One man was left startled after he was greeted with an alarming sight as he lifted up his toilet seat – a rat pacing around it.
Jason Jamieson captured the unnerving incident and took to TikTok to spread caution, urging his audience to ‘be careful’ during their bathroom visits.
The unsettling footage, posted under his @jason.jamieson handle shows the moment Jason peers into the bowl to find the unwelcome visitor. “So apparently these come up,” he remarks in the video.
Jason, who doesn’t disclose his location, snaps the lid shut only to reopen it and find the rodent had vanished back down the pipes, prompting him to exclaim in disbelief: “Ahh he just disappeared. He went back down! He went back down!”.
The viral clip has left social media users astounded, amassing 3.4 million likes and 44,000 comments
Disturbed TikTokers couldn’t hide their shock, as one queried: “Rats CLIMB UP THE TOILET?” Another stated, incredulously: “I beg your finest pardon! I still have issues from arachnophobia and now I have to be worried about rats!” Meanwhile, another comment read:”Thank you for confirming what I always thought was an irrational fear as true.”
Adding to the collective dismay, another user commented: “Snakes was enough, but rats too?!” While another expressed: “I could have gone my whole life never knowing that.”
The curiosity continued with someone posing the question: “Can rats drown? This is having me think they’re immortal.”
According to CBC, rodents can swim for up to three days at a time. It also confirms that rats can navigate the plumbing system, emerging via toilets. It states: “The rumours are true: rats can swim through pipes and pop out of your toilet. It’s rare – but it happens.”
As skilled swimmers, rats can hold their breath underwater for several minutes, with water posing no deterrent in their pursuit of sustenance and shelter.
Additionally, according to the publication, modern plumbing systems can inadvertently serve as channels for rats, acting as “perfect rat highways” and enabling them to transition from sewers into buildings.
