GeoffM

Was told there was a Black Widow spider on my doorstep a week after I moved in. I HATE spiders - especially nasty ones like these. But I didn't actually see it and delivery bloke who did see it jovially commented, "oh, where did it go? Inside?". Yeah, thanks for that. Big arsed can of spider spray purchased the next day, though it's only a deterrant and not a killer.

I did see a skunk from about 10 feet away back in the late 1990s at summer camp. Kind of cute looking - but yes I have smelt them. From afar. Still bad.

At a different camp we saw bears of some sort going through the kitchen dumpsters (do you call them that here?). Eastern PA, some of you might know what type that was likely to be.

Squirrels in Central Park, NY, but I suspect that's not unusual. In fact, they're probably planted there, the cynic that I am.

I've seen some big birds flying around here but I've no idea what they are, my eyesight's not good enough for that. Supposedly rattlers around here too. Why did I move here?

Completely off-topic but Tarsier monkeys in the Philippines are tiny and pretty. Supposedly the inspiration for ET.

Beaverstate

No scorpions yet?

GeoffM

I think you're right, there are some around here.

MandyNi

Usually doing that horrible hoppy like dance around roadkill!

Primula

They're fine if you leave them alone. They have as much right to be here as we do.

Rats inside your house? And you still live there?

At a nearby community garden last year I was amazed to see three huge turkeys walking around. I felt very bad for them and was greatly worried for their safety. I Googled turkeys when I got home. Apparently they have excellent sight and hearing and are not as vulnerable as they seem.

I knew there was a reason I didn't emigrate to Oz.

There is no need to kill a spider, despite your aversion to them. They eat flies, which is one good reason to have them around. I don't particularly like them in the house (and I am prone to spider bites) so what I do is try to tip the spider into a small glass, which I then carry outside and release the spider.

robin1234

We eliminated them within the first couple of years. I'm not squeamish, but one memory that still makes me shudder.. I was taking down the fibreglass insulation on the basement ceiling, since there were rats nests and rat runs in it. I took down one piece and a mummified rat slid out and landed on my head.

WEBlue

No, shan't! I'm bound & determined I'll insult them at every opportunity!

No, honestly, all I was doing in that post was WARNING others who may have no experience of raccoons that they're *not* sweet fuzzy-wuzzies. They have sharp teeth & claws & can kill a dog or badly injure a human in a flash. Plus can carry rabies & distemper, among other things. . . .

In & around our houses? Hmmm, just wondering, would you say the same about rats? What about *their* rights?

GeoffM

Given the choice between whacking a poisonous spider from a distance and having to get up close and personal with a tumbler and a piece of card, I'll take the former any day.

MandyNi

This lovely lady was on the handrail of our front steps. I was in and out a few times bringing in groceries before I spotted her. I went inside to get my camera because she looked like the quintessential spider that a kid would draw .... black and round and shiny. When I came back outside she had flipped around and was hanging underneath so I knelt down and zoomed in ............ that's when I spotted her beautiful little red hourglass.

No didn't squish her, just knocked on the handrail and she dropped like a stone. Hopefully she's living under the steps minding her own business and eating flies, bugs and her sex partners

Uncle Ebenezer

That would have been an ex-spider, if I'd come across it.

cindyabs

me too, I hate all spiders except for Daddy Longlegs. Poisonous spiders are numero uno on my hit list.

Primula

We've built houses everywhere, where are the creatures supposed to live? Of course I wouldn't want a raccoon inside my house and I would die if a rat got inside. But outside, no, I would not kill them. The only thing I will kill is a fly inside my house because they are so dirty and breed sickness. Cockroaches too, but we don't have them.

So is that a black widow spider? I didn't know they have a red marking. I will have to look clearly at the spiders inside my house in future. We have quite a few and spider bites are very painful to me.

WEBlue

I don't believe any poster who's contributed to this thread has said anything about *killing* raccoons! Just being *careful* around them, as they can be dangerous.

In the end, one could say the same about rats as you say about flies--"dirty & spread diseases" inside a house. Rats & mice spread bubonic plague in centuries past, and actually do so to this day in certain areas like the western USA.

I'm not happy about killing any creature anywhere, but it seems that there are some you may need to, in reasonable self-defense. I throw non-poisonous spiders outside too, rather than squash them. But poisonous spiders? I'd be tempted to squash, in order to protect children & pets.

cindyabs

not to mention yourself..............

WEBlue

Hmmm. After considering this, I'd have to disagree in my own case.

If it were *just* me endangered by proximity to a poisonous creature of any kind, I'd probably try the "capture & evict" technique advised by Primula. But when it comes down to taking care of (protecting) pets & young children, I'd be more ruthless . . . .