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Should I Feel Guilty For Killing A Snake?


southern california guy

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southern california guy

Monday I was watering a bunch of pots of sunpatiens flowers that I started from cuttings, and I was bent over looking to see if I had the whole pot wet when a little head popped up between the pots. Its head was shaped like a rattlesnake and it was light brown -- but it was sort of striped "unlike" a rattlesnake. When it crawled away I noticed that it did indeed have a large rattle on its tail. It moved a little ways away from where I was watering -- right near the front entrance to my house -- curled up and went to sleep. I was afraid that sooner or later I would end up stepping on so I went and got a shovel and decapitated the poor snake. But I confess I felt a little sick about killing it. What do you think, did I do the right thing?

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PhuturePriest

Congratulations at sticking it to Adam by killing a snake when it entered your garden *cough* Adam was incompetent at his job *cough*

I'm a snake guy, so I personally wouldn't have killed it, but there was nothing wrong with killing it so long as you had the right intentions. It was venomous, so it could have bitten you or your wife.

Edited by FuturePriest387
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blazeingstar

Hmm lets see...potentially venomous snake on your property near your pregnant wife.

 

Yeah, I'd say kill first, ask questions later.

 

If you can identify it as a venomous snake, please call some sort of pest control and have them do a through inspection of your entire property.  Snakes aren't social animals but they do have large nests.

 

Its never great to kill an animal, but your duty is no longer to avoid doing things becuase you don't like them.  You must do them because you need to protect your wife.

 

My FI hates spiders more than I do, but there are some that bite me and cause welts....he is a bit afraid of them even tho it dosn't hurt him physically, yet he always steps up and kills them for me as they are dangerous to me.

 

In this case the snake is dangerous to both you and your wife.

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Do not feel guilty. Nature is about competition and survival of the fittest. You out-competed the snake. You are more fit to survive.

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Credo in Deum

Monday I was watering a bunch of pots of sunpatiens flowers that I started from cuttings, and I was bent over looking to see if I had the whole pot wet when a little head popped up between the pots. Its head was shaped like a rattlesnake and it was light brown -- but it was sort of striped "unlike" a rattlesnake. When it crawled away I noticed that it did indeed have a large rattle on its tail. It moved a little ways away from where I was watering -- right near the front entrance to my house -- curled up and went to sleep. I was afraid that sooner or later I would end up stepping on so I went and got a shovel and decapitated the poor snake. But I confess I felt a little sick about killing it. What do you think, did I do the right thing?

Ssssssssssssssssssssssinner!


Jk. No you shouldn't feel guilty. The fact that you didn't want to kill an animal is a good sign, but you should not despair about it or feel guilty. You made a decision for your safety and ultimately the safety of your family.

Just think, if Adam and Eve had done what you did we wouldn't be in this mess. Edited by Credo in Deum
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Monday I was watering a bunch of pots of sunpatiens flowers that I started from cuttings, and I was bent over looking to see if I had the whole pot wet when a little head popped up between the pots. Its head was shaped like a rattlesnake and it was light brown -- but it was sort of striped "unlike" a rattlesnake. When it crawled away I noticed that it did indeed have a large rattle on its tail. It moved a little ways away from where I was watering -- right near the front entrance to my house -- curled up and went to sleep. I was afraid that sooner or later I would end up stepping on so I went and got a shovel and decapitated the poor snake. But I confess I felt a little sick about killing it. What do you think, did I do the right thing?

 

Ask St. Judith.

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CatherineM

I killed a copperhead once. I stepped on it, it bit me, then died. It didn't hit me with venom. They figured it must have just used it on something.

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Nope .... witnessed the killing of snakes, and heard about it numerous times.  Texas.  Middle of nowhere, about an hour from the nearest medical facility.  Argentina.  Middle of nowhere, about an hour from the nearest medical facility (if there was a car...).

 

Heard about the killing of rattlesnakes, and witnessed the killing of this wonderfully colorful snake, which may or may not have been poisonous.  I know nothing about snakes, nor do I care to find out.

 

Also witnessed and helped in the killing of creepy-crawlers that have lots of legs and are long.  And numerous other bugs.

 

So ... kill away.

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southern california guy

I killed a copperhead once. I stepped on it, it bit me, then died. It didn't hit me with venom. They figured it must have just used it on something.

 

Boy you got lucky.  About 5 years ago I got a "dry" rattlesnake bite.  But I still ran a fever in the afternoon, my ankle swelled up like crazy, and I ended up with a bad enough infection that I had to spend 2 days in the hospital hooked up to IV antibiotic.  Snake bites are bad..

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southern california guy

Nope .... witnessed the killing of snakes, and heard about it numerous times.  Texas.  Middle of nowhere, about an hour from the nearest medical facility.  Argentina.  Middle of nowhere, about an hour from the nearest medical facility (if there was a car...).

 

Heard about the killing of rattlesnakes, and witnessed the killing of this wonderfully colorful snake, which may or may not have been poisonous.  I know nothing about snakes, nor do I care to find out.

 

Also witnessed and helped in the killing of creepy-crawlers that have lots of legs and are long.  And numerous other bugs.

 

So ... kill away.

 

The wonderfully colorful snake sounds a bit like a coral snake.  Very poisonous!

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fides' Jack

We were playing paintball once, and one of the guys recounted his story to us: he was crouched down behind a bush and started hearing something hiss.  He said he thought it sounded like air leaking out of his tank or gun.  He was probably there crouched down for minutes while he tried taking the gear apart to figure out where the leak was.  Then he saw the rattlesnake down on the ground next to him.

 

He didn't have any bite wounds; he was wearing some shin pads and heavy boots, and didn't know if it tried to bite him in a padded spot.

 

I never felt comfortable playing paintball there again after that...

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brandelynmarie

I once heard of a nun :nun: who was a known crack shot with a pistol :cowboy: :crazyshoot: & one of her jobs was to kill all the rattlers found around the monastery. I don't think she showed any mercy ;).

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Kill the snakes! My grandma pays me $5 a snake since their place is right next to a creek and there are so make of them there. (Copperheads, some rattlers, garter, etc)

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