to you???

And my rats were cute, non-diseased and very gentle.
>> Anonymous
No, I see why your mom was scared, OP. Car Insurance Salesmen Scare me, too.
>> Anonymous
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>>216634
Saw one little gecko and my mom got scared
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
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WTF
>> Anonymous
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They move fast, which is unnerving.
>> Anonymous
>>216640
WTF indeed Having something like that would be epic.
>> Anonymous
Its called an 'irrational' fear for a reason.
There really isn't any backing to it- they just kind of are scared shitless? I've got arachnophobia, and will shit bricks at the smallest spider. I know the damn thing won't do anything to me, its just some kind of silly trigger. There doesn't have to be reasoning.
Now, people who HATE what they are afraid of make me confused. Its just because you're afraid of it- so avoid it. Spiders are still interesting creatures; although I wouldn't touch one with a ten foot pole.
TL;DR irrational fears = irrational.
>> Anonymous
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Hay guys wats going on in dis thread?
>> Anonymous
I'm afraid of insects if they're inside my home. Don't know why. Can be any kind of insect. I freak out and feel paranoid the rest of the night.
Yet I'm completely fine around wild mice and other animals.

Everyone's different.
>> Anonymous
>>216645
But some spiders ARE poisonous and CAN harm you. Without knowing what species they are, for some people it's best to avoid them entirely.
It's not SO irrational in that case.
>> Anonymous
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>>216659
Even me?
>> Anonymous
>>216682

ESPECIALLY you. >:(
>> Anonymous
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The irrational fear of lizards is something I will never comprehend. My harmless amazing bearded dragon either freaks people out or they love him. I don't fucking understand why people are scared of him. He's always looks like he's smiling and he's so nice.
>> Anonymous
>>216694
i have a beardie too and some people do freak out over them...
i guess some people only like fuzzy things
>> Anonymous
>>216682

Awww!

Actually yes. Haha I saw one in my bathroom garbage the other day and freaked. Made my fiance throw it outside. They are cute though.
>> Anonymous
>>216682
Fucking lady bugs went on a biting rampage in my town years back.
>> Tired Anon !EHsj4EGwIQ
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Hm, yea, I find people's fear of reptiles very irrational, especially how they react. I had worked in a video store, in which the owners always allowed their cat and dog to have free roam. I decided to bring my Ball Python in one day, and some of the reactions I had... it's shameful! There was a lady who even refused to never come back again if I didn't remove my snake. I tried explaining that Raphael (the snake btw) is absolutely harmless and would rather snuggle up on me, preferably in my shirt (he likes bewbs). I dunno, I suppose the some people are either born with this fear, or something happened to them as a child.
>> Anonymous
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>>216754
A bit off topic, but I'm really considering getting a snake (I'm>>216694, I have experience with lizards, turtles, frogs, and tarantulas, but no snakes, yet...) I take it that ball pythons, at least yours, doesn't mind being handled? That's one of my biggest concerns about getting a snake, because although I'm careful, I can't seem to keep my hands off my pets, no mater how scaly they are, and I'd rather not get bitten. Also, if you know, how do they compare to corn snakes in this aspect?
>> Anonymous
>>216632
Spiders creep me out but I don't hate them. I even allow them to live in my house so long as they leave me alone. They cross the line though when the hairy long-legged ones start dropping off the ceilings. Then it is time to go.
>> Anonymous
>>216751
Lady bugs are too fucking small to bite you. I love lady buggs and preying mantises.
>> Anonymous
>>216771

Ball Pythons all depend on how much attention you pay to them. They were my first experience with snakes, and what I experienced was a sweet and sociable snake that loved to lightly curl around my appendages and just soak up my body heat. I was never bitten, and it never squeezed hard. An acquaintance of mine had four ball pythons and rarely paid any attention to them, and they wound up being biters, probably because they weren't so used to human contact.

So if you want to get a snake, be sure to pay lots of attention to it so it recognizes you as something it shouldn't bite.
>> Anonymous
>>216771

When was the last time you vacuumed, buddy?
>> Anonymous
I get gecko's in my house all the time.
Late at night, watching TV, then all of a sudden this adorable gecko crawls on the wall.

Although once I found a baby gecko, drowned, in my dog's water bowl :(
gecko's love my hair for some reason.
>> Anonymous
NOT A HARMLESS LIZARD!! OMG!!!

smack your boyfriends mom until she realizes shes a bitch, my mom fucking handled my rats and shes afraid of gross things
>> Anonymous
>>216751
>>216774
Those weren't ladybugs. They must have been asian lady beetles, which are knock offs of ladybugs and they bite.
>> Anonymous
geckos shit everywhere. I feed them to my dog.
>> Anonymous
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>>216606
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
>>216679

There are no poisonous spiders, lizards or snakes.

If you are eating any of these creatures, your are doing it very wrong.
>> Anonymous
>>216908

... what?
>> Anonymous
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>> Anonymous
>>216919

Venemous =/= Poisonous.
>> Anonymous
What if you eat the venom gland? What then? POISON.
>> Anonymous
What a stupid fucking argument.>>216908
was just being a prick, everyone knows what>>216679
actually meant.

BTW, you could probably eat snake venom with no ill effects; the venom must enter the bloodstream to take effect.
>> Anonymous
>>216922
Why are Day geckos so awesome?
>> Guodzilla
Because you can save 15% or more on car insurance by switching to them.
>> Anonymous
Not sure about geckoes. I had a couple of cousins who kept some as pets. Now snakes and larger reptiles or for that matter non-mammalian species are usually chalked up either as a layover from either superstious beliefs or primodial rivalries
>> Anonymous
But geckos don't even have any teeth! Who is afraid of something that can't even bite you?
>> Anonymous
>>216967
Guess again! It doesn't look like they do because of their gums from what I see, but they are there.

Have you ever been bitten by a tokay gecko? Let me tell you, it doesn't tickle.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
>>216640
obvious shoop is obvious.
>> Anonymous
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well does she have like a bad experience with lizards or something?

cause i don't like camel crickets because of bad experiences with them...and they are fucking creepy looking D:
>> Anonymous
>>216606
Tell her without geckos, the tropics would be completely consumed by mosquitoes & other pest insects.
>> gizmogal !MmLOyiCYJs
People like that piss me off, but I can tolerate them.
Usually after they've tried being near it and see that nothing happens, they relax a bit.
Unless they're the paranoid type.
>> Anonymous
>>216611
tokay geckos are meanies.
>> Anonymous
>>216938

disregard that, i suck cocks.
>> Anonymous
>>217536
WTF, I thought that was a zergling >.<
>> Anonymous
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I have a trio of peacock day gecko's. I can't see any rational reason why people would be afraid of them. That would be like how my grandma is afraid of moths.

>>216968
>>216611
>>217685
Tokay gecko's can bite down to the bone on a finger, or take a chunk out of your flesh. So yeah I can see them as being scary. They always run though so unless you're trying to catch them you aren't going to get bit.
>> Anonymous
I've known a girl who was afraid of pidgeons. She'd run screaming, eyes closed, as if she was being chased by a horde of demons right out of hell.
>> Anonymous
>>217819
I know a guy who's afraid of moths. Seriously, one gets NEAR him, he screams like a woman and freaks out trying to get away from it. If I even say, "oh look a moth", he jumps out of his seat in a panic. I don't like getting moth dust on me but it's kind of like "ew, moth dust" *brushes it off*
No big deal. WTF is his problem?
>> Anonymous
>>216951
I can't say I didn't expect this....
but LOL
>> Anonymous
>>216679
no, ALL spiders are poisonous. But very few can harm you.
>> Anonymous
>>217820
BRING HER TO NEW YORK AND FILM THE EXPERIENCE!
>> Anonymous
I don't know why some people are like that. I remember one of my science teachers back in middle school had a leopard gecko that was the sweetest thing ever. You could pick him up and carry him around or just set him on your desk and he would just sit quietly, basking up the attention. He was also a little bit fat, which might have helped with his lazy temperament.

Turns out that nice attitude came back and bit him in the ass, because some dipshit stole him out of his cage one day. Never did find out what happened to him.
>> Anonymous
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Centipedes freak me out no matter how small or big. Also earwigs, they used to crawl in our basement during the summer.
>> Anonymous
>>218558
Actually, NO spiders are POISONOUS.
The term is venomous. There is a difference.
>> Lucemon !!xbleH73h30k
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How could anyone be frightened of such a beautiful creature like this?

The kid is fucking scary, though.

I love reptiles, especially snakes and ESPECIALLY the big constrictors. I have a 15-foot Burmese python and she's the friendliest snake you'll ever meet. She's very curious too, if she smells someone she doesn't know she'll try to go to that person and give him or her a thorough examination, including a full-body cuddle. She's never bitten or tried to squeeze anybody.
>> Anonymous
>>218614
Does she like to snuggle?
>> Anonymous
>>218568
I'm willing to bet it involved firecrackers.
Fucking hell I hate kids.
>> Anonymous
I have an irrational fear of bugs in general. It is not the crippling kind that some people have. I just don't like them and will use a disposable Tupperware container to catch them and throw them outside. Well except Roaches, I just kill those.

I leave the smaller spiders alone, I have a lot of the jumpers for some reason.
>> Lucemon !!xbleH73h30k
>>218684

she loves to snuggle. I usually let her roam around when I'm home, and if I'm sitting somewhere (couch, computer chair), when she's done exploring she'll come over to me, climb up and wrap herself around me and sometimes the chair, and just stay like that soaking up my body heat. Feels wonderful, too.

She does it to my friends, but only one (a girl) lets her wrap completely around her. The rest (mostly guys) get uncomfortable and try to hand her off to me.
>> spiderman !!Q+JluTncCte
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