# Aaaah! Something's moving! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 15, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266 "2010-06-15T05:58:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/1 "2010-06-15T05:58:28Z")
So, I have this basket I keep under my nightstand. It’s actually a wicker magazine rack, but I have chose to use it to store some hair straighteners and odds and ends. This night I was awakened by the sound of something repeatedly rattling around in there. I froze for a second, and thought about whom I could call to help me with this . . . and I realized that there was no one still in town. So, I aimed a can of Raid indiscriminately and the basket and sprayed, and whatever was in there flopped around a bit and then stopped. At least, I think it has stopped. I’m in the adjoining room now, cause I’m too much of a scaredy-cat to go back to the bedroom. What could it be, Dopers??? A roach or something I could handle. But it sounded really big! What if it’s a mouse! Or a snake??? WHAT IF IT’S A SNAKE?? I know the rational thing is to just empty the damn thing out and see what it is. But at 2:00 in the morning I can’t handle that. Maybe if I drag it outside by the light of day, I can do it. \ Hold me. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/2 "2010-06-15T05:59:44Z")
Oh yeah, whatever sleeping I do for the rest of the night will be on the couch. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/3 "2010-06-15T06:10:32Z")
It’s probably a very small koala. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/4 "2010-06-15T06:10:43Z")
Maybe whatever it was returned to its dimension with news of a discovery of a great new scent. A full-on exploration back to your dimension will commence tomorrow night. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/5 "2010-06-15T06:28:04Z")
Don’t worry. It was probably just the disembodied hand of a zombie, still twitching with the last vestiges of its doomed life force. Or a mouse. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/6 "2010-06-15T06:36:04Z")
Or a zombie mouse. I hope you get some sleep tonight, **Gestalt**. Why does creepy stuff always have to happen at night? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/7 "2010-06-15T06:48:19Z")
I would imagine a mouse got into the basket, to be honest. Unless it is a seriously huge roach, I don’t think it could make rummaging sounds in a basket. Or have you been dabbling with a particular cooler lately?:dubious:😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/8 "2010-06-15T06:58:57Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > It’s probably a very small koala. This made me laugh. I hope you have a comfy couch **Gestalt**. And a good laugh tomorrow, when it turns out to be something completely harmless. Like a koala. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/9 "2010-06-15T07:09:10Z")
Could be a chipmunk. Edit: or a very small koala. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/10 "2010-06-15T07:24:45Z")
Turn on every light in the house and stand guard with a shotgun. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/11 "2010-06-15T07:44:19Z")
Nuke the basket from… Ahh fug it, that joke is so tired I can’t be bothered typing it out. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/12 "2010-06-15T11:27:51Z")
Well, I gingerly emptied out the basket. It was a huge assed, winged cockroach. I live in Augusta, GA, so those bad boys can get pretty big. Le sigh. For this, I lost a night of sleep. Thanks for making me feel better though, guys. I felt like the world’s biggest irrational wuss. On the bright side, I found an adorable little koala taking refuge under the wings of the giant (GIANT) cockroach. I shall name him . . . Bob. His eyes glow red occasionally, and he has a forked tongue. Is that normal? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/13 "2010-06-15T11:34:00Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > Well, I gingerly emptied out the basket. It was a huge assed, winged cockroach. I live in Augusta, GA, so those bad boys can get pretty big. Le sigh. For this, I lost a night of sleep. Thanks for making me feel better though, guys. I felt like the world’s biggest irrational wuss. Had I found a giant winged cockroach next to my bed at night, I would consider being the “world’s biggest irrational wuss” to be wholly justified, right along with “screaming like a little girl”, “throwing every heavy object within reach including my wife at it” and “henceforth sleeping surrounded by a ring of fire”. ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/14 "2010-06-15T13:06:55Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > Well, I gingerly emptied out the basket. It was a huge assed, winged cockroach. I live in Augusta, GA, so those bad boys can get pretty big. That’s not a roach then. It’s a “palmetto bug”. 😃 > [@](#): > > On the bright side, I found an adorable little koala taking refuge under the wings of the giant (GIANT) cockroach. I shall name him . . . Bob. His eyes glow red occasionally, and he has a forked tongue. Is that normal? Don’t feed him after midnight. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/15 "2010-06-15T18:44:10Z")
Man, I am so glad it was just a cockroach. I just found out that alligators can climb a chain link fence. If it had been my house and I lived anywhere near a place with alligators, I would have immediately packed up and put that house on the market! The new people can have the basket; I’ll just buy a new one at Hobby Lobby. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/16 "2010-06-15T19:06:42Z")
Yeah, those giant flying roaches can make a TON of noise in a basket or box. We just set the cats on them. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/17 "2010-06-15T19:10:25Z")
I once had a girlfriend call me in the middle of the night to come all the way across town to deal with a palmetto bug (huge-assed winged cockroach) that had taken up residence on the head of her bed. In her attempts to deal with the situation, she had WRECKED her place. Turned the bed completely upside down. The works. She was in tears when she called me. Because I Really Liked Her (and she was hotter than a firecracker), I went. Captured the insect in question. Received no thank-you nookie. She ended up dumping me. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/18 "2010-06-15T19:12:56Z")
I freaked myself out once when a vibrator mysteriously turned itself on under my bed, waking me from a deep sleep. True story. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/19 "2010-06-15T19:22:10Z")
> [@BobArrgh](#): > > Man, I am so glad it was just a cockroach. I just found out that alligators can climb a chain link fence. Say WHAT? \ I hate alligators. I dread them. I’m not phobic–I can look at them and only suffer mild signs of a heart attack, but there is something so evil in their ancient reptilian eyes. And to think I was born in Florida and we used to feed gators marshmallows! :eek: Basket should NOT be next to bed. Move basket into closet. Win/win! ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266/20 "2010-06-15T19:26:53Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I freaked myself out once when a vibrator mysteriously turned itself on under my bed, waking me from a deep sleep. > > True story. I think your resident ghost was trying to tell you something. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaaah-somethings-moving/543266.md?page=2)