Hey I want a pet

[Kinkz]

But im scared of animals in case they bite me.

[hers]

Have you ever been bitten by one? Do you prefer dogs? Cats? Birds? Reptiles?

 

We can't really help without specifics.

[Brigadoon]

Get a fish. Not a piranha though lol

[Kinkz]

No i haven't been bitten by one before, but i get really scared if like cats or dogs follow me. Basically i like looking at furry creatures like little hamsters or guinea pigs but i can't pick them up or touch them.

 

Im thinking about maybe going for a fish, as they are easy to look after and i don't have to touch them. I would love to have a bird also, like a little canary.

[Speranza]

??? Isn't this a bit like saying, "I'd like to eat peanuts but I have an allergy" ??

 

Really think this through because a pet is a bigger commitment than you may think. Someone else's life depends on you not suddenly getting too scared to put down their foodbowl...

[sidehop]

I agree, why do you want a pet? No matter what kind of pet you have, it's going to cost money, the bigger, the more financial risk. I'd look into this further; the pro's and con's of the pet you're wanting to get.

[Speranza]

btw Fish can nibble and birds can DEFInitely bite...

[FathomFear]

As a FYI, the proper way to care for a bird involves letting it out of its cage occasionally. Might not be the best idea if you have a phobia of being bitten.

[shes2smart]

birds can DEFInitely bite...

 

Yup.

 

Former bird owner here. I had a couple parakeets & a lovebird over the years.

 

Parakeet bites hurt.

[Kinkz]

Okay after some careful consideration i have decided not to get one.

 

Although i love the idea of caring for one and watching it do cute stuff, as someone said, its life would depend on me and i just can't take that sort of responsibility! I would feel dreadful if God forbid it accidentally dies or something if i forget to feed it on time etc.

 

I'll stick to electronic pets.

 

Thanks for your help peeps!

[fLuiD]

Do you have any friends who have pets? It owuldn't be a bad idea to break ice in interacting with someone else's pet. Learn to get over the fear of being bitten and you might come to find out you might want a pet after all. It must not be very fun fearing animals all the time...

[Kinkz]

Do you have any friends who have pets? It owuldn't be a bad idea to break ice in interacting with someone else's pet. Learn to get over the fear of being bitten and you might come to find out you might want a pet after all. It must not be very fun fearing animals all the time...

 

Some of my friends do have pets, a dog and a cat, i can't go in the house if they are there and they usually let them out into the garden if i do go over. They make me jump if they do stroll into the room. Im not afraid of animals, i think i do like animals, but they are sometimes like aliens to me so i think thats why it scares me.

[Cognitive_Canine]

A little pain comes from just about every animal that you handle. Not even bites but unintentional kitten scratches or puppy suckling. It happens.

 

Even fish bite.

 

But, you get over it pretty quick once it actually happens to you.

 

Now, I'm not condoning the antagonizing of a large dog to get the fear of bites out of your system but wrestle around with a puppy for a little and just allow it to happen when it does.

 

This helped me get over my fear of being pecked by chickens. My boyfriend raises them and I was amazed at how he just nonchalantly sticks his hand in the coup and pulls them out. I was frightful of putting my hands near the chickens, even the young chicks, because of the pecking and their talons. But, he just instructed me to just stick my hand in there and allow it to happen.

 

Once I got pecked once, the fear went away.

[Kinkz]

Thats a good way to get the fear out, I can't do it on my own though and there is NO way im going to ask my friends to watch me while i scream and jump about like a maniac while trying to interact with an animal!

[Cognitive_Canine]

I think there are therapists who deal primarily with phobias and fear confronting. It'll cost but they'll lead you through safe ways to deal with your fear of animals. They can also calm you down easily if things get out of hand.

[hers]

Screaming scares the animals into biting you. If you scream and act crazy and fearful, they'll react off that.

[Kinkz]

Nice one. I might try that if i want a pet bad enough! At the moment its just an idea not a yearning. I have human fears to get over too first before i spalsh out on a therapist to heal my animal fears.

[Kinkz]

Screaming scares the animals into biting you. If you scream and act crazy and fearful, they'll react off that.

 

I haven't actually been bitten yet (Touchwood i never will be) but yeh acting that way does sometimes provoke an animal into a reaction, thats why i have to ask my friends to let the animals out of my sight when i go over there.

[Cognitive_Canine]

Nice one. I might try that if i want a pet bad enough! At the moment its just an idea not a yearning. I have human fears to get over too first before i spalsh out on a therapist to heal my animal fears.

 

Helping with this one fear will help with a lot of other ones too. It'll just add to your confidence.

 

You need to get the small stuff out of the way before you tackle the large problems.

[Sunny1607307996]

I think it would be a good idea to tackle your human and animal phobias via therapy. Who knows, maybe starting with a smaller fear (of being bitten) and conquering that fear will help you conquer bigger fears of people.

 

Either way, you can't live your live in fear.

[fLuiD]

This might sound crazy, but snakes are EXTREMELY docile animals and great to get over the fear of being bitten. If you are scared of snakes for reasons other than being bitten, then this is pointless, but snakes are kind of lazy animals and usually just want to cuddle up in whatever warm spot they find on your body. They are easy to hold and can increase your confidence in being in close interaction with animals.

[Kinkz]

Helping with this one fear will help with a lot of other ones too. It'll just add to your confidence.

 

You need to get the small stuff out of the way before you tackle the large problems.

Yeh i suppose tackling one fear would be a high and give strength to tackling other fears too. But, i don't want to mix all my fears because i think both have to be dealt with in diff ways, i don't want to end up by adding another fear to my list of fears! 'Fear of dealing with my fears! arghh

I think it would be a good idea to tackle your human and animal phobias via therapy. Who knows, maybe starting with a smaller fear (of being bitten) and conquering that fear will help you conquer bigger fears of people.

 

Either way, you can't live your live in fear.

The fear of people isn't about people biting me, like it is with animals, its totally different fear! But i see what you mean, I think i do need therapy! But im cautious about talking about it with a random. I will definitely look into it tho. You're right, its really draining living in fear. No way to live!

 

This might sound crazy, but snakes are EXTREMELY docile animals and great to get over the fear of being bitten. If you are scared of snakes for reasons other than being bitten, then this is pointless, but snakes are kind of lazy animals and usually just want to cuddle up in whatever warm spot they find on your body. They are easy to hold and can increase your confidence in being in close interaction with animals.

 

With snakes, its not so much about being bitten, but more about their hissing and tongue licking you, creeps me out! And the fear of them constricting your air supply and suffocating you to death. No offence to snakes or snake lovers.

[hers]

What is it about animals that freaks you out? If you're in a room with a small puppy, who's just sitting there not looking at you, are you scared? If that puppy wants to scamper up to you while wagging its tail, are you still scared?

[BellaDonna]

For now, I would stick with plants if I were you. Perhaps even ones that are shaped like friendly animals

 

image removed

 

I agree that it would be a good idea to confront your fears of animals. Until you feel more comfortable around them, do not get a pet.

[Sunny1607307996]

With snakes, its not so much about being bitten, but more about their hissing and tongue licking you, creeps me out! And the fear of them constricting your air supply and suffocating you to death. No offence to snakes or snake lovers.

 

No offense taken! I don't think you're ready for a pet without tackling your fears but honestly, snakes are great pets. I have a corn snake. They are NOT strong enough to hurt you, and of all the snakes they are the friendliest. They are like the Labrador retrievers of the snake world! They're friendly and great for kids or beginners, and they come in some really groovy colors and patterns. They rarely hiss, but all snakes will take their tongue out, it's how they smell. It's not like being "licked" like a puppy or kitten, the tongue isn't wet and slimy.

 

So, it may assuage your fears if you did some research on pets and how they're really not all that mean or scary. And I've been bitten lots of times (not by my snake, he's never bitten anyone), it's really not all that scary.

 

But like I said before, I don't think you're ready for a pet (snake or otherwise) and I think it would be a GREAT idea to get some therapy. Definitely research a therapist who deals with phobias/anxiety.

 

It really shows a lot of maturity on your part to not get a pet when you know you're not ready.