A former arachnophobe has revealed that she has not only overcome her fear, but now keeps over 30 spiders as pets.
Hayden Shea, of Orange County, California, admits her friends think she’s “crazy” for her obsession with the eight-legged creatures.
The barista at Starbucks used to be afraid of them, but now she loves spending time with the creepy crawlies.
She started collecting spiders two years ago and already has seven different species in her apartment, including Regals, Audax, Hyllus Diardi, Fartilis, Apache, Tux and Mimicus.
Hayden Shea, of Orange County, California, admits her friends think she’s “crazy” for her obsession with the eight-legged creatures
The Starbucks barista used to be afraid of them, but now she enjoys spending time with the creepy crawlies
She started collecting the spiders two years ago and already has seven different species in her apartment
Hayden explained that she has “too many” spiders to name them all, but revealed that her personal favorites are seven-month-old Honey, as well as Snowball, Halo and Emerald, each just one year old.
She also admitted that three-year-old Iris is the apple of her eye.
‘I decided to keep them after seeing them more and more often [posts about spiders] on Instagram,” she presented.
‘And I finally overcame my phobia after my friend’s dad caught one for me!’
Hayden explained how she handles her unusual pets: ‘I take them outside and around the house at least once a week, but I have never taken them out in public.
‘I have an irrational fear that someone will impulsively harm me because most people are afraid of spiders.
“Some family members think it’s cool and others are scared of them and think it’s weird. Some think I’m crazy.”
She continued: ‘[My spiders] are highly intelligent compared to most other spiders, as well as being very curious and usually friendly!
Hayden explained how she handles her unusual pets: “I take them outside and around the house at least once a week, but I have never taken them out in public.”
“I like to call them ‘arachnoid puppies,’ because they’re pretty much the dogs of the arachnid world,” she introduced
“I like to call them ‘arachnoid puppies’ because they’re pretty much the dogs of the arachnid world.
‘If a spider likes you, it will sleep on you, look at you, listen to you and turn its head curiously – and maybe let you pet it, depending on how much it trusts you!’
Hayden also makes sure she spends plenty of time with her pets every week, adding: ‘I spend time with them all the time.
‘It takes me about three hours every other day to feed the babies.
“And then I take them outside every day to create content. I hold them a lot and cuddle them a lot!”
Her partner also constantly encourages her to keep more spiders.
“My partner has always been very supportive,” she said.
‘He was the one who suggested I keep the spider his father had caught. They stay in mine and my boyfriend’s room, while we live with his parents.’
Hayden also makes sure she spends plenty of time with her pets every week, adding: ‘I spend time with them all the time’
Hayden spiders can live up to three years and have about 10 to 11 molts in their lifetime
Hayden spiders can live up to three years and molt about 10 to 11 times in their lifetime.
Adult females lay eggs regardless of whether they have mated or not.
She added: ‘They don’t bite unless they feel extremely threatened and their first instinct is to flee rather than attack if they are scared.
‘Their eyes also move when they look around, but this is only visible in some species.
“I wouldn’t trade myself and my spider puppies for the world.”