In this thread I recounted a close encounter with bats over the summer.
Well, we’ve got another one.
The Other Half was cleaning out the bathroom window area and noticed a small patch of fur on the wall. Yep, it’s a bat, apparently hibernating next to the cold window.
As it was asleep and not flying he trapped it easily. Of course, then there’s the matter of what to do next. From our previous encounter we knew to avoid any direct contact with the critter. We didn’t really want to execute the little guy just for being a bat - he is an endangered species (although the vet said “not around here they aren’t!”) and nature’s little mosquito zapper, and anything that eats mosquitoes can’t be all bad.
We consulted with a local vet who asked a lot of questions about its behavior, and in sum, it’s been acting normally for a bat in winter. Mostly, it sleeps/hibernates. It has had some water and baby bird food, which the vet said was acceptable in lieu of bugs. Other Half said he’d provide bugs, but didn’t know where to get them in winter. The vet said the bats can’t find them either this time of year, which is one reason they hibernate.
The vet also made note that the Other Half has raised baby birds via hand feeding, which is why we had the stuff on hand, which apparently made her a little more confident in his ability to handle animals. (A 50% fatality rate isn’t uncommon in hand-rearing wild birds, and domestic ones, while slightly better, are still quite touchy. If you can successfully raise baby birds you’re pretty good with animals)
As I said, mostly it sleeps. The only time it’s active is at night or when disturbed. Has shown us teeth once or twice, but has made no move to bite or approach the Giant Hairless Bipeds. In other words, it acts pretty much like a normal wild animal confronted with a big, potentially predatory thing. He’s no longer doing that, since I guess he’s figure out we don’t intend to eat him. He’s even stopped getting agitated when we walk by his box, apparently having figured out it keeps us outside as well as him inside. He’s figured out the stick with the glob of stuff on the end is food (it’s also disposable). We pretty much leave him alone. I do NOT want to get attached to the little dab of fur.
The vet said as long as we weren’t bitten and didn’t have actual contact we could keep him until it warmed up enough to release him, at which point he’d find a spot to hole up in and hibernate until spring. Plans are to release him on a friend’s property with lots of trees (these guys hide under treebark). Cautioned us NOT to keep him as a pet, although apparently there are some people in the area who have done just that. :eek: Apparently the Indiana bat has a fondness for crawling under roof shingles and getting into attics and what not. Also, like the other vet said last summer, with these guys distemper is far more common than rabies.
My Other Half is completely a big softie when it comes animals. Any kind of animals.
The bat container will be thoroughly disinfected with bleach once he’s gone.
Mind you - I’m somewhat ambivalent about boarding a bat and I do NOT recommend it as a course of action for anyone else. Consult your local health authorities should you find a bat in your home. We were fully prepared to turn the little guy over had the vet or the local authorities demanded or even recommended it. Consorting with wild animals of any sort carries risks, even if they aren’t disease carriers, and should not be attempted lightly.
