den: (Rescues)
[personal profile] den
I always think it's amusing to consider being attacked by a very small animal.

I can tell you now it bloody hurts. I picked up a bat this morning who had spent the night clinging to a swimming pool skimmer box. He's another young broadnosed bat, like Florence, except he thought he was a carnivore like Vampyrum Spectrum and went the fang. I'm not exaggerating when I say he savaged my hand: he bit me 7 times, drawing blood each time. That's like having 14 sewing pins stabbed into the side of my index finger and palm.

I've had the rabies shots so I'm happy that I won't get lyssavirus, but I soaked my hand in undiluted laundry bleach just to make sure. It stung a bit.

He's another young learner-flyer, weighs 5 grams and has a wingspan of 13cm.

When I weighed him the display on the scales showed "5g" then flickered and showed "bat." I wondered how it knew.

Then the battery went flat. heh.

Date: 24 Jan 2003 15:11 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] weyrdbird.livejournal.com
Poor BattyDen. A victim of assault and battery:D.


(runs away giggling like mad)

woof cowers under coffee table film at 11

Date: 24 Jan 2003 15:22 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] twoolfe.livejournal.com
AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrgggggggggggggg!!!!!!!

Date: 24 Jan 2003 15:37 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com
stop that

Date: 24 Jan 2003 15:12 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ngarewyrd.livejournal.com
When I weighed him the display on the scales showed "5g" then flickered and showed "bat." I wondered how it knew.

Perhaps it's because you use it to only weigh bats? my goodness, it's gotta AI in it =8D

bring on the talkie toaster!

Ouch!

Date: 24 Jan 2003 15:14 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] janetmiles.livejournal.com
Not just the being bitten part, which would hurt a lot, but undiluted chlorine bleach? YIPE!

Re: Ouch!

Date: 24 Jan 2003 15:41 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com
Better to be safe than sorry, even if it stings a bit.

Re: Ouch!

Date: 24 Jan 2003 17:49 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] weyrdbird.livejournal.com
*We* don't do puns?

Bee? Sting? *THWAP*

Touche, as it were:D!

Date: 24 Jan 2003 15:21 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] level-head.livejournal.com
A five inch wingspan is small indeed; the term "microbat" is certainly appropriate.

He may not have been on time, but he was certainly, ah, punctual.

===|==============/ Level Head

Date: 24 Jan 2003 16:08 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com
It's interesting that microbat is used to describe the insectivors and carnivors, while megabat describes the flying foxes and blossom-bats.

Intersting because some of the microbats (ghost bats) outwheigh the blossom bats by up to 10:1, and prey on them.

Unt, ve don't DO punns HERE!

Date: 24 Jan 2003 16:57 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hedgegoth.livejournal.com
We don't?
Let me get Azhie...

Date: 24 Jan 2003 17:24 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] makovette.livejournal.com
Bwhahah :)

Hey, there's a really cool nifty invention called The Glove you can buy now. I hear OJ Simpson has a pair that don't fit too well...

CYa!
MAko

Date: 25 Jan 2003 15:38 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com
I wear gloves for the larger bats, but with the small ones I can't tell how hard I'm squeezing them. I'm always afraid I'll either hurt them or not hold them firmly enough and they'll do more injury while escaping.

Date: 24 Jan 2003 16:21 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ursulav.livejournal.com
Must...not...pun...must...fight...urges...

Still, it's nice to know that humans aren't the only ones who occasionally think they're vampires in the face of all evidence. Just keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't start wearing black trenchcoats and lots of eye makeup. *grin*

Seriously, I hope that you can get him rehabilitated without losing too much more skin to the little guy...soaking in bleach can't be fun.

Peace!

Date: 24 Jan 2003 20:30 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com
There's nothing wrong with him, apart from being pissed off at the world in general and me in particular. I'll be letting him go tonight as soon as dusk goes from "can see" to "can't see."

The two bats I have in care are both the same age and species, yet so totally different in temperament. The female is quiet and likes being held while I feed her but the male is an utter bastard.

It's not a sex-thing in case you're wondering. I've had happy males and females I wouldn't trust. One female hated me for 5 weeks simply because I gave her a bath. (she'd been caught by a cat and I had to wash the cat spit off.)

Bat-bathing 101?

Date: 24 Jan 2003 21:06 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] janetmiles.livejournal.com
Okay, I'm game; how do you bathe a bat?

Re: Bat-bathing 101?

Date: 24 Jan 2003 23:33 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com
This is how I bathed Xena:

I held her down on a linen pad and used a wet cotton bud to rub her down while she growled and bit at me.

Then, after I'd soaked her fur thoroughly, I used a dry cotton bud and tissues to dry her off while she growled and bit at me.

Then I fed her and for the next 5 weeks she growled and bit at me.

Re: Bat-bathing 101?

Date: 24 Jan 2003 23:38 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/crossfire_/
heheheh. The growling and biting part...sure makes her sound like her namesake software project I worked on. *grin*

Mind you, we didn't wash the software with a cotton bud, but there was much growling and biting going on, and not the pleasant sort.

Date: 24 Jan 2003 16:29 (UTC)
ext_20420: (Default)
From: [identity profile] kyburg.livejournal.com
BLEACH?!

Gah, get this man some Hibistat - hurts more and smells better.

Date: 24 Jan 2003 20:32 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com
I didn't have any other form of strong die-you-filthy-germs in the house. I'm allergic to most liquid antiseptics. They make me swell.

Date: 24 Jan 2003 18:38 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] browngirl.livejournal.com
I hope your hand heals up well. 'Went the fang', though, is just the most wonderful phrase ever, and I must add it to my own lexicon.

A.

Date: 24 Jan 2003 20:37 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com
My hand is fine. I have little pairs of black spots in the skin where I leaked. The actual amount of blood was miniscule. It just hurt a lot.

Date: 24 Jan 2003 20:34 (UTC)
From: [identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com
I only have bleach here. And I wanted to Make Sure.

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