Found a bat in the basement-still alive!

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A few minutes ago While loading up the dog's dishes in the basement I hear a squeaking come from the dog food bag,I went for the flashlight to get a better view and was thinking a mouse was in there.What I found was a bat and it is not a baby it looks to be fullgrown.I would like to save it if possible since they are so helpful against the swarm of mosquitos we have in the summer.Anybody have any ideas of what I can do with it till spring,or if it will even survive till then.Thanks in advance.Dave (central WI)

-- Dave (duckthis1@mybogusemail.net), March 10, 2002

Answers

most likely a brown bat,, just keep it in the basement, maybe a box on its side or something,, when it warms up,, it will find its way out again

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 10, 2002.

Dave, call your local Fish and Wildlife, Police Dept etc. and get the name of the closest Bat Rehabber in your area. You will probably be given the Wildlife Clearing House number first and ask them for the Bat Person. She or He can advise you from there. Usually they are just fine and you can take it outside to a high, sheltered place that has something the little guy can crawl under and it will be OK. I know it depends on how the weather is where you are. Handle it gently, with a care to yourself. Wearing very light gloves is a good idea. Hope all is well, they are amazing and wonderful creatures. I fasten fiberglass, rippled roofing on here to give them more living space along with the bat houses. LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), March 10, 2002.

Dave, we were surprised to see our first bat of the season 2 days ago. Maybe your bat has just migrated, too?? I think this weird winter weather (or should I say LACK of winter weather) may have thrown off some migrating schedules. We're zone 6, NW NC in the mountains.

-- Bren (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), March 10, 2002.

The unseasonable cold weather here in South Texas has caused a little trouble for the bats in our area. I do volunteer work with our wildlife rehabbers and I second what Little Quacker said. Also,gloves are not an option,you should not touch the bat with your bare hands and handle it as little as possible. This is for your protection but also the bats. In our area,we can not rehab a bat if it has been touched by humans. Those bats have to be euthanized and tested for rabies. I'm not saying I think the bat has rabies,because they get all groggy when they get cold and that is probably what happened and it managed to get inside to warm up. Good luck

-- LaDena,Tx9 (littledena77458@yahoo.com), March 10, 2002.

Heck fire! I'm proud of you folks. I wasn't even going to open this thread because I just KNEW it was going to have rabid people cautioning the poster to slam the basement door immediately, evacuate the family and call in the exterminator. "Don't you know ALL bats have rabies, you're going to die an excruciating death just for looking at the sick creature".

Instead, I find excellent and compassionate advice. Think I'll have to send BCI a donation for all their hard work on educating people.

-- Tis I (really_tis_i@yahoo.com), March 10, 2002.



I found 3 bats in a urban rowhouse, within a couple of years in the 80s. Scared the heck out of me.

Lately I've had them buzz overhead while I've been in a simming pool, and it's just part of the fun.

-- Rick in SW West Virginia (Rick_122@hotmail.com), March 10, 2002.


Dave, We always seem to get bats in the house, especially when we fire the cookstove in the summer kitchen. We need to find the opening their getting in!!! Anyway, we put ours in our handy bat aquarium until a warm day and release them. I do put them in a cooler location til then. My husband plans on building afew bat houses this year. Guess all our barns are not as comfortable as our house is!!!

-- Suzanne (weir@frontiernet.net), March 10, 2002.

Well, I think bats are great for keeping away mosquitoes as well, but I have to say the dreaded "R" word here. We found a bat on the ground and it turned out that it did, indeed, have rabies. Whatever you do, don't handle it barehanded. If it is crawling around on the ground, it probably DOES have rabies. Have it examined by your local wildlife officer. Jane

-- Jane (arwen1964@hotmail.com), March 10, 2002.

I know I'm a littl late with this response, but I thought I'd share my experience with a bat in my basement. It was a Connecticut winter day and I found him hollering at me while doing the wash. He was up on the top of the cement wall just below the flooring. It was almost as if he was saying "help me!" I spoke with him and he slinked down the wall and held on just hanging there. I got my broom and gently held the broom near him. He knew I was trying to help him. He crawled over to the broom and got on, held tight for the ride. I walked him outside slowly and placed him in a low tree on a branch. I didn't touch him, but gently laid th broom in the branches and walked away. He made his way onto the branch, got acclimated and regained control of his life. I'm not sure if he survived, but he knew that the basement was certain death (trapped with no food, no water, etc.). These little guys are really smart and aware. In the mice family, they have inherited their intellect. Good luck. Also, wildlife rehabbers are a great source to be in contact with and always keep their numbers handy. You never know when you're going to need it. Donna (CT shoreline)

-- Donna Luddie (donnajluddie@aol.com), March 13, 2002.

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