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.”;

Girl, 9, catches pet bug by keeping 122 ‘cute’ tarantulas in her two-bed house 6Isla Wheatley, 9, has caught the pet bug by keeping 122 tarantulas in her two-bed houseGirl standing in front of a large terrarium filled with many spiders and other insects.Isla said: ‘said: ‘They’re just too cute to resist. I want people to know spiders aren’t harmful’

Mum Megan, 33, of Rotherham, , 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.

“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.”;

can cost from “£3 to over £100”; depending on age, size and .

can live to over 20 years.

Girl with many tarantula terrariums.Isla said: ‘They’re not here to hurt anyone, they’re not here to harm’A cabinet full of terrariums containing tarantulas and other spiders.Isla added: ‘You have to love the unloved. That’s why I like them’Girl tending to tarantula terrarium.Isla got her first spider at six