(no subject)

[den]

who the hell is that?

Comments

[pixiecup.livejournal.com]

Hi...ldy told me to stop by and ask you about a brown, furry bat I found. My name's Jess, and I'm in Minnesota.

He was in a corner on the floor of my basement. Maybe 3-4 inches long. He hissed at me when I blew on him to see if he was alive. He was flying or hanging, and it's possible that my kitten found him before I did.

I gathered him in towels and brought him outside. He crawled against the side of my garage and went back to sleep.

This morning I found him about 20 feet away, halfway under the siding of our garage. Wet from the rain, and not looking very lively or healthy. :( I "pet" him with a leaf, and he responded a little bit by moving his back foot, but not a lot.

Any advice? :( I don't do well when animals suffer.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

Firstly, put the bat in an old pillow case to get it dry. Hang the case somewhere quiet, dark and COOL. Don't warm the bat as this causes problems and they don't need it anyway.

Then, if your night tempertaure is 50F+ hang the case outside in a dry, sheltered place, like in a car-port or old shed. Hang the pillowcase so that the end is open, and leave the area. when the bat is ready it'll go.

Don't try tp feed the bat or give it water. THey get really stressed when you handle them, and a day without food won't hurt them too much. They'll get hungry but they won't get weak.

As to what sort of bat... I have no idea. I can tell you lots about Australian bats bu American bats are a mystery to me.

Good luck! Don't get bitten. There's a slight risk of rabies and an even slighter risk of lyssavirus, but it still HURTS even if the bat is healthy.