Anyone know anything about baby bats?

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

I know this should be on off topic discussions but I want to make sure it's seen...My neighbor had like 50 bats living behind her shutter & they opened it today & the adults all flew away leaving behind 5 baby bats...Then they sprayed soemthing...sh e didn't say what to but said, "so I hope they don't come back"...But the babys are still there, alive, but not big enough to fly.   I know I should let nature take its' coarse but it is really bothering me that the babies were left behind...Yes, I am for sure nuts!...Will the mama come back & move them or something or will they just die?...Is there anything I can do to help them until tehy are big enough to fly?...I know they carry rabies & diesese but this is really going to bother me...Advise please?

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

I know I'm hopeless & take great peace of mind in that!   I called a lady in Iowa whos' phone number I found on a bat conservation website...She said mama probably would come back & to tell my neighbor that if she would just bare with the babies for 2 weeks tops they would be able to fly away...The neighbor said o.k. as we have a HUGE mosquito problem here & a female bat will eat 5400 mosquitoes a day!...We need more bats here then!...I am getting bit up by those nasty little bugs!...Plus I think bats look like little doggies with wings!

[greek4]

I have never seen a bat up close, except behind glass at the zoo but I'm sure it would freak me out.  But I also have an insane fear of rabbits and gunea pigs.  You are good person to be worried about the baby bats.

[Scootergirl]

I LOVE bats!! I think they are absolutely fascinating. I want to build some bat boxes for the woods behind my house so they will eat all the mosquitoes. I thought all the lizards that crawl all over my house would do that, but it's more than they can handle down here in South Louisiana, I guess. I hope Mom comes back for the little batties!!

Good job with your research, Gypsy!!

[Nicole]

We have TONS of bats here. At least 4 or 5 times, every summer, our cats bring us some. (Its awesome waking up to a shrieking bat, flying into cieling fans, with three vicious kitties close on its tail...NOT! ) Anyway..one summer, it was EPIDEMIC! The cats were leaving maimed bats all over the place. My daughter, precious, gentle thing that she is...she found one with a badly injured wing. She picked it up, cleaned it and put it in a soft box. She pet it and talked to it. I knew it was probably going to die. The funny thing was, the only person that the bat would let touch it was her! Everyone else, it shrieked at and tried to bite! Well, it obviously died within a few hours, but, it was so sweet that she tried to save it.

So, there's my bat story!

My guess is that mama will try to come and get them.

[GYPSY JAZMINE]

Thanks guys!...I knew I'd find understanding here for some reason...lol.. .I'll go check on the babies again later today...I am hopeless yes..lol...but it's who I am supposed to be I guess.

[moonlitcroatia]

Of course, it probably depends on the specific species of bat you are caring for, but here is one web site at http://www.batworld.org and some info. on caring for baby bats.

Caring for Orphaned Free-tailed Bats

Baby bat season arrives at Bat World's Wild Sanctuary every year in June. During this  time, the building is checked for bats in trouble by trained volunteers at least three times daily. Almost every day, helpless emaciated orphans wander away from their group and are  spotted hanging out in the open, alone and cold, looking for Mothers that for unknown reasons, will never return. These tiny, furless babies are taken to Bat World's rehab facility, where they receive subcutaneous injections of electrolytes to treat dehydration, and their tiny bodies are thoroughly cleaned and checked over for injuries.

The pups usually recover quickly from dehydration, so they are immediately  fed warmed puppy formula or Wombaroo Insectivorous bat formula treat starvation. Free-tails are unable to lap like other bat species, so they are fed from eye-shadow applicator tips that have been removed from the wand. Both the formula and the pup must be kept very warm during feeding, so the orphans rest in a heated cloth to keep them toasty and secure.

(To view a video of a free-tail nursing see our movie page.)

Most pups learn how to nurse from foam tips after only one or two lessons, and quickly grasp it in their tiny mouths and begin sucking to their hearts content. Some pups, however, take a little more encouragement in the form of soothing talk and low clicking noises that simulate the call of a mother bat. A medicine dropper is used to dispense warmed formula onto the tip, a drop at a time, until their tummies are rounded. Each pup nurses for approximately ten minutes. The pups are checked throughout the day and they are fed again when their tummies become flat.

After the pups have become comfortable nursing in this fashion, we are able to make "assembly lines," to speed up the process. The pups like to cuddle close with each other while nursing. Feedings take place up to six times daily, and the pups quickly put on weight. Free-tail pups remain pink until they are between two and three weeks of age. As they grow older, their skin darkens and fur begins to grow.

The orphans live together in warm incubators that are padded with cloth pouches that they hide and play in. During the day they spend time grooming their new fur growth and stretching their wings. After the pups reach about five weeks of age their formula is mixed half and half with blended mealworms. At six to seven weeks of age they are introduced to live mealworms and fed only twice a day. At eight weeks of age the orphans are moved into a large flight cage at our Wild Sanctuary, where they hone their flight skills and learn to forage for insects on their own. This process can take up to two more weeks.  During this time the pups are checked twice a day and offered mealworms. Once the pups exhibit the survival skills necessary to live on their own, they are marked for identification, taken to their original roost and released back into their colony.

[moonlitcroatia]

A link to the "Bat Lady":

http://www.kids.state.ct.us/spotlight/feature/batlady.htm

[moonlitcroatia]

Bat rehabilitation program in California:

http://www.californiabats.com/rehab.html

[moonlitcroatia]

Pleasant article by the Seattle Times regarding the care of bats...nice photos, too:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2002/1013/cover.html

[moonlitcroatia]

And then, in my opinion, here is the really sound advice:

What to do if...
 

You find a baby mammal...

Leave the animal alone if…


The parent is nearby. Parents rarely abandon healthy offspring. It is natural for some species to leave their young for several hours unattended (rabbits, deer) while eating, as to not draw attention the baby’s location.

If the animal appears healthy, alert, bright-eyed and is not in apparent danger. Observation may be necessary to determine if the animal really needs to be rescued. Watch from some distance away, preferably from a window inside the house. Keep children and pets away so the reunion between mother and baby can be accomplished.


Rescue if…


The parent is known dead and the baby is too young to be on its own.
The animal is weak, thin, and cold or appears sick.
The animal is injured in any way, including cat or dog bite, hit by car or shot.
There are flies, ants or insects on or around the animal.
If the animal is in obvious danger, including problems with other animals, people or any life threatening situation that cannot be rectified.


 Basic rescue rules:


Do not attempt to rescue the animal if you feel there is a danger to yourself. Call a rehabilitator.

Never give water, milk or any food to the animal. Giving an injured or dehydrated animal food can kill it. Let the rehabilitator access the animal and administer the proper fluids.

Place the animal in a cardboard box of similar size to the animal if possible, so that he can’t thrash around. You may put in paper towels or a soft cloth such as a t-shirt. Do not use terry cloth, such as bath towels. Toenails can easily become entangled in the loops. Punch air holes and tape the box shut.

Place the box somewhere warm, dark and quiet away from pets and children. If you have a heating pad, you can place it under the box on low.

Handle the animal as little as possible and wash hands thoroughly. Do not allow children to handle the animal.

Call a rehabilitator         Find a rehabilitator  


In most states, it is illegal to possess a wild animal or bird.  It is also illegal for a veterinarian to treat, neuter or give shots to wildlife unless they are working with a permitted wildlife rehabilitator.


 BATS…

 Never touch a bat. If you find a bat on the ground outdoors, cover with a bucket and call a rehabilitator.

 If you have a bat in the house, wearing thick gloves, place a plastic cup or butter tub over the bat and gently slip a piece of cardboard between the cup and the wall/floor. Release the bat outdoors.

 
I found a baby mammal...   Now what?
Click here to view an excellent PDF document
             by Shannon K Jacobs, author of Healers of the Wild            


SOURCE:  http://www.pattyswildliferescue.com/What%20to%20do%20if%20you%20find%20a%20baby%20mammal.htm