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Angela
Lv 6
Angela asked in Social SciencePsychology · 7 years ago

Feeding bugs to my fish. Yuck, but hey it's part of the hobby?

Hello :)

I wanted some advice as how I can become less squirmish towards bugs. I can see them and stand them, but they do scare me a bit. I know they are harmless, but their eyes and legs just freak me out.

I feed blood worms, daphnia, and other stuff to both my Betta's. I think about it as red mush not really worms so I can stomach feeding them this. I understand that fish are carnivorous and need this kind of protein.

I also feed our Family's Oscar Beetles and Crickets, but prefer prawns and crayfish over bugs. I want to like bugs, but don't know how.

I would be sexist if I say females are more prone to this feeling than men, but why is this so?

How can I get over my fear of them?

When I was little we did not have much toys and to boot it my neighbors on both sides were dudes including my older bro so we caught tons and tons of bugs all day; that was our playing time so how can I be scared of them now?

I remember that I did not like it, but I did not dislike it either. I hope I can get over this as I plan to keep feeding my fish what they need.

I gave my box turtle, to my current Russian tortoise vet. I could not stomach having to cultivate live foods for her. I found the box turtle on the road and took her in. Then later could not stomach feeding her so I gave her to someone that could. The tortoise does not eat bugs so that is cool with me. lol

Any suggestions? I have taken care of beetles before so I am no so scared of them. Just the jumpy kind of insects. lol

Well thanks for taking the time to help me :)

1 Answer

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  • ?
    Lv 7
    7 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Most of the bugs fed to fish are safe, but bloodworms can be an exception. People can become allergic to bloodworms, which are insects despite the common name. The best way to deal with specific phobias is to have books around, preferably with lots of pictures. The books below are good choices. They have lots of photos, many in full color, of the strange and the beautiful. If you look through the photos and read the text, it helps overcome the phobia.

    When you think about it, insects have modified and affected this Earth far more than humans, and for far longer. Whether by weight or by numbers, insects far exceed all other animals. You hear scientists talk about the Age of Amphibians, the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Mammals, and so on, but actually it always was and still is the Age of Insects.

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