Damned Bat

[Wabatuckian]

Easter Sunday we visited family. When we got home, my 10-year-old daughter ran up to open the garage door while carrying a gas station pop. The garage door opener is broken, so we have to do this manually, which I've come to like. Reminds me of my childhood.

As she opened the door, a damned bat fell down on top of the pop lid and plopped into the driveway.

I grabbed the lid and draw and threw them away. Wife and daughter then went inside, leaving son and me to deal with the dead bat.

Upon trying to scoop the bat up with a shovel, the thing came back to life, spread its wings, and tried to hop after my son. I truly don't know if it could fly, as I don't know what it takes for them to lift off from the ground.

Whichever, I wasn't willing to let it bite my son, so I broke its neck with the shovel.

We threw it away and went inside, whereupon I discovered my daughter drinking her pop after having poured it into a new cup. Dammit.

There had been a hole in the pop's lid where the straw went through, so we headed to the ER after calling them and getting advice to do so, just in case debris had fallen through the straw hole.

The doctor called the state, and the state advised collecting the bat and having it tested prior to starting a rabies series.

So now I have a dead bat in my garage refrigerator and need to call the county health board to see how to send the thing in.

My daughter didn't get scratched or bitten. Part of me thinks I'm overreacting (as does my wife.) Another part of me says the bat was obviously sick and we can't be too careful.

What do you think? Any experience?

 

[Doug]

I have no experience with bats, but I recommend OVER reacting instead of under reacting.

 

[Brandon]

Think its illegal to kill a bat. May want to change some wording.

 

[Brandon]

Found this one and 2 of his buddies swapping out a furnace the other day.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

As far as I know, rabies is only transmitted through the blood, as in with a bite. I don't know that you could even catch it just by touching an infected animal. I'd say overreacting, but I'm not a doctor and it's not my child so do what makes you comfortable.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Found this one and 2 of his buddies swapping out a furnace the other day. View attachment 344503

And you lived to tell about it??

 

[ditcherman]

Think its illegal to kill a bat. May want to change some wording.

He didn’t kill it, he just broke its neck.

OP, hoping for the best for your little one and your sanity. Probably an overreaction, but that’s what I would do.

 

[Brandon]

And you lived to tell about it??

Won't lie, it made me jump back and yell a few choice words.

 

[BeDome]

Err on the side of protecting your daughter.
Hard to fault someone for that.

Rabies shots are horrible from what I've seen!
Never had them, but had a buddy ...

 

[Brandon]

3rd was so bad it was just bones.

 

[cg21]

I mean it is a couple days later now…. No symptoms of any type? I’d be more concerned with the guano….


Bats are tiny I wonder how it looked ferociously chasing your son.

All kidding aside do what makes you comfortable but me no symptoms of any type I’d chalk it up as a learning experience for the child.

 

[Wabatuckian]

Think its illegal to kill a bat. May want to change some wording.

The Endangered Species Act, Section 11 [16 U.S.C. 1540], Subsection (a) (3)

(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, it shall be a defense to prosecution under this subsection if the defendant committed the offense based on a good faith belief that he was acting to protect himself or herself, a member of his or her family, or any other individual, from bodily harm from any endangered or threatened species.

It was done in self-defense. That is legal. I called the police to find out if there were any procedures regarding disposal of potentially rabid animals. They know I killed it, and the circumstances.

I would never kill anything outside of self-defense or hunting, especially bats. I hate bugs and bats are awesome hunters.

Edited to add pertinent federal law.

 

[Wabatuckian]

I mean it is a couple days later now…. No symptoms of any type? I’d be more concerned with the guano….


Bats are tiny I wonder how it looked ferociously chasing your son.

All kidding aside do what makes you comfortable but me no symptoms of any type I’d chalk it up as a learning experience for the child.

Rabies has a long incubation period, typically 20 to 90 days.

Those things can look viscous, but the bigger concern was it acting sick. I didn't want my son bitten.

 

[Mgderf]

Bats hibernate.
They can't fly well, if at all, in cold weather.

Chances are the bat you found was too cold to move properly, let alone fly.

Brown bats ( most common type in Indiana) are federally protected.
If you catch one in your home you are supposed to release it, UNHARMED, in the same geographic block that you found it in.
They say if you relocate a bat you might as well kill it because it will be unable to find food or shelter in the new surroundings.

Rabies cannot be transmitted by anything other than a scratch or bite, although some seriously deadly illnesses have been known to be present in rodent feces.

I think you over- reacted, but I can't fault you for erring on the side of caution.

 

[Wabatuckian]

Bats hibernate.
They can't fly well, if at all, in cold weather.

Chances are the bat you found was too cold to move properly, let alone fly.

Brown bats ( most common type in Indiana) are federally protected.
If you catch one in your home you are supposed to release it, UNHARMED, in the same geographic block that you found it in.
They say if you relocate a bat you might as well kill it because it will be unable to find food or shelter in the new surroundings.

Rabies cannot be transmitted by anything other than a scratch or bite, although some seriously deadly illnesses have been known to be present in rodent feces.

I think you over- reacted, but I can't fault you for erring on the side of caution.

Thank you.

I've always released bats. They're awesome critters.

At what temp do they wake up? It was in the 40s here on Sunday night, and I'd seen them out before Sunday. Can they wake up when it warms up, then go back to hibernating when it gets cold again? That would explain this one.

 

[Mgderf]

Thank you.

I've always released bats. They're awesome critters.

At what temp do they wake up? It was in the 40s here on Sunday night, and I'd seen them out before Sunday. Can they wake up when it warms up, then go back to hibernating when it gets cold again? That would explain this one.

I'm not an expert, but I do believe they can wake up and go back to hibernating if the temps drop again.
I don't know what the temps are.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Can they wake up when it warms up, then go back to hibernating when it gets cold again?

That's what I do.

 

[Hoosierdood]

Its just a bat. I don't see what the big deal is.

When I was in college in northern WI, the bats would congregate in the corners of the brick buildings at night. It would get cold at night but the bricks would retain some heat. We would grab them out of the corners and take them back to our dorms. They are like a mouse with wings, but much slower and pretty docile. Their mouth is very small, and you would almost have to TRY to get bitten by them.

 

[Quiet Observer]

Easter Sunday we visited family. When we got home, my 10-year-old daughter ran up to open the garage door while carrying a gas station pop. The garage door opener is broken, so we have to do this manually, which I've come to like. Reminds me of my childhood.

As she opened the door, a damned bat fell down on top of the pop lid and plopped into the driveway.

I grabbed the lid and draw and threw them away. Wife and daughter then went inside, leaving son and me to deal with the dead bat.

Upon trying to scoop the bat up with a shovel, the thing came back to life, spread its wings, and tried to hop after my son. I truly don't know if it could fly, as I don't know what it takes for them to lift off from the ground.

Whichever, I wasn't willing to let it bite my son, so I broke its neck with the shovel.

We threw it away and went inside, whereupon I discovered my daughter drinking her pop after having poured it into a new cup. Dammit.

There had been a hole in the pop's lid where the straw went through, so we headed to the ER after calling them and getting advice to do so, just in case debris had fallen through the straw hole.

The doctor called the state, and the state advised collecting the bat and having it tested prior to starting a rabies series.

So now I have a dead bat in my garage refrigerator and need to call the county health board to see how to send the thing in.

My daughter didn't get scratched or bitten. Part of me thinks I'm overreacting (as does my wife.) Another part of me says the bat was obviously sick and we can't be too careful.

What do you think? Any experience?

"People usually get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal. It is also possible, but rare, for people to get rabies from non-bite exposures, which can include scratches, abrasions, or open wounds that are exposed to saliva or other potentially infectious material from a rabid animal. Other types of contact, such as petting a rabid animal or contact with the blood, urine or feces of a rabid animal, are not associated with risk for infection and are not considered to be exposures of concern for rabies."

How is rabies transmitted? | Transmission | CDC

Transmission of rabies virus usually begins when infected saliva of a host is passed to an uninfected animal; most commonly through a bite. All mammals are susceptible to rabies; but only a few species are important reservoirs for the disease.

www.cdc.gov

 

[Wabatuckian]

"People usually get rabies from the bite of a rabid animal. It is also possible, but rare, for people to get rabies from non-bite exposures, which can include scratches, abrasions, or open wounds that are exposed to saliva or other potentially infectious material from a rabid animal. Other types of contact, such as petting a rabid animal or contact with the blood, urine or feces of a rabid animal, are not associated with risk for infection and are not considered to be exposures of concern for rabies."

How is rabies transmitted? | Transmission | CDC

Transmission of rabies virus usually begins when infected saliva of a host is passed to an uninfected animal; most commonly through a bite. All mammals are susceptible to rabies; but only a few species are important reservoirs for the disease.

www.cdc.gov

I appreciate that. I've heard of ingestion of the rabid animals being a possible cause, and so this was my concern.

I probably read too much, and am an overprotective father of an ornery 10-year-old girl.

An 11-year-old boy gave me a hug and asked if he could date her.

I told him she's not dating until she's 36.