I fu(&%$ hate birds too! I like low maintenance, so big snake is out because I hear reptiles can be high maintenance. I like bugs,... big, ugly, nasty, BUGS! Creepy, crawly,.. the kind that gives you the chills. I like to have poisinous bugs but I am afraid to have such things and still have children around, so I will refrain. I wonder if anyone has tried to keep driver ants in captivity. Now those would be cool to watch,.. not just your typical ant farm, could put a small animal in there and watch it get killed and eaten. Don't want to let those things get out, I hear they maintain a clearing of like 50yards of jungle or something like that. 50 yards of terratory they compleatly clean of all ground dwelling insects or animals. It was either 50 yards or feet, either way its impressive. Their is one other spider I have considered to have, the trap door spider, but it is poisonous. I don't know how poisinous though, it got one skull and cross bones vs the black widow got three, so how bad is that? It would have to be coaxed to make its burrow next to the glass somehow and then it would be something to see durring feeding time. They said to be carfull not to get near the trap door though or it will get you.