?
edible or disposable. Preferably both.
I am SO GLAD Hawaii doesn't have any of those.....;-D...
We have Cane Spiders which are almost as creepy, but they're harmless so they're easier to tolerate.
Well, I won't move there then.
Seriously, we have Brown Recluse spiders somewhere down here, which I think, may be even worse. They eat the skin tissue to the bone. I cannot think of anything worse. Those things are TINY and really the living end in horror stories. (see bottom paragraph) But upon further reading, I have a new terrified respect for the Black Widow as well.
Brown Recluse - The bite frequently is not felt initially and may not be immediately painful, but it can be serious. The brown recluse bears a potentially deadly hemotoxic venom. Most bites are minor with no necrosis. However, a small number of brown recluse bites do produce severe dermonecrotic lesions (i.e. necrosis); an even smaller number produce severe cutaneous (skin) or viscerocutaneous (systemic) symptoms. In one study of clinically diagnosed brown recluse bites, skin necrosis occurred 37% of the time, while systemic illness occurred 14% of the time.[17] In these cases, the bites produced a range of symptoms common to many members of the Loxosceles genus known as loxoscelism, which may be cutaneous and viscerocutaneous. In very rare cases, bites can even cause hemolysis—the bursting of red blood cells.[18]
Around 49% of brown recluse bites do not result in necrosis or systemic effects. When both types of loxoscelism do result, systemic effects may occur before necrosis, as the venom spreads throughout the body in minutes. Children, the elderly, and the debilitatingly ill may be more susceptible to systemic loxoscelism. The systemic symptoms most commonly experienced include nausea, vomiting, fever, rashes, and muscle and joint pain. Rarely, such bites can result in hemolysis, thrombocytopenia, disseminated intravascular coagulation, organ damage, and even death.[19] Most fatalities are in children under the age of seven[20] or those with a weak immune system.
While the majority of brown recluse spider bites do not result in any symptoms, cutaneous symptoms occur more frequently than systemic symptoms. In such instances, the bite forms a necrotizing ulcer that destroys soft tissue and may take months to heal, leaving deep scars. These bites usually become painful and itchy within 2 to 8 hours. Pain and other local effects worsen 12 to 36 hours after the bite, and the necrosis develops over the next few days.[21] Over time, the wound may grow to as large as 25 cm (10 inches). The damaged tissue becomes gangrenous and eventually sloughs away.
@DJAM -- I would MUCH rather live with Cane Spiders than brown recluses. The few Cane Spiders I've encountered were complete fraidy-cats who ran away when I got close, and their bites apparently do little harm. I'll take that any day over tissue necrosis...;-D..
I wonder then, how you and Harley would have felt about my pet tarantula, Luigi. He was very docile but I was scared to death to touch him. He got a raw deal from me because I had no business having a pet I did not understand. This was years ago in Chicago. I had him in too small a cage and never took him out. That was terrible of me. I had no idea they need fresh air and exercise and more to eat than just crickets. They need mice. I was not about to feed him a mouse so he suffered at my ignorant hands. Poor Luigi. I remember he lost some hair because of my horrible arachnid care skills. I gave him back to the pet shop I bought him from hoping he would be happier. My friend owned it so I knew he would at least be in better hands.
I'm not a big fan of "exotic" pets.
A college friend of mine was into reptiles and snakes and such (including tarantuals, but he was allergic to contact with them, so he couldn't have one). I went with him once to buy food from a specialty store. The crickets I could handle. I was even kind of OK with the baby mice. Baby ducklings? I just wanted to adopt them all and take them home...:-(....
Looking at it from a different perspective; what I don't like rather than what I do (because maybe there's something I wouldn't think of, that the person brings to the table that I end up liking). There's more than a few things I don't like, but from my last 3 relationships, here were the deal breakers.
1. Too settled in to her lifestyle in that it was all encompassing. I need some spontaneity and flexibility.
2. Suffocating. I need my down time and alone time.
3. Borderline Personality Disorder. Can't take walking on egg shells.
Coffeemate
Also, how the heck did this turn into a dissertation on spiders? I have arachnophobia and can't even look at pictures of spiders. Can't scroll down fast enough.
Wow, good answer, you have no idea how bang on your are!
Coffeemate, what else is there.
A very petite dark-haired girl with beautiful dark brown eyes, who shares my political views and is smart enough to listen to my yammerings without ever once using the phrase, "How do you like...know so much stuff"?
...me?
A large dominant woman who can boss me around and treat me like a child.
My husband of 30 years.
