What about pet rats?
What would terrify you?
- Thread starter Lookingglassman
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When I had a rat problem following a fire at a nearby overgrown, abandoned market garden, I got a cat (Miss Chicken's mother). She solved the problem rather quickly.
If I lived in an environment where rats where an actual physical threat as you describe, no, it would not be irrational. But, since they are not like that anywhere I've been, there is no rational need to fear them. The truth is that most people are not threatened by rats like that. Rats are omnivores, but they are actually quite picky eaters. And, they're fairly neat and pretty intelligent.
True story, last Halloween I went to a a Halloween store with my 5 year old daughter. We saw a rat decoration and she wondered, "why would they have rats for Halloween? They're not scary." To her, it was just another animal. That's the way it should be. All animals have safety issues which you should be aware. But, having unnecessary fair is something to avoid.
Found here
Mr Awe
As a pet rat owner I can tell you that a lot of people think they're revolting and are completely misinformed about them, while rats make better small, furry pets than hamsters, mice or gerbils. They're friendly, curious and very intelligent. My daughter has two little (by rat standards) girls in a large cage in her bedroom, and I'm forever taking the piss out of our big, burly he-man builder because he refuses to enter my daughter's bedroom until the cage is moved to another room.
Imprisonment for any significant amount of time is probably the scariest thing in the world for me. Even messy death pales in comparison.
Really? Man, that'd be cool if humans did that. Really take the air of dentists' sails, though.
Having known hamsters, mice, and gerbils, this is one of the backhandedest compliments I've ever seen.
Really? Man, that'd be cool if humans did that. Really take the air of dentists' sails, though.
Your name isn't Winston Smith, is it?
macloudt said:
Having known hamsters, mice, and gerbils, this is one of the backhandedest compliments I've ever seen.
Spiders / Tarantulas scare the be-heseus out of me.
(reads thread)
Oh, I see there's a few of us here.
(reads thread)
Oh, I see there's a few of us here.
Rats are great survivors after all.
They don't bother me. I found a wounded one once (cat) in the back yard and it was SO CUTE I had to go google rats to see if it was actually a rat or some marsupial rat. It was a regular old rat.
Some people feel this way about spiders. I have a friend who has fed huntsmen (the spider I posted a pic of) water from a spoon while they sit on her hand.
I absolutely adore huntsmen. I kept them as pets as a child though this only meant putting them into box for a few days and later releasing them into one of the garden sheds.
I have no hesitation about picking up a huntsman and letting them walk over my hands. They are a very placid spider. One species, Delena cancerides (the flat huntsman or social huntsman) actually lives in colonies and it was this spider that was used in the movie Arachnaphobia.
I have no hesitation about picking up a huntsman and letting them walk over my hands. They are a very placid spider. One species, Delena cancerides (the flat huntsman or social huntsman) actually lives in colonies and it was this spider that was used in the movie Arachnaphobia.
I guess the one thing in the world that would scare me would be if someone whom I loved very much died and I found out there was something that I could have done to save them but I didn't/couldn't. I'd die of guilt right then and there.
I guess my own fallibility scares me? I'm not really scared of many things. I love extreme sports and all. I wouldn't particularly like burning to death. Getting attacked by an animal would freak me out, too.
I guess my own fallibility scares me? I'm not really scared of many things. I love extreme sports and all. I wouldn't particularly like burning to death. Getting attacked by an animal would freak me out, too.
Your name isn't Winston Smith, is it?
I used to raise hogs. On our growing floor we had huge self-feeders for the pigs. Rats would find their way in and gorge themselves, and grow to horrendous sizes. The lip of the feeders where the lid closes was right below shoulder level on me. So when I would open a feeder to check levels or add feed, the rats would come flying towards me and my face. It's been 15+ years since I've been in that situation, and still I will occasionaly have nightmares about rats.
Your name isn't Winston Smith, is it?
I used to raise hogs. On our growing floor we had huge self-feeders for the pigs.
Ah! Mason Verger then.
Don't get me wrong: that would freak me (and probably just about anybody) right the fuck out for years, too.
My friend was eventually bitten on the arm by a huntsman after picking them up for years. It's a bad bite as far as swelling, takes a while to go away, but not particularly painful. She still picks them up though.
Just read your link, yes we have plenty of those. This bit is rather alarming: "They are often found under loose bark (their flat shape is an adaption for this) in colonies up to 300, "
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Yet another excellent reason to never leave the house.
Two things terrify me. For some reason, life changes produce incredible anxiety in me. Almost to the point of being debilitating at times. The other thing that terrifies me is seeing more than small amounts of real blood, though this I know comes from an incident when I was eight.
Nuclear war.
Nowhere Man
Commodore
Yep, the crazy world we live in scares me daily.THE WORLD!!!
I lived through it... I am sure you would, too.
Aside from that, I lived through most of my childhood fears (being beaten, attempted suicide, etc.) so nothing really scares me. Friends and family will tell you: I am the best person to be around in an emergency, because I keep a level head and do what needs to be done while others panic.
The one exception was when we were under sniper fire and could not tell where it was coming from. Now THAT was scary!
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