I have this thing about rats and mice, in the sense that I can’t even see pictures of them without feeling a revulsion in my stomach.

So, this morning on my ride into work, I thought I saw a rat just off the trail that turned out to be a blackbird, and yet the revulsion still set in, and I rode another few hundred metres trying to shake the image of a rat.

Now, I have never had any traumatic experiences with rats or mice; nor have I had any particular cause to be put off by them. Yet I still go through this whole involuntary response thing even when I only think I’ve seen one.

What’s with that?

I mean, if I saw a squirrel, or a rabbit, (or, back in Canada, a chipmunk), or anything else – including snakes and lizards – I would not have the same response.

Is it just some primal revulsion based on some experience one of my caveman ancestors had? Does anyone else get freaked out by rodents?

In your previous life you were a piece of cheese?

Not a Rat Fan? Roland is disappoint.

See a shrink?

If only to get coping strategies or help identify why you have a problem.

Most of feel the same if we see a big hairy spider or a wasp.

I’m scared of rodents – I put it down to living in an infested flat as a boy.
My mother asked me to “flatten” a bump in a carpet , behind a door.
As I did it ,a mouse jumped onto my shoulder to make it’s escape . aaaaghhhh!

Is it just some primal revulsion based on some experience one of my caveman ancestors had?

If it was that hardwired we’d all have the same revulsions about the same animals or circumstances. Isn’t the thinking that its more of a generational / cultral hand-me-down. In our early years we’re very open to influence and our parents are very protective of us and we ‘catch’ their fears and revulsions whether its around creepy crawlies or critters or cleanliness.

I’m pretty sure its not an uncommon phobia so guess there must be soemthing. I’m mildy paranoid about weil’s disease but don’t really mind rats themselves.

I hate the bloody sound of them scratching around in the ceiling when you are trying to sleep though!

Just remember that if there was a nuclear war, roasted rodent and HP will be luxury when food is scarce.

A phobia is literally an irrational fear

They rarely have a rational cause

Flooding works but its ethically very questionable 😉

If it was that hardwired we’d all have the same revulsions about the same animals or circumstances. Isn’t the thinking that its more of a generational / cultral hand-me-down. In our early years we’re very open to influence and our parents are very protective of us and we ‘catch’ their fears and revulsions whether its around creepy crawlies or critters or cleanliness.

So explain my arachnophobia? No other person in my family has it so where did I get it from? I have the same issue I can’t look at spiders. Beetles, centipedes, lice etc all ok, but spiders have me jumping around like a total fanny. Not cool. I can’t watch TV shows with spiders and even recently reading the Dark Tower books by Steven King had me feeling very uncomfortable. I do deal with them out of necessity but will still feel very uneasy and nervous. I even get flashbacks if they have been big ones. And I live in Scotland so it’s not like they are dangerous or even that big.

How about this:

AAAAHHHH!!