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how do you deal with a wild bat that appears to be sick & acts abnormally?
I have one hanging onto the antenna of my pickup, right across from the front door of the house.
I brought all dogs in as I have no way to know if it's rabid, and my two puppies have not yet been vaccinated against rabies.
It just clings to the antenna like a lump, until I move around outside, then it reacts to the air currents or sounds my body generates and it moves about. I think that it would fly away IF it was able. My husband is nowhere near home and I don't know what to do.
I live way out in the country and humane society has no funding to come out for any kind of animal retrieval. Local zoo doesn't have humans answering the phone.
time of post: noon, Monday, EDT
The sherriff's office was trying to call the local wildlife management officer for our area to have him pick up the bat, but they were unable to reach him. SO... in order to let the puppies back outside, I had to do it. I put on a puffy, lined fall jacket, heavy ladies leather gloves, a cap and took an old t-shirt I was had started to cut up to throw it away. I put on my "failure is not an option" attitude but was still scared as I went out to get the bat. Even so, I was shaking. I had to simply do the motions to capture and NOT hesitate no matter how I felt.
My instructions for capture came from the vet school vet in the avian & exotic animals section.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vECXqSXuD-U
I gently grabbed it using the t-shirt and closed my hands on it, then gently pulled it off the antenna. It chirped some but couldn't get to me due to 2 layers of t-shirt backed up by leather gloves. The t-shirt entangled it so it couldn't figure out how to get free, and I simply rolled the t-shirt into a ball around it, placed it into a glad container which I put into the freezer and I am to take it to the wildlife biologist in a nearby city about 40 miles away tomorrow so it can be tested for white nose syndrome and rabies !
I've finally stopped shaking and the dogs appreciated the potty break. All is finally well again on the farm.
Sadly we have NO animal control in our extremely rural area. The Vet school gave me instructions on capture. The zoo gave me other helpful information.
The agency I have to work with is the wildlife management agency, but their man is out of pocket. That's why I had to get up my courage to do my own rescue... because, while I'd love to release it, I have puppies at risk if it's rabid so I can't just move and release it, which would have been my preference. I now have to deliver the bat to them so they can send it to the testing lab.
3 Answers
- Elaine MLv 71 decade agoFavorite Answer
Do a google search for wildlife rehabbers in your area. You can also phone your DNR (Department of natural resources) who are in the government pages of the white pages in your phone book.
If all else fails, take a broom and carefully put it to the bat, touching it enough to get the bat to transfer to the broom bristles, then take it over to some bushes and prop the broom up there to let it do what it wants. Go get the broom later.
- 1 decade ago
even if the bat is not rabid, it could still be dangerous. I had a very close friend die from getting bat poop in a cut on his hand. Why did he get it on his hand you ask. Well his family raises bats and he was cleaning out cages without any rubber gloves. I miss him so much!
- 1 decade ago
Call city or county animal control immediately. Do Not attempt to handle this on your own.
