Who lives with Bats?
Discussion
Japveesix said:
Nice thread to read. Being PH I did expect a few more posts along the lines of "stick some glue traps up and don't tell anyone" or similar as sometimes people on here can be quite inflexible when it comes to wildlife
It has actually been a very nice thread to read. Admittedly bats aren't vermin in the way mice or rats are and aren't destructive so everyone seems a bit more tolerant of them. I'm also impressed there's been no mother in law jokes either!
2 GKC said:
I’m somewhat surprised they have the level of protection they do because they seem to be very common and pretty much everywhere
They do seem extremely common, certainly according to this thread but I do wonder how many have them and have no idea. As I mentioned at my mums house she sees them flitting about and wouldn't have been in the loft in her house for years. As someone further up mentioned, it makes you wonder how many people refrain from telling anyone official due to potential restrictions or hassle. Therefore could be way more than expected.
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
We now have two foundlings to try to rear. Mrs 404 found a female baby in the middle of the night when she got up to wee.
It's too early to tell if they will make it, but it won't be for want of trying.
They were pretty perky at 5 o'clock when I fed them.
Love reading your posts mate, interesting to see and hope the new one is well. Alex is a good name if you're wondering hahaha It's too early to tell if they will make it, but it won't be for want of trying.
They were pretty perky at 5 o'clock when I fed them.
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
I hear you, and the British Bat Conservation people agree with you. I'm sorry to hear your little girl was bitten, any idea what species of bat you had there?
But I believe it's extraordinarily rare for people to be bitten by bats in this country.
I've only ever handled Common Pipistrelles, Soprano Pipistrelles and one Lesser Long-eared bat and never been bitten by any.
Perhaps I'm too complacent, but I think the conservation people are rather over cautious in their advice personally. Not that that's a bad thing; they are quite right in terms of protecting both the bats and the public.
There was a death in 2002, of someone volunteering on a bat conservation project;But I believe it's extraordinarily rare for people to be bitten by bats in this country.
I've only ever handled Common Pipistrelles, Soprano Pipistrelles and one Lesser Long-eared bat and never been bitten by any.
Perhaps I'm too complacent, but I think the conservation people are rather over cautious in their advice personally. Not that that's a bad thing; they are quite right in terms of protecting both the bats and the public.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC14049...
We had bats in a previous house, but they never bothered us. The House martins on the other hand made a huge mess.
Then we went to Centre Parcs in 2001 where our chalet also had bats in the roof space - we could hear them preparing to leave each evening. Asked at customer services and a chap popped round to explain that the bats were roosting in several chalets, and they'd had to close a couple as - eventually - the ceilings sagged under the weight of droppings.
I have no reason to doubt what he said, but ever since then we've been a little more alert to bats.
Fast forward to 2024 and we've just offered on a house, and during the second viewing (mid afternoon in May) watched a bat crawl up the brickwork and into the loft space through a tiny, tiny gap above the bricks.
Surveyor said no evidence of a major colony, just install some alternative accommodation nearby and cross your fingers.
Do love to watch bats in the gloaming - something to look forward to.
Then we went to Centre Parcs in 2001 where our chalet also had bats in the roof space - we could hear them preparing to leave each evening. Asked at customer services and a chap popped round to explain that the bats were roosting in several chalets, and they'd had to close a couple as - eventually - the ceilings sagged under the weight of droppings.
I have no reason to doubt what he said, but ever since then we've been a little more alert to bats.
Fast forward to 2024 and we've just offered on a house, and during the second viewing (mid afternoon in May) watched a bat crawl up the brickwork and into the loft space through a tiny, tiny gap above the bricks.
Surveyor said no evidence of a major colony, just install some alternative accommodation nearby and cross your fingers.
Do love to watch bats in the gloaming - something to look forward to.
The Don of Croy said:
eventually - the ceilings sagged under the weight of droppings
Jeez that is a lot of sh!t!! Thankfully my loft only appears to have 4 bats from what I could tell but they do like to make a mess.
Does anyone in this thread use their loft for storage? Do you just cover up the stuff you have up there? I was thinking of a tarp attached to the rafters up there and making a canopy. Thankfully everything is boxed in the main part.
otolith said:
There was a death in 2002, of someone volunteering on a bat conservation project;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC14049...
I stand corrected I guess. Thanks for sharing this mate. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC14049...
For a brief update, the little boy seems to be getting on okay. The little girl, maybe not so much. She was very cold when she was found and warmth is crucial to the pups. It's why they crowd together in the maternity roosts. The little creatures live on a knife edge, metabolically speaking. The pups grow at an astonishing rate and need all the energy they can get. They don't have any to spare on maintaining their own body temperature.
That's why we feed buffalo worms. They're not a native food source for them; they would never encounter them in the wild in UK. But they are roughly 60% protein and great for supporting growth.
Roy was as feisty as you like on his diet.
The little girl is noticeably weaker than her friend but I'm still hopeful she'll rally.
When the dial turns from "hopeful" to "quietly confident" I'll be much happier. We haven't named them yet as it somehow makes it worse when you lose one.
I learned that last year when poor little Schrödinger breathed his last.
("Schrödinger" because the little sod was so good at hiding).
If anyone is interested I still have photos and clips of Roy from last year.
Edited by Error_404_Username_not_found on Tuesday 25th June 21:55
Edited by Error_404_Username_not_found on Tuesday 25th June 21:58
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
otolith said:
There was a death in 2002, of someone volunteering on a bat conservation project;
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC14049...
I stand corrected I guess. Thanks for sharing this mate. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC14049...
Looks like it's usually Daubenton’s bats being picked up in the surveillance, and they have had an increase in detections in recent years.
https://aphascience.blog.gov.uk/2019/09/28/world-r...
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
We now have two foundlings to try to rear. Mrs 404 found a female baby in the middle of the night when she got up to wee.
It's too early to tell if they will make it, but it won't be for want of trying.
They were pretty perky at 5 o'clock when I fed them.
You need a license to do pretty much *anything* with bats. I'd get them to your local bat rescue ASAP.It's too early to tell if they will make it, but it won't be for want of trying.
They were pretty perky at 5 o'clock when I fed them.
https://www.bats.org.uk or search on Facebook for a local bat group.
silentbrown said:
You need a license to do pretty much *anything* with bats. I'd get them to your local bat rescue ASAP.
https://www.bats.org.uk or search on Facebook for a local bat group.
This unfortunately.https://www.bats.org.uk or search on Facebook for a local bat group.
I am sure that Error_404_Username_not_found is doing great work but it only takes some warrior to stumble on this thread & dox you & bring a prosecution.
Stupid to get banned from keeping animals or some such draconian punishment for helping.
I’d delete the bat posts & keep it to yourself and get in touch with the bat people.
You obviously enjoy them so why not join as a helper?
Stick Legs said:
silentbrown said:
You need a license to do pretty much *anything* with bats. I'd get them to your local bat rescue ASAP.
https://www.bats.org.uk or search on Facebook for a local bat group.
This unfortunately.https://www.bats.org.uk or search on Facebook for a local bat group.
I am sure that Error_404_Username_not_found is doing great work but it only takes some warrior to stumble on this thread & dox you & bring a prosecution.
Stupid to get banned from keeping animals or some such draconian punishment for helping.
I’d delete the bat posts & keep it to yourself and get in touch with the bat people.
You obviously enjoy them so why not join as a helper?
We're sort of ahead of you in a way. We're in contact with the wildlife conservation man for south Scotland already. I don't know his actual job title, but it seems he is rather over stretched as I think there are only two in the country. Budget restraints or something.
He's a really good guy who I met last year when I passed Roy into his care, having successfully reared him from a tiny.
I won't name the man here but he asked me at the time to serve as a local contact to advise/assist in rescuing bats so he has some confidence in what we are doing.
The plan now is to hand over these two little ones next week sometime to go to the rehabilitation place in Ayrshire where Roy went. Unfortunately it can't be any sooner.
The rehab centre has done some upgrading I hear and they are now better equipped even than before, so these little ones will get the best chance we can give them if they are robust enough to hand over. Which looks increasingly likely.
They have just had an early evening feed and they're as lively as anything so their chances are improving all the time. They should be much stronger next week, given how quickly they grow.
The little male has just discovered his wings, which are not developed enough yet for flying, but he's giving them a good shake around.
I'm amazed how resilient the little things are, despite being so terribly fragile.
Error_404_Username_not_found said:
Thanks fellas.
We're sort of ahead of you in a way. We're in contact with the wildlife conservation man for south Scotland already. I don't know his actual job title, but it seems he is rather over stretched as I think there are only two in the country. Budget restraints or something.
He's a really good guy who I met last year when I passed Roy into his care, having successfully reared him from a tiny.
I won't name the man here but he asked me at the time to serve as a local contact to advise/assist in rescuing bats so he has some confidence in what we are doing.
The plan now is to hand over these two little ones next week sometime to go to the rehabilitation place in Ayrshire where Roy went. Unfortunately it can't be any sooner.
The rehab centre has done some upgrading I hear and they are now better equipped even than before, so these little ones will get the best chance we can give them if they are robust enough to hand over. Which looks increasingly likely.
They have just had an early evening feed and they're as lively as anything so their chances are improving all the time. They should be much stronger next week, given how quickly they grow.
The little male has just discovered his wings, which are not developed enough yet for flying, but he's giving them a good shake around.
I'm amazed how resilient the little things are, despite being so terribly fragile.
That's excellent! We found a 'grounded' pipistrelle on the lawn one afternoon last year, and our local bat rescue did a super job. Brought her back and released in our garden.We're sort of ahead of you in a way. We're in contact with the wildlife conservation man for south Scotland already. I don't know his actual job title, but it seems he is rather over stretched as I think there are only two in the country. Budget restraints or something.
He's a really good guy who I met last year when I passed Roy into his care, having successfully reared him from a tiny.
I won't name the man here but he asked me at the time to serve as a local contact to advise/assist in rescuing bats so he has some confidence in what we are doing.
The plan now is to hand over these two little ones next week sometime to go to the rehabilitation place in Ayrshire where Roy went. Unfortunately it can't be any sooner.
The rehab centre has done some upgrading I hear and they are now better equipped even than before, so these little ones will get the best chance we can give them if they are robust enough to hand over. Which looks increasingly likely.
They have just had an early evening feed and they're as lively as anything so their chances are improving all the time. They should be much stronger next week, given how quickly they grow.
The little male has just discovered his wings, which are not developed enough yet for flying, but he's giving them a good shake around.
I'm amazed how resilient the little things are, despite being so terribly fragile.
Re. the legalities, I think there's actually no concern. Bat Workers manual:- https://hub.jncc.gov.uk/assets/e5888ae1-3306-4f17-...
Just a brief update.
We have been joined this evening by a third juvenile. I'm not sure if it's a common pipistrelle or a soprano. It's not easy to tell. Mrs 404 had gone for a shower and an early night leaving me with the evening feeding when I found another. In fact I almost stepped on it but it crawled under an armchair. So I lifted the chair and grabbed the bat.
It is slightly bigger than the others but rather thin and I have spent the last three hours getting some protein and liquid into it, and a drop of glucose solution which experience has taught us gives them a little energy boost and gets them interested in living when they are badly depleted.
Still too small to fly though. I haven't sexed it yet because holding them upside down to see whats what tends to piss them right off and I reckon it could do without the stress right now.
I'm really annoyed with the people I bought the mealworms from because I paid extra for next day delivery and they aren't here yet. These little ones need better feed than I can supply right now.
Hopefully it won't be long until I can meet up with the Wildlife Conservation man and get the babies to some better care than I can give. We're doing our best for them and they're surviving but they need more.
Honestly, I do love these little creatures.
We have been joined this evening by a third juvenile. I'm not sure if it's a common pipistrelle or a soprano. It's not easy to tell. Mrs 404 had gone for a shower and an early night leaving me with the evening feeding when I found another. In fact I almost stepped on it but it crawled under an armchair. So I lifted the chair and grabbed the bat.
It is slightly bigger than the others but rather thin and I have spent the last three hours getting some protein and liquid into it, and a drop of glucose solution which experience has taught us gives them a little energy boost and gets them interested in living when they are badly depleted.
Still too small to fly though. I haven't sexed it yet because holding them upside down to see whats what tends to piss them right off and I reckon it could do without the stress right now.
I'm really annoyed with the people I bought the mealworms from because I paid extra for next day delivery and they aren't here yet. These little ones need better feed than I can supply right now.
Hopefully it won't be long until I can meet up with the Wildlife Conservation man and get the babies to some better care than I can give. We're doing our best for them and they're surviving but they need more.
Honestly, I do love these little creatures.
What a great thread.
404 - loving hearing the updates, you’re a kind soul. Wish everyone cared about animals to the extent you do.
(I’ll ignore the shooting squirrels comment that appeared from another poster)
Not sure if we have bats now, certainly did when we moved in. Like others, we enjoyed using the bat detector to identify them flying outside a summers evening. Incredible agility.
The poo on the loft floor now seems to be exclusively mice - which we regularly rehome in a forest 5 miles away as I heard they can find their way back! What with all the other animals here it feels like we run a safari park!
404 - loving hearing the updates, you’re a kind soul. Wish everyone cared about animals to the extent you do.
(I’ll ignore the shooting squirrels comment that appeared from another poster)
Not sure if we have bats now, certainly did when we moved in. Like others, we enjoyed using the bat detector to identify them flying outside a summers evening. Incredible agility.
The poo on the loft floor now seems to be exclusively mice - which we regularly rehome in a forest 5 miles away as I heard they can find their way back! What with all the other animals here it feels like we run a safari park!
Thanks for kind remarks chaps.
Now we have four!
FFS!
There was a tiny one on the floor beside the bathroom door at six this morning when I went to wee before starting the morning feeding. It was very cold and not moving and I thought it was dead, but it started moving when it warmed up a little in my hand. So I completed the basic ablutions one-handed and fed it first.
Warmed goat milk with a drop or two of liquid glucose. It took loads of it and shat in my hand (which is a good thing).
I fed the other three and discovered that the one I found last night can fly after all, but only a few feet. More of a wing-assisted hop than a flight. I very much doubt it would be strong enough to fly up to the roost. This is a big building.
Getting like a damn safari park indeed!
Re:the mice. We used to get field mice in the house which we caught in humane traps and released a good distance away also. Tried all sorts as bait eventually learning that they like peanut butter and overripe avocado. Then I spotted mouse and hamster pet food pellets in the supermarket which were the ultimate answer.
So at least they got a decent breakfast before being chucked out to make their own way in the world.
That stopped abruptly last August when Mrs 404 acquired a kitten. They don't come in anymore. Which is a bit odd as they completely ignored a Jack Russell terrier.
Don't misunderstand, I'm not a fluffy-brain shrub-cuddling hippy type, but I try not to kill anything that I'm not going to eat and I'll do what I can to help the helpless. They have exactly the same business in the world as I have.
I really need to find out where they are getting through from the roost. I thought I had blocked it but clearly they are smarter than diesel engineers.
Now we have four!
FFS!
There was a tiny one on the floor beside the bathroom door at six this morning when I went to wee before starting the morning feeding. It was very cold and not moving and I thought it was dead, but it started moving when it warmed up a little in my hand. So I completed the basic ablutions one-handed and fed it first.
Warmed goat milk with a drop or two of liquid glucose. It took loads of it and shat in my hand (which is a good thing).
I fed the other three and discovered that the one I found last night can fly after all, but only a few feet. More of a wing-assisted hop than a flight. I very much doubt it would be strong enough to fly up to the roost. This is a big building.
Getting like a damn safari park indeed!
Re:the mice. We used to get field mice in the house which we caught in humane traps and released a good distance away also. Tried all sorts as bait eventually learning that they like peanut butter and overripe avocado. Then I spotted mouse and hamster pet food pellets in the supermarket which were the ultimate answer.
So at least they got a decent breakfast before being chucked out to make their own way in the world.
That stopped abruptly last August when Mrs 404 acquired a kitten. They don't come in anymore. Which is a bit odd as they completely ignored a Jack Russell terrier.
Don't misunderstand, I'm not a fluffy-brain shrub-cuddling hippy type, but I try not to kill anything that I'm not going to eat and I'll do what I can to help the helpless. They have exactly the same business in the world as I have.
I really need to find out where they are getting through from the roost. I thought I had blocked it but clearly they are smarter than diesel engineers.
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