Bobby the Bat

[Wheek Weak]

I just wanted to share this cute story about our little house guest.

A couple of days ago, I got up, turned the kitchen light on, and saw something fluttering in the blinds over the kitchen window. Next thing I know, a little bat flew out and into the living room.

He flew up into a little 1" space between the vertical blinds (in front of the picture window) and the cornice at the top of the blinds.

Living in a small village with lots of old barns, sheds, garages, etc., I'm used to lots of bats around (I've always called this "Batville"), so it's just a matter of time before one ends up where it doesn't know it shouldn't be.

I was so worried about the little guy because he was without food all night and probably hungry, but I knew that he would just sleep all day and not cause any problems - until my husband came home from work!...

I told him that we had a little bat sleeping in the blinds and that I would let him out when it got dark and he woke up. Well, I got the typical reaction..."It's going to fly into our hair", "I'm tearing those blinds down and shaking it off outside", "bats attack people", "you'll be sorry if it wakes up and comes after you", etc., etc., etc.

Now don't get me wrong, my husband is an animal lover and would never hurt a critter (he has actually confronted people for abusing animals), but he still has the same fears about bats that a lot of folks do.

Anyway, I finally talked him into doing it my way after agreeing to let him hide in the piggie's room (when it started getting dark), with the doors closed, until the bat was gone.

After I got him calmed down a little, I had to run to the library. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous about leaving him alone with the 'deadly killer' snoring away in the blinds!

When I got back, he said, "Bobby is still sleeping".



I was shocked and speechless, to say the least! I asked him what had happened between "I'm tearing this place apart to get that thing out of here" to naming him and being his protector!?!

He said, "He has a cute little face, and look at those little tiny toes hanging on to the edge".

I agreed with him. Bats do have cute little faces (I've always said that they're just mice with wings).

So, the panic and fear having dissolved...we sat down and watched (and I'm not making this up) Batman:The Dark Knight!

As agreed, when it started getting dark, he went into the piggie's room and closed the door while I waited for Bobby to wake up.

Finally, the little sleepy head peeked his head out to make sure it was safe to come out. I propped the door open and waited for him to drop down and fly out of the blinds and out the door. When I thought he did, I closed the door and walked to the back of the apartment to open the piggie's door.

That's when I felt a soft little feeling float by my head. It felt like a large cotton ball (no, he wasn't trying to fly into my hair!).

I said, "You little stinker, you can't stay in here, you have to go outside with your family because they're probably wondering where you are, and you need to eat because you haven't eaten in a long time. Now go out there and get those skeeters so they don't bite us"!


So, I propped the back outside door open and ducked down so his radar had a clear shot at the open space. Within about 2 seconds he slowly and gently flew out the door.

He never did do all the typical bat things such as: flapping, squealing, spazzing out, etc. because he was never threatened in any way to cause him to try to defend himself.

Bobby was a good little house guest (he did leave a couple of tiny mouse-sized poos that I just swept up and tossed outside), and I'm so glad that he was able to help me show my husband that the more you understand the critter...the easier it is to deal with them when they get lost and need our help to get back to where they belong.

Good boy, Bobby!

[gooberific]

That was an absolutely adorable story. Thanks for sharing it with us!!

[Aura'sPiggies]

That is so sweet. I am glad the little guy got back outside, unharmed. They are rather cute close up. I would get freaked out at first because you just don't expect them to be in your house but then I would calm down, just like your husband!

[Wheek Weak]

Yeah, it is kind of nerve-wracking at first because of the way we've been 'wired' to be afraid of bats.

But, if we just stay calm and think about what the animal needs, it's really much easier than swinging brooms and iron skillets around causing a lot of stress, fright, and (most of the time) injury or death for the poor critter that just wanted to be back outside where there's food and family.

I hope I never take a wrong turn, get lost, and have people start attacking me for being in the wrong place instead of just guiding me back to where I need to go!

[Toadies]

It's so true about the negative wiring towards bats. I want to put up bat boxes and my husband's first reaction was about biting and attacking. I'm so glad that you kept a calm, educated, loving head and helped the little guy out. They are truly remarkable creatures.

[blackarrow]

I'm not "afraid" of bats either but I want to point out that leaving it there all day wasn't a safe way to handle this situation. Bats found in an abnormal place like inside a room of a house are more likely than others to be rabid. The CDC suggests a rather different course of action with regard to bats found in the home than either leaving it there all day and sending it out the door at night or going nuts with a tennis racket. Bats and Rabies | Rabies

[gooberific]

I retold this story to my dad yesterday. He was telling us (hubby, kiddo and me) about the time he was out in the pool trying to romance my mom, and a bat flew down for a drink of water. On its second trip down, she realized it was a bat and was suddenly inside the house! So, my dad thought it was pretty neat (although particularly mad at that individual bat) and did a bunch of research on bats and was amazed. Then I got going on how cute they were. He told me not to take them in as pets because my mom would never come to my house again.

[wonderwhiskers]

Bats are one of my fav creatures, and my mums too actually!
We always have loads whizzing by our window at night, and I can just spend hours watching them.
They are AMAZING!

[Wheek Weak]

Originally Posted by blackarrow

I'm not "afraid" of bats either but I want to point out that leaving it there all day wasn't a safe way to handle this situation. Bats found in an abnormal place like inside a room of a house are more likely than others to be rabid. The CDC suggests a rather different course of action with regard to bats found in the home than either leaving it there all day and sending it out the door at night or going nuts with a tennis racket. Bats and Rabies | Rabies

The bat was behaving abnormally. Instead of hiding, the bat was making unusual noises and was having difficulty flying. This strange behavior should have led to a strong suspicion of rabies.

Thank you, blackarrow, for that informative link. Fortunately, I knew that Bobby, most likely, wasn't rabid because of his calm demeanor. He had just accidentally flown into the open door (without us realizing it) and slept in the blinds all day because that's what healthy bats do (sleep all day)!

We'll make sure to always observe the bats' behavior if, and when, it happens again (here in "Batville", it's very probable that it will!).

[vicky2]

This had to be the cutest story ever!