# Any bat keepers on here?



## bampoisongirl (Mar 28, 2008)

A previuos thread has re ignited my love of bats, and i was wondering how many ppl on here keep them? or even rescue them? and yes i demand pix! xx


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

yep, i keep and rescue British bats, have a hand reared pipistrelle, and an injured pipistrelle to.

I rescue about 40 ish a year

Feel free to pm me

Ben


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## Natrix (Dec 9, 2006)

I don't keep them as such but I do have an attic full of the buggers. Mostly pipistrelles, some long eareds and the occasional noctule according to the local bat warden.
We counted over 60 falling out of the roof on one occasion.

Natrix


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## hogs'n'hisses (Jun 24, 2009)

i love bats we have 2 that come visit our garden everynight to fill up on moths an miggis can sit for hours watch them wizz about :flrt:


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

Here is one that got brought into me, its a pipistrelle about 2 days old.


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## Rum_Kitty (Jun 14, 2009)

Do you mean like egyptian fruit bats or the british sort that come and go as they please? SO annoys me when people want to kill the bats in their attic. Someone told me its actually illegal to remove bats from someones roof, not just kill them but even try and move them on, is that true?


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

yes itsbritish bats, and yes its illegal to disturb bats, prevent /exclude them from a house and potential fine can be up to £5000 PER bat.
They do no harm so no need to move them out

Ben


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## Rum_Kitty (Jun 14, 2009)

Not saying I disagree, I think it would be cool to have bats in the attic :2thumb:


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

means you have a sound attic if you have bats in there


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

I wish we had bats in the attic they are wonderful animals. We get Pipistrelles catching flying bugs over the pond and I could watch them for hours. We have had 3 brought into our Sanctuary over the years and always pass them on to the bat rescue people.


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## mattm (Jul 18, 2008)

We also have pipestrelles in our attic and we always see loads frantically flying around the neighbourhood once it gets dark!


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

yes, easily the most common british bat.
Great to care for though as they are so feisty.

Ben


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## trigger (Jan 6, 2009)

I keep egyptian fruit bats but our neigbour has a bat box and we can watch the bats every night going out to feed.


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## hogs'n'hisses (Jun 24, 2009)

Ben W said:


> Here is one that got brought into me, its a pipistrelle about 2 days old.


so are these kind the normal smalish ones ya normally see flying round ?and prob the 2 that visit my garden everynight


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## retic lover (Sep 23, 2008)

Wow did the little thing survive??





Ben W said:


> Here is one that got brought into me, its a pipistrelle about 2 days old.


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

yes it survived its asleep on my shoulder as i type this!!!
will post a pic or 2 tomorrow.

Ben


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## Caz (May 24, 2007)

I uesd to keep a colony of egyptian fruit bats. Rehomed them when I moved quite a few years back, but would love some more (or just a pair/little group) now I'm settled again.


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## exotic_girl (Dec 11, 2008)

would love to see some piccies of bats! they are one of my favourite animals!


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## Genseric (Oct 7, 2007)

Last year we used to watch 5-6 fly around our back garden... this year i haven't seen them 

So we have got a few bat boxes and will put them up, and see what else we can do to encourage them back.


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## bampoisongirl (Mar 28, 2008)

i totally forgot about this thread that ickle baby is amazing, and i wish i had bats in my attic lol. more! xx


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## MayhemRed (Jun 29, 2009)

We have one, perhaps two, regular batty visitor. I managed to get some (dreadful quality) pics the other night!

We call him Alfredo


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## bampoisongirl (Mar 28, 2008)

arr thats ace! xx


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## .D.o.m.i.n.o. (Aug 19, 2007)

Aww thats awesome,we use to have tons fly in our street,its quite place and has loads of months ect at one point,hardly see them anymore,or maybe i just havnt noticed them flying about.

I didnt know people could keep them.


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## rach666 (Dec 12, 2006)

i want a bat


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## jhsnake999 (Apr 12, 2009)

*Bats...*

I love Bats too, one of my favourite animals! I wish i had a Bat to look after...


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## MissHayho (Mar 17, 2007)

Ben W said:


> yes it survived its asleep on my shoulder as i type this!!!
> will post a pic or 2 tomorrow.
> 
> Ben


you didnt post another pic


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

I worked with Ginnie Little at Cornwall Bat Hospital for a number of years. Did lots of hands on conservation work with her. Had them in my house prior to release and have been up every few hours during the night in baby season feeding the little cuties. We used to deal with a fair few hundred a year. One year we had 50 babies in at once - had to have a lot of extra help from volunteers!

My favourite species will always be the brown long eared, I hand reared a baby one that had a deformed wing and couldn't fly. We put those wooden roller blinds/roman blinds over all the walls so he could scuttle around. Great little critter. Loved him to bits.

Have handled a fair few species over the years including pipestrelles, brown long eareds, serotines, noctules, daubentons and one or two natterers too!


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

MayhemRed said:


> We have one, perhaps two, regular batty visitor. I managed to get some (dreadful quality) pics the other night!
> 
> We call him Alfredo
> 
> ...


It is hard to picture them flying at night. They move quickkly. Lovely pipistrelle you have flying around there!


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

MissHayho said:


> you didnt post another pic


 
sorry, busy with new arrivals!!!

Here she is, taken 5 mins ago!!


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## mythicdawn07 (Jun 18, 2009)

Ben W said:


> yes itsbritish bats, and *yes its illegal* to disturb bats, *prevent* */exclude them from a house* and *potential fine can be up to £5000 PER bat.*
> They do no harm so no need to move them out
> 
> Ben


 
Sorry but i doubt that.

Anyway is it possible to keep a PET bat? Been in love with them ever since i was a baby, amazing and beautiful creatures they are.


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## ChrisNE (Jul 13, 2008)

Saw this thread when it had 666 views. For some reason seems fitting?


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## MissHayho (Mar 17, 2007)

Ben W said:


> sorry, busy with new arrivals!!!
> 
> Here she is, taken 5 mins ago!!


 
oh what a sweetie!!!! she is soooooooo little!!!!! how old is she now?


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

mythicdawn07 said:


> Sorry but i doubt that.
> 
> Anyway is it possible to keep a PET bat? Been in love with them ever since i was a baby, amazing and beautiful creatures they are.


 
Sorry, again, but what i quoted is true, i am a licenced bat warden and as such have to know these things, check it out, but i wouldnt post something on a forum if it wasnt the case.
The reality is prosectuion wouldnt use those figures but UP TO £5000 PER BAT is still lots of money, and they are prtected with good reason.
British bats dont make great pets, and you need a licence to keep a bat longer than 6 months.

The pipistrelle in the pic is now 3 months old

Ben


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## mythicdawn07 (Jun 18, 2009)

Ben W said:


> Sorry, again, but what i quoted is true, i am a licenced bat warden and as such have to know these things, check it out, but i wouldnt post something on a forum if it wasnt the case.
> The reality is prosectuion wouldnt use those figures but UP TO £5000 PER BAT is still lots of money, and they are prtected with good reason.
> British bats dont make great pets, and you need a licence to keep a bat longer than 6 months.
> 
> ...


I think an easy way to get around it would be to say you have a phobia of bat's, Then i doubt they will make you relocate rather then the bat's.

Anyway it's nice to see them protected, i rarely see bat's around here anymore


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

They would say if you have a phobia of bats it is down to you to move away from them. One person's dislike of the critters isn't going to make them go through the stress of relocating a whole colony. If you have bats nearby it's a good think, keeps down the mosquitos and nasty bugs! Plus bats in your attic means it is warm and dry. If you can collect the bat guano without disturbing the bats it makes great fertiliser too. Dry and crumbly not smelly and slimy like a mouse turd!

Forget it. The laws around bats are very strict! Ben W is right. Having worked with various bat conservation groups in the country for a number of years I can tell you he is spot on (as he would be given his position).

Ben W, looks like you are doing a great job with that little one. I suspect it has been a busy year for you!


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## bampoisongirl (Mar 28, 2008)

Does anyone know how i can get more involved with my local bats? I am in Nottingham and would hav no idea how to go about it xx


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

I would say to volunteer your time to a local bat group or bat hospital (google is your friend). You should expect do lots of cleaning up, water changing, meal worm sorting etc before they let you get into the more hands on stuff. I don't really know how it works for newbies these days as I started about 12 years ago and I don't know the Derby/Nottingham groups.

Not much advice but hopefully it is a starting point.


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

Hi
Nix, 
yes its been a consistant year for bats, had another 2 this past weekend!!!

Bam

Yes you will have a local bat group, who will, im sure, love to have another enthusiastic member.
There are many things you can do without a licence, bat rescue is one, but you will need a rabies vaccination, which your local bat group may, or may not, pay for.
Hope that helps
Ben


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

Hmm the rabies vaccination is not a nice one (made me feel rough for a few days) but better than having rabies. Serotines are the worst for it in my experience! :devil:

Ben W - favourite species? Mine is definitely the brown long eared (so affectionate) followed by the Daubenton's. Stunning animals especially when you get to see them in the wild! That said you have to love pip babies, so dinky and ugly cute when they have no fur!


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

I had a lomg eared for 5 years, lovely animals, on a fave list for sure, 
i have hand reared a couple of serotines, and they were good too, always purred when stroked, not like the ones in the wild!!!

Natterers ar cool too, my wife and i hand reared 7 in one go, they wer confiscated off some boys - long story!!, but they were good.

Good thing about Dorset is you get all the species here, so you never know what you may get in!!!

Ben


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