den: (Rescues)
den ([personal profile] den) wrote2003-01-25 10:07 am

Savaged By Hamsters

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.

[identity profile] weyrdbird.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 03:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Poor BattyDen. A victim of assault and battery:D.


(runs away giggling like mad)

woof cowers under coffee table film at 11

[identity profile] twoolfe.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 03:22 pm (UTC)(link)
AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrgggggggggggggg!!!!!!!

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 03:37 pm (UTC)(link)
stop that

[identity profile] ngarewyrd.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
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!

[identity profile] janetmiles.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 03:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Not just the being bitten part, which would hurt a lot, but undiluted chlorine bleach? YIPE!

Re: Ouch!

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 03:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Better to be safe than sorry, even if it stings a bit.

Re: Ouch!

[identity profile] weyrdbird.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 05:49 pm (UTC)(link)
*We* don't do puns?

Bee? Sting? *THWAP*

Touche, as it were:D!

[identity profile] level-head.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 03:21 pm (UTC)(link)
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

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 04:08 pm (UTC)(link)
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!

[identity profile] hedgegoth.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 04:57 pm (UTC)(link)
We don't?
Let me get Azhie...

[identity profile] makovette.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
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

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2003-01-25 03:38 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] ursulav.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 04:21 pm (UTC)(link)
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!

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 08:30 pm (UTC)(link)
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?

[identity profile] janetmiles.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, I'm game; how do you bathe a bat?

Re: Bat-bathing 101?

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
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?

[identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/crossfire_/ 2003-01-24 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
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.
ext_20420: (Default)

[identity profile] kyburg.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 04:29 pm (UTC)(link)
BLEACH?!

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

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] browngirl.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 06:38 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] dewhitton.livejournal.com 2003-01-24 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I only have bleach here. And I wanted to Make Sure.