# Bat advice



## williamsom (Feb 24, 2009)

Hi all, my cats decided to bring a bat into the house last night which I have just found, he seems physically fine but his wings are torn, he has had some water from a syringe, would he wings repair themselfs are would it be kinda for a trip to the vets


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## klair328 (Nov 15, 2006)

put him in a quiet dark place... relese him later if he survives.. vets wont do anything (well here they wont anyway)
other than this.
Try dont touch it!.. i know hes eeny weeny and cute.. also..is it only me that hears the batman song playing in my head EVERYTIME i see a bat lol nananananananan batmann.. sorry had to get that out there good luck xx


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## barbetuk (Jul 1, 2011)

*Bat Advice*

Try to feed it - mealworms are always worth trying. Most bat species in UK obtain their required moisture from their food intake!

TAKE IT TO A VET for treatment to the torn wing. If your vet cannot help, ask him to refer you to a specialist vet.

Contact your local Bat Group for advice - check the Internet for details.

You may also need to contact DEFRA to advise them that you have an injured protected animal.

Be careful in handling the bat - use gloves, thick ones. Even a small pipistrelle can bite - and there is an outside chance that it could be carrying Bat Rabies. Most members of Bat groups who regularly handle bats make sure that their Rabies jabs are up to date.

DO NOT CONTACT THE RSPCA!!!!


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## williamsom (Feb 24, 2009)

Yeah I have the number for the bat protection group, gonna try them soon. I have some mini meal worm as he is only about 2 inches long


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## barbetuk (Jul 1, 2011)

Williamson,

You can try offering the bat mealworms, using tweezers. Whilst many bat species can be "trained" to take food from a dish, it is initially easier to let them rest on a pice of cloth and try to coax thenm to taking food rather than trying to forcrfeed them.

Good Luck.


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## williamsom (Feb 24, 2009)

sounds like the poor guy may be but to sleep as they wont keep him alive with torn wings


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## spinnin_tom (Apr 20, 2011)

williamsom said:


> sounds like the poor guy may be but to sleep as they wont keep him alive with torn wings


the OP could just keep the bat as a walking bat as opposed to a flying bat.. if the op keeps it, it's not going to need to fly,just let it walk around for exerersice


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## barbetuk (Jul 1, 2011)

*bat advice*

Williamson, who's the moronic muppet that thinks the bat should be put down?
Bats CAN survive with damaged wing membranes - I've had several Egyptian Fruit Bats that had damaged wing membranes and they were fine!
I'll pm you a phone number Monday.


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## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

Did the little bat make it? xx


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

Just seen this. What species is it? Big? Little?

Your best bet is to phone your local bat group. Where in the country are you? If you are in Yorkshire I know some people that can take it for you. I can at a push.

As the wings start to heal you will need to put olive oil on them to stop the membranes sticking together (used to do this at cornwall bat hospital). Gently open out the wing and apply gently with a cotton bud.

Hills AD science plan with a little water and mashed into a paste fed from a clean small paint brush usually goes down well. If you must handle the bat wear a clean pair of cotton gloves if you can get your hands on it. 

Mini meal worms (or regular) will also go down ok. Bats will eat out of a shallow dish without too much encouragement. Add a shallow dish with water into your enclosure too.


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## Crownan (Jan 6, 2007)

The only people going near this is a proper bat group/sanctury etc.

Bats are not for novices to just try and make better...


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Is there any news on this bat? We sometimes get them brought into our sanctuary and we immediately pass them over to our local bat group as they are such specialist animals. Dont you need a special license when dealing with bats?


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## Nell (May 3, 2011)

Hey hun can't believe I only just saw this, I had a resident bat for a little while when I was younger! Wing tears can heal up fine if looked after properly. We went a bit crazy catching moths and feeding him them. If you have waxworms leave them in a warm place to pupate and feed him the moths -should tide him over fine til you can get to your local bat protection group. Keep us posted!


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

Any news? I used to work for a bat hospital and my local bat group. I adore them. We used to have a long term resident brown long eared (couldn't fly) which would hang underneath the top of my plait in my hair and go to sleep for the day when I was working! Nearly took him home by accident a couple of times!


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## bennystalebread (Jul 11, 2011)

my old tutor had a license for bats and he would often get damaged bats from the local vets to rehabilitate, he used paper towels (kitchen roll)hanging from the rim of the enclosures so that they could climb and hang like they would naturally in the wild. Hope the little fella gets well soon!


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