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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To feel so awful about treading on a snail just now?

35 replies

bottleofredplease · 17/10/2018 20:24

All it was doing was trying to get from one place to another and I came along and squashed it. I'm such a bastard.

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 17/10/2018 20:27

You poor thing! It wasn't your fault. I know how you feel. Last week I was getting a bug out of my house using a cup and I accidently squished it. I felt terrible.

TooManyBooksTooLittleTime · 17/10/2018 20:28

If it was the same one which destroyed my sunflowers, he deserved it. Ate through the stalks of every single one, I wouldn't have minded if it had just been a few nibbled leaves.

Oysterbabe · 17/10/2018 20:28

It's quite a satisfying noise though.

immortalmarble · 17/10/2018 20:28

YANBU

I drowned a spider this morning by mistake - she went down the plughole before I could save her Sad

Causeimunderyourspell · 17/10/2018 20:30

Bless you, I understand this guilt totally! On a wet morning I am eyes to the ground, dodging snails all the way to my bus stop. It really upsets me if I step on one!

I hoovered up a fly back in the summer and still feel bad now. I know how crazy this sounds!

Singlenotsingle · 17/10/2018 20:32

Snails sneak out after dark when they think you can't see them, and the first you know is when they go crunch! I used to collect them in a bucket and give them to the chickens (the whole snails, not the squished ones).

bottleofredplease · 17/10/2018 20:33

Well it was my fault because I was too busy looking at my phone and although it was quite dark I wouldn't have squashed it if I hadn't been looking at my phone.

To the chickens!? And there was me thinking chickens were vegetarian!

OP posts:
immortalmarble · 17/10/2018 20:35

Noooo I had to save a poor mouse who was mobbed by a load of chickens once Sad

moolady1977 · 17/10/2018 20:35

My dm used to move snails from the path to the hedge until late one night coming home from work she went to pick up a snail and it was a huge lump of dog mess cue my dm letting out a rather loud scream and racing the rest of the way home squashing any snail that got underfoot, she has never moved one since

Bluetrews25 · 17/10/2018 20:42

They are not exactly endangered, are they?
Or you could take an (is it?) Buddhist attitude. If you have been a bad person, you are reincarnated as a low form of life, then if you are 'good' you move up a notch until you become human again. (Apologies to any I may offend with my dreadful, potentially totally wrong or at least inaccurate, memory), so you are 'helping' someone 'move up' one step closer to Nirvana.
If the snails and slugs didn't get squashed, we would have far less food to eat. Would you be ok with that? (If so, I will send all I can find attacking my veggies to yours.)

shapeshifter88 · 17/10/2018 20:44

so glad I'm not the only weirdo, i was feeling terrible having just come in from the dog walk and I murdered 2 :'( i feel so guilty.

MrsMiddleton · 17/10/2018 20:48

But who will think of the flies squished on my windscreen ?

Aintnothingbutaheartache · 17/10/2018 20:49

It’s bloody heartbreaking. That snail was probably on his way home having spent the evening with his long term girlfriend, he’s had a great night, so romantic, he finally plucked up the courage to propose, she said ‘yes!’
He’s on top of the world humming “ I’ve had the time of ma liiife, no ah’ve never felt this way before....”
And you fucking squash him
Words fail me

adreamofspring · 17/10/2018 20:51

Just pretend you stepped on a conker. That’s what I do. I even say “bloody conkers” to convince myself I’m not a giant murderer

WillowtheWasp · 17/10/2018 20:51

What if it was a 'she'? and she was just popping across the path after putting the babies down for a sleep. 

bottleofredplease · 17/10/2018 20:53

Just pretend you stepped on a conker. That’s what I do. I even say “bloody conkers” to convince myself I’m not a giant murderer

This made me laugh a lot. I'll try that next time.

OP posts:
bottleofredplease · 17/10/2018 20:54

I can't let myself think about all the scenarios and who she or he might have left behind!

OP posts:
Soubriquet · 17/10/2018 20:56

Aintnothingbutaheartache GrinGrin

I once saved a young rat from my cat. The poor thing was being tortured and it’s back had been sliced into which was why it wasn’t running away though it was very much alive.

Ended up picking it up by the tail and popping it on the compost heap to see if it would be able to run off. Kept the cat away as well

Nope

DH ended up breaking its neck with a shovel as the poor thing was obviously in a lot of pain and was dying slowly

joangray38 · 17/10/2018 20:57

Anyone who is dismissive of snails here's a pic I took of daddy snail carrying his baby. Got got quite cross and started waving his antenna things at me

To feel so awful about treading on a snail just now?
To feel so awful about treading on a snail just now?
Aintnothingbutaheartache · 17/10/2018 21:00

Soubriquet that’s grim!
Over the years I’ve had to rescue (or cull) any number of creatures that my cat has been ‘playing ‘ with.
Very infrequent now as she’s so old.
You’d think they’d have the decency to finish the job wouldn’t you?!

Soubriquet · 17/10/2018 21:03

You would have thought so yes

She has no problems with birds, mice and adult rats. Though she has the sadistic streak in her to actually drown the mice in a bucket of water instead of killing them outright Confused, yet a young rat? Nope. Gotta torture it

MakeAHouseAHome · 17/10/2018 21:06

Are you following me round my nightly dog walk and talking about me... i was about to post as i felt so bad!! I withdrew my foot the secind i heard the shell crack so am convincing myself he is all good just slightly cracked :-/

yorkshirepud44 · 17/10/2018 21:11

Oh this upsets me too. To the point of tears if I'm feeling particularly wet. 

lifechangesforever · 17/10/2018 21:12

I just killed a spider and I'm wracked with guilt. I mean, I terrified of them and this one crawled over my bare shoulder so I freaked and batted him off but still, he's never going to make it home to his spider wife and children now 

LavendarGreen · 17/10/2018 21:14

YANBU. I feel awful when I do it! I have squished (accidentally) at least half a dozen snails this year. I go out in the dark to put stuff in the bin and there are loads of them, so it's unavoidable sometimes.

I hit a squirrel last year in a tiny, narrow country lane, that just BOLTED out from a hedge. It went THWACK and I felt 'DU DUM!' against the car. I stopped and got out, and it was squashed under the back offside wheel. I felt sick to my stomach and cried all the way home (4 miles.) 😢😢😢

It was horrible, and I felt dreadful. Never hit any any living creature with my car before or since. Thank God!

Lie a few others I hate killing ANYthing, and will always (if possible) pop a glass over a spider, or a wasp, or a crane fly etc, and get a piece of card, and let it free outside.

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