9 hours ago
Girl, 9, catches pet bug by keeping 122 ‘cute' tarantulas in her two-bed house
A GIRL of nine has caught the pet bug by keeping 122 tarantulas in her two-bed house.
Isla Wheatley, who got her first spider at six, said: 'They're just too cute to resist. I want people to know spiders aren't harmful.'
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Mum Megan, 33, of Rotherham, South Yorks, said: "I don't have the heart to tell her to stop. A lot of people say, 'how do you do it?'
"But I see how much passion she has for it. Why would I stop that?
"She sees something we don't. It's amazing how she speaks to them.
"Yes, I'm terrified of them escaping. We had a Huntsman spider jump out of its enclosure last month and I had a panic attack.
"But Isla's enjoyment and happiness trumps my fear.
"When you see children that happy, how could you not support it?"
Fascinated Isla said: "They're not here to hurt anyone, they're not here to harm.
"You have to love the unloved. That's why I like them."
Megan added: "She was just turning six when she got her first one. We did all hope it was a phase but four years is a long time.
"Since then Isla's helped me come to terms with it. I do think education is key to help a fear and I think that's what Isla tries to get across on social media.
Skin-crawling moment more than 140 tarantulas found hidden in CHESS SET by customs officers
"It is scary being in a house with over a hundred tarantulas but I feel as a parent, you have to support your children.
"When you ask most kids what they want they'll say sweets or a toy. Isla says she wants a tarantula."
Tarantulas can cost from "£3 to over £100" depending on age, size and species.
Some females can live to over 20 years.
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