I had a sick bat on my deck and NO one could tell me what to do...

[samnsara]

.. I thought we were supposed to report sick bats! I'm in Central Wash state on 5 acres of forest and we have always had bats live in the small part of the roof..way up at the point. They are small fruit bats and we would watch them fly back in their little hidey hole in the mornings at sunrise. When we first noticed them years ago we contacted a bat group who suggested we build a bat house but that they aren't really a problem. There only seemed to be a few living there at a time.


Well....my deck is right under their entry way and last week we found a dead one out there...so we scooped it up with a shovel and tossed it into the woods.

Yesterday afternoon I went on the deck to take some photos and there was another one..i tried to scoop it up with a dust pan and it was alive..and obviously ill...and scary! I called 911...asked WHO do I call and what do i do? ummmmmm we dunno.....maybe call the state patrol? So they connected me...ummmmmm we dunno...maybe call fish and wild life? They connected me.....ummmm we dunno. Maybe call bat rescue?..

wtf?

by this time hubby (who was at work) contacted our neighbor who came over with a shovel and kinda took care of it. I couldn't watch..but I heard a cpl small thunks and when I looked it was still alive and he scooped it up and tossed it into the woods.

I guess I will call the health dept today and see if they have any suggestions. I thought for sure when I called 911 they would send folks out here in hazmat suits.

also I will call the bat ppl as i need to redirect the bat colony now.. but humanely. Any suggestions? at this point anything would be better than what I've got so far.

[DonaldsRump]

1. Local vector control

[mrs_p]

2. Send the bats to WADDL

In Pullman. They can test for rabies and for a fungus that is devastating bat colonies throughout the country.

https://waddl.vetmed.wsu.edu/

If money is a problem, Ask public health if they do rabies for free and send to them.

Game and fish should be interested if more bats die.

[hlthe2b]

3. Call your county or state public health department. Do not destroy the head whatever you do so that

rabies testing can be conducted. DO NOT throw them out in the woods where other animals could become infected through scavaging! You may well be propagating the disease if it is rabies. Wear gloves and bag the animal carcass in two layers of plastic and place on ice in a cooler until Public Health can get animal control or another official to collect it.

Do it ASAP.

[Kali]

4. another possibility is animal control

ours is out of our sheriffs dept.

[Bayard]

5. Get a tall ladder

Plug up the hole in your roof. At night, when they're out.

[samnsara]

8. that was hubbys suggestion but there are pups in there so we may have to..

..do that later in the year.

[2naSalit]

6. If they have been

enjoying a portion of your house under the roof, you could have a large pile of guano up there that can end up being a major health hazard for your family. Best to call the bat people and see about getting that part of th roof closed up. Also, follow advice given above regarding the actual sick ones and find out what they suggest.

I managed a property a few years ago that had bats dying on the sidewalks so I called the bat people in my area. They came out and did some things to the roof and installed a vent that allowed them to get out but not back in. The problem was resolved in a day or two.

[samnsara]

10. yes!.. i have heard of those vents and once we get a bat house hung thats what we will do..

..also after the pups are weaned.

[japple]

7. They might be eating fruit that has been sprayed with poison--insecticides, fungicides, or

they might be ingesting something else that has. I don't know about the dietary preferences of the fruit bat, but if they eat mosquitoes or other insects that have been poisoned by aerial spraying, that might be part of the problem.

[samnsara]

11. i thought of that as well but im not in an area where theres any kind of fruit or produce..just hay.

..and there have been fewer skeeters too! Thank goodness!

[samnsara]

9. UPDATE...since we found another one...

Last edited Tue Jul 28, 2020, 07:35 AM - Edit history (1)

My neighbor didnt kill the first one like i thought.. he just tossed it into the woods with a shovel. I was relieved..i dont like killing animals and after all these bats have been part of our environment for as long as we have lived here.

Next day hubbys in the yard and by gum theres another one alive, floundering in the yard right near where the other one was relocated. Hubby again tossed it into the woods. NOW I'm thinking that was the same bat..crippled but crawling back ...to her pups?

Then major guilt set it.

I went on line and searched all I could about ill bats etc and rabies is the very last thing discussed as a reason for sick animals. I knew about the bat White Nose Syndrome but I always thought it effected them in the winter and Ive never seen dead ones in the snow..and its relatively rare in the west. But the map of verified cases included my county....the only county in wash state! There was a form on line to report suspected cases so I filled that out. And...even if a bat recovers, there can be lasting effects such as..weakness and inability to fly! Its like bat Covid. Im thinking this may be the end of the colony

Im using this as an opportunity to learn more about the animals and I would like to talk to our local wildlife rehab vet on the best way to handle one if I find them again. I contacted a bat rehab on the west side of the State so hopefully they will have some info I can use.

Now is also the time to get that bat house hung. We bought it about 15 yrs ago and it still sits in the garage. Hubby couldnt make up his mind where to hang it so the poop wouldnt be by the house..well now its IN the house.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU all who offered advice...this was the first place i posted my dilemma as I knew rural folks will have an idea what I was dealing with. You guys are the best..

* another update! the wash state dept of wild life is sending out a biologist to study my colony and determine how many and of what kind. AND a bat rehab on the west side of the state called response to my email to them and she gave me some helpful info. as well