# Ack! It was in my kitchen!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 3, 2007, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525 "2007-04-03T04:22:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/21 "2007-04-03T14:19:02Z")
[QUOTE=Surly Chick] I’m with **Kalhoun** - snakes are cute. I can’t imagine smashing its head and putting him down the garbage disposal. Shame on you! Spiders, on the other hand… [/QUOTE] All spiders need to die. If the snakes would just eat them all, I’d be living in a perfect world. ---
**Author:** ![Terrorcotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@Terrorcotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrorcotta)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/22 "2007-04-03T14:52:55Z")
I am normally pretty cool about the snakes and bugs until they crawl on me then all bets are off which brings us to the story. One day Mr Cotta and Theodora, Mighty Huntress Dog had been out in the woods hiking while I was making criossants. I was rolling out the dough when they returned to show me their big find - a snake! It was a foot long something or other and I feigned appropriate interest until it was dropped on the dough. I calmly asked them to take it outside and when they were gone I cut the dough into ‘snake’ and ‘non-snake’ and served them only the ‘snake’ portion. Well, jeeze! It’s hard to make those things! You think I’d throw away all that work?!?!? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/23 "2007-04-10T17:28:58Z")
[QUOTE=Spiral Stairs] I pulled open the shower curtain to find one of [these](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:House_centipede.jpg) scurrying around the tub. It’s hard to describe how repulsive I find these things. I’d say his body was an inch-and-a-half long, making him perhaps three inches from tip to tip. [/QUOTE] What that still picture doesn’t convey is the sheer blinding speed of those house centipedes. I think they make a living running their prey down, and they take off like ugly little cheetahs when you try to catch them. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/24 "2007-04-10T17:32:06Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] I like snakes. Especially pretty ones. I am throwing up a little in my mouth just thinking about it being ground up in a disposal. :o [/QUOTE] Me too. No need to kill a snake just for being there. Poor little guy. I’ve caught many a snake that was in a human area, and released it into the woods precisely because so many people’s first reaction is “KILL IT!!!” which I don’t understand AT ALL. Even if it was a rattlesnake or something, I think I’d just get me and mine to an isolated, safe area, and have animal control come catch the critter. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/25 "2007-04-10T17:56:22Z")
I would like to defend **pimaspinner** for killing the snake. I love snakes just as much as the next person (think they are cute, etc), but if one invaded my house and it’s not _clearly_ a non-venomous species that I recognize I’m killing the hell out of it. I’m not going to put myself, my husband, or our pets at risk because the poor widdew snakey got lost inside my house and doesn’t _really_ mean me any harm. :rolleyes: That said–house centipedes are of the devil and get no mercy from me. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/26 "2007-04-10T18:03:08Z")
Yeah, uh “:rolleyes:” yourself. Sorry, I just don’t see keeping everyone in a different room while animal control gets there is just such a very huge burden that it is worth taking something’s LIFE over. If you don’t see it that way, fine, but don’t roll your eyes at me because I happen to value the snake’s life. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/27 "2007-04-10T18:07:23Z")
[QUOTE=Little Bird] I would like to defend **pimaspinner** for killing the snake. I love snakes just as much as the next person (think they are cute, etc), but if one invaded my house and it’s not _clearly_ a non-venomous species that I recognize I’m killing the hell out of it. I’m not going to put myself, my husband, or our pets at risk because the poor widdew snakey got lost inside my house and doesn’t _really_ mean me any harm. :rolleyes: That said–house centipedes are of the devil and get no mercy from me. [/QUOTE] Thanks **Little Bird**. I had no idea what kind of snake it was and it scared the Jebus out of me. If it happens again, with the same kind of snake (I looked it up after it was dead), I’ll try to pick it up with some tongs or something and take it outside. I have centipedes all the time, and I hate them. Spiders I leave alone unless it’s a big hairy one or one of the really poisonous ones (Black Widow or Brown Recluse). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/28 "2007-04-10T18:15:25Z")
[QUOTE=OpalCat] Yeah, uh “:rolleyes:” yourself. Sorry, I just don’t see keeping everyone in a different room while animal control gets there is just such a very huge burden that it is worth taking something’s LIFE over. If you don’t see it that way, fine, but don’t roll your eyes at me because I happen to value the snake’s life. [/QUOTE] It is super that you are so willing to risk your own life and those of your loved ones for the life of a snake, really. I just don’t think you need to make other people feel bad for valuing their own lives rather than risking the unnecessary death of a snake. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/29 "2007-04-10T18:26:40Z")
You know, all that stuff about the Devil being a serpent is metaphorical. That snake was just slightly less dangerous than your average kitten. Reach down, grab the little sumbitch, and chuck it in the yard. Don’t kill it. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/30 "2007-04-10T18:30:59Z")
[QUOTE=Little Bird] It is super that you are so willing to risk your own life and those of your loved ones for the life of a snake, really. I just don’t think you need to make other people feel bad for valuing their own lives rather than risking the unnecessary death of a snake. [/QUOTE] Educate yourself. It’s incredibly easy to tell a venomous snake from a nonvenomous one…even at a distance, or at a moment’s need. This is very much the case in the Southeast USA, where the line is pretty sharply drawn between vipers and colubrids. There’s no mixing up those two families. (And yes, I know coral snakes are elapids. You’ll probably never see one in a house, though.) Oh, and I should point out that even venomous snakes around here pose very little threat of fatality. The couple that do are ABSOLUTELY unmistakable. So your concerns are pretty much unfounded. ---
**Author:** ![Carnacki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Carnacki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnacki)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/31 "2007-04-10T21:24:03Z")
Just out of curiosity, why is a snake’s life more valuable than a house centipede or a spider? That is, I’m all for sparing the lives of wayward animals of all stripes, but it seems weird to me to draw some arbitrary line. Who publishes the comprehensive list of what’s ok, and what’s not ok, to kill? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/32 "2007-04-10T21:43:55Z")
[QUOTE=KidScruffy] Just out of curiosity, why is a snake’s life more valuable than a house centipede or a spider? That is, I’m all for sparing the lives of wayward animals of all stripes, but it seems weird to me to draw some arbitrary line. Who publishes the comprehensive list of what’s ok, and what’s not ok, to kill? [/QUOTE] Dunno. I’ll go to considerable lengths to get any animal out of my house without killing it.\* \*offer may not apply to bugs the kitties are chasing or disease-causing vermin, although in the latter case, I’ll trap mice and release them live. ---
**Author:** ![toadbriar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@toadbriar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadbriar)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/33 "2007-04-10T22:10:20Z")
Aw. I was all ready to go “woohoo! free snake!” til I actually read the OP. A couple years ago we found a baby eastern milksnake curled up in our utility room. I set him up in a 10 gallon tank with a heat lamp and some water and some foliage. It was November, too cold for him to go back outside. He hung out with us til June, and ate (humanely euthanized) baby mice out of my hand. It’s generally a good idea to familiarize yourself with the various creatures you might encounter in your area, especially if you’re worried about some of them being venomous. Then when you do come across them you’ll know who you’re dealing with. Spiders and wasps get a glass over them, a playing card under them, and an escort outside. They’re too valuable as predators for us to kill. Mice get carried across the road and chucked down the embankment. Junebugs and fat moths are given to the pet gecko. Mosquitoes, deerflies, and blackflies get splatted. Oh, and that one little bat got a towel thrown over him and taken outside. Thank god I’ve never encountered a house centipede, and I hope I never ever do. I’d probably do the glass over it though, because it’s much too disgusting to squash. > [@](#): > > Just out of curiosity, why is a snake’s life more valuable than a house centipede or a spider? > That is, I’m all for sparing the lives of wayward animals of all stripes, but it seems weird to me to draw some arbitrary line. Who publishes the comprehensive list of what’s ok, and what’s not ok, to kill? I guess it’s a matter of which way you tip the balance between mercy and disgust. Mercy wins out for things that have faces, disgust trounces mercy when you’re talkin segmented legged invertebrates with pedipalps. bleagh. Personally, the disgust of squishing something outweighs the disgust of it skittering around alive. I flatter myself that it’s my sense of mercy that keeps me from killin stuff, but the fact is, I just don’t want to squash it and have to think about it turning into pieces and goo. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/34 "2007-04-10T22:42:13Z")
Ogre pretty much summed up the actual risks here for me. I’m not “endangering my life” or that of my family. Double-rolleyes. I’d carry a spider or centipede outside, too, for what it’s worth. I don’t see the point in killing them when a little extra effort makes it a win-win for everybody, and as toadbriar said, that little extra effort would have been negated by the need to clean up disgusting squished critter otherwise anyway. ---
**Author:** ![illoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a3d4f5/32.png) [@illoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/illoe)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/35 "2007-04-11T07:37:49Z")
[QUOTE=toadbriar] I guess it’s a matter of which way you tip the balance between mercy and disgust. Mercy wins out for things that have faces, disgust trounces mercy when you’re talkin segmented legged invertebrates with pedipalps. bleagh. [/QUOTE] **Toadbriar** , that was beautiful. I mean, your whole post was a delightful blend of fancypantsery and colloquialism, but those three sentences? Divine. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/36 "2007-04-11T15:09:15Z")
I can’t even look at PICTURES of snakes. My cousins used to LOVE to chase me with nature books when we were kids. ---
**Author:** ![Ex\_Scientia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f1d935/32.png) [@Ex\_Scientia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ex_Scientia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/37 "2007-04-11T18:44:43Z")
Anyone ever take a shovel to snake’s neck like my dad? Or run them over with an Eighteen-wheeler? ---
**Author:** ![toadbriar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@toadbriar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadbriar)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2007, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525/38 "2007-04-11T21:53:49Z")
[QUOTE=illoe] **Toadbriar** , that was beautiful. I mean, your whole post was a delightful blend of fancypantsery and colloquialism, but those three sentences? Divine. [/QUOTE] :o aw, shucks! _a delightful blend of fancypantsery and colloquialism_ pleases me right down to the ground. I still feel a bit new for a .sig, but I’ll have to stash this away. Thank you **illoe**! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ack-it-was-in-my-kitchen/398525.md?page=1)