3 bats in 2 days????
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Two nights ago I had the doors open so maybe that's why, but a bat started flying around the house. I have a roommate (male but just a roommate) who when the bat rested on a wall put on a glove, picked it up, and took it outside (not before pretending to shove it in my face--I approve of bats in principle, I' totally fine with spiders and snakes, but still. . . ).
Early yesterday evening the cat was on the dining table and I heard a tiny chattering noise, thought the cat had found a bug, but there was a bat tucked under a metal basket I put mail in. Caught the bat in a plastic container and put outside. Not an hour later bat #3 ( or the same bat 3x) is flying around the house again. Roommate not home. Bat eventually settled down on the same wall as the night before. Thing is there is a radiator pipe in that area so I couldn't just pop a container over the bat and I did not want to wake him up, much less pick him up with or without a glove. He was still there when I got home from work tonight so I told the roommate who took the bat out again. Only bat(s) in the house since 2x last summer a month or so apart, in a room where a screen was missing. Roof was completely redone 5 years ago including replacing wood that was bad, replaced the vent turbine (whatever it's called, there's just one), soffit, fascia, so I don't want to think the attice is a secret bat hideaway, but I also don't want to find out (there's a third floor finished room that is just storage, with attic around and on top of that, so I would have to go to the third floor and then go into the attic and crawl around the whole damn thing). Do I need to have someone check things out to make sure there's no bat colony? No indication of odors and other than the 1 bat 3x or else 3 bats this week no bats for a year. I do have a lot of big trees around my house and adjoining houses are very close (one 20 feet away, the other more like 10), so there are plenty of other places bats could live. Also, do bats care if there is light? I know moths are attracted to light (which makes little sense, since a biologist told me moths tend to be nocturnal) and bats like to eat moths. The dog does like to wander in and out before bed and no doggie door, if I keep lights out by the door will that reduce the odds of bat entry? |
Anonymous
|
That would drive me batshit crazy.
Call a pest/animal control company for guidance. I remember one company came when birds flew into and made a nest in the pipes by the house. Somehow they ended up in my bathroom vent. Professionals see all sorts of things. As |
Anonymous
| I’d make sure your cat’s rabies shot is up to date and maybe get a booster. I found a dead bat in our yard but wasn’t sure if our dog had been anywhere near it. I called the vet and he had me bring the dog in for a rabies shot even though the dog wasn’t due for one for another year. |
Anonymous
|
We had a bat in our house one morning and it got in through the door the previous night. I had a trapping company come out to look if there was any possible entry point in our house, and he said it was most likely the front door. I never leave my door open at night anymore. We used Adcocks Trapping Service.
Definitely keep your cats shots up to date. We ended up getting shots bc apparently a bat can bite a sleeping child or heavy sleeper. Their teeth are so small you would not even know they bit you. So after 3 hours worth of phone calls to the kids doctor, my doctor, the CDC, and my level headed nurse friend, we did the shots. It was really annoying and expensive, but rabies can incubate for up to 3 months and if you get it, it’s a death sentence. Luckily for you, you saw the bat and knew it was there. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| I’m sorry. It is time to move. F no! |
Anonymous
|
If there is a chance you were asleep and the bats were in the same room then you need to consult your Dr. Rabies is 100% fatal once clinical signs show up and they can bite you without you knowing you have been bitten
And your cat needs a booster https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/animals/bats.html -Veterinarian |
Anonymous
This. Don't fool around or wait on this. |
Anonymous
| Bat fest is tomorrow at the nature center . |
Anonymous
|
It’s a shrew with wings. Not a Japanese sci-fi monster.
Relax. |
Anonymous
|
Yeah, when this happened to us we called animal control and they came and collected the bat to test for rabies. If it had been positive we all would’ve had to get shots, because there’s no way to know if we were bitten by the bat; their teeth are so tiny it’s hard to detect. And there’s no room for error — rabies is always fatal and better safe than sorry. Fortunately, the bat was negative for rabies.
My indoor cat was two months behind on his rabies shots so we immediately brought him to the vet to get a shot but if the bat had been positive he would’ve had to be quarantined. Especially because he actually had the bat under his paws. |
Anonymous
Just to add - there’s no way to know if you were bitten *while asleep*. |
Anonymous
+1 OP, you sound pretty casual about the possibility of a bite or scratch. You and your roommate both need to talk to your doctors today; don't wait. PP who noted that bat bites can be so tiny you'll never notice them is right. I'd be concerned about scratches as well, especially for your roommate who picked up the bat (gloves were a good idea but still.... |
Anonymous
| Stop with the rabies hysteria. We had one living in our window. They eventually leave. They tend to arrive at 4 or 5 am after eating bugs all night. You might want to look in the attic and keep your door closed. Or go out at night and look for bats emerging from your house at dark. |
Anonymous
You sound dumb. How is it "hysteria" to point out that bats can carry rabies, can infect you without you knowing, and if you are not treated you will die? OP, you need pest control, stat. Are you renting? Call your landlord. If not, call pest control yourself. In the meantime, call animal control the next time you see a bat. Also, contact the health department and let them know there have been bats in your house, you don't know how they entered or how long they were there. Source: found a dead bat in our basement. Called animal control and they took it for testing. The guy warned us if it was positive or inconclusive they would send out whole family for rabies shots because we didn't know how/when it had entered or what parts of the house it had been in. Luckily it was "freshly" dead so they could confirm it didn't have rabies. This was a year after we had a our attic bat proofed after a nest was found there. We think the last one just came in through an open door but were never sure. |
Anonymous
I agree that there's a vanishingly small chance this bat had rabies and bit OP or her roommate. But if it did happen, they will die without the shot. So it's not hysteria to tell them to get the shot. |