On Bats in Flats
I have a delightful WHM post for you today, all about curses, but it has to wait.
I have a bat problem. There is a bat in my flat. I didn't know it was a bat for 24 hours - I thought it was a moth. Then a few hours later I thought "A giant moth*" because of its flying patterns and weight in the air (there are some advantages to being a delicate daisy - I can tell size from sound and feel, although this time I was wrong because the heft of a bat is quite different to birds and moths). Then there was nothing all day yesterday and I forgot it. Last night it flew round again and I listened to the wing beat again and thought "That's very big for a moth" and I investigated, for if it was a bird (even if it sounded and felt wrong), it needed to go outside sooner rather than later. I was very surprised to find a big black bat.
By 6. 30 this morning, the bat had found its way safely to my kitchen and it's currently asleep on my ceiling. I'm staying by my computer, for in the lounge room I'm less of a disturbance. I'm finding it hard to concentrate, is the problem, for there is a big black bat clinging somewhat precariously to my kitchen ceiling and it's visible out of the corner of my right eye as I type. Every few minutes I turn and hope it's sleeping peacefully.
The wildlife people were very pleased with me for having a not-ill bat and for managing to confine it to one room. The universe is rewarding my goodness (for not killing the poor thing by mistake) and there is less bushfire smoke. This is just as well, because I have to leave my sliding door open until the bat has gone. Two experts say to leave it open, one says to keep it closed. Two are bewildered by a bat in a flat, one says "It was drawn to the big lights by the feast of moths and then probably confused by the bushfire smoke." We think it was let into the apartment block by the neighbours who believe in leaving doors open whenever possible, and got stuck in the stairwell then crept under my door in a bid for freedom. Big lights are dangerous...
The reason I can't just shoo it out is twofold. First, it's daylight, and that would be cruel. Second, bats in the ACT are liable to infection by a virus which is transmissible to humans. I've been reassured that I'm perfectly safe with it hanging round, but to avoid close contact.
There are official bat carers in the ACT and one has just rung me (the third of my experts, the one who says "I'm really a reptile person".) She's been vaccinated and she was very excited by my description. She thinks it's a particularly large insect-eating bat, and I don't remember the type. She'll tell me for certain (ish, for she's a reptile expert) when she gets here. She wants to net my bat-in-a-flat and rehydrate it and then let it go at dusk. We worked out that since my place tends to insects (for the same reason it now has a bat) my bat-in-a-flat's probably not hungry. In fact, it's currently sleeping nicely, but I'll be pleased to say goodbye. A good houseguest shouldn't stay above two days. Also, it's surprisingly freaky to have a big bat asleep on one's kitchen ceiling.
ETA: The bat carer has been and gone. It took a few minutes longer than necessary because we had a lot to catch up on, since the nice woman over the phone turned out to be a friend of mine! The bat is young, female and in surprisingly good condition. She's either a Gould's wattled bat or a chocolate wattled bat. (I've not seen either before!) My friend rehydrated her immediately and checked to see just how starving she was and if anything was broken. The batling is in good condition and may even have eaten a spider and other tasty snacks from around my flat. Apparently she's in the best condition of any rescued bat my friend has seen, and was a really easy rescue to boot. I've been lucky, my little bat has been lucky - and I get coffee with a friend, to boot!!
*When I was a child, we had moths in our front yard that reached 8 inches across, so this isn't nearly as stupid a mistake as it sounds
I have a bat problem. There is a bat in my flat. I didn't know it was a bat for 24 hours - I thought it was a moth. Then a few hours later I thought "A giant moth*" because of its flying patterns and weight in the air (there are some advantages to being a delicate daisy - I can tell size from sound and feel, although this time I was wrong because the heft of a bat is quite different to birds and moths). Then there was nothing all day yesterday and I forgot it. Last night it flew round again and I listened to the wing beat again and thought "That's very big for a moth" and I investigated, for if it was a bird (even if it sounded and felt wrong), it needed to go outside sooner rather than later. I was very surprised to find a big black bat.
By 6. 30 this morning, the bat had found its way safely to my kitchen and it's currently asleep on my ceiling. I'm staying by my computer, for in the lounge room I'm less of a disturbance. I'm finding it hard to concentrate, is the problem, for there is a big black bat clinging somewhat precariously to my kitchen ceiling and it's visible out of the corner of my right eye as I type. Every few minutes I turn and hope it's sleeping peacefully.
The wildlife people were very pleased with me for having a not-ill bat and for managing to confine it to one room. The universe is rewarding my goodness (for not killing the poor thing by mistake) and there is less bushfire smoke. This is just as well, because I have to leave my sliding door open until the bat has gone. Two experts say to leave it open, one says to keep it closed. Two are bewildered by a bat in a flat, one says "It was drawn to the big lights by the feast of moths and then probably confused by the bushfire smoke." We think it was let into the apartment block by the neighbours who believe in leaving doors open whenever possible, and got stuck in the stairwell then crept under my door in a bid for freedom. Big lights are dangerous...
The reason I can't just shoo it out is twofold. First, it's daylight, and that would be cruel. Second, bats in the ACT are liable to infection by a virus which is transmissible to humans. I've been reassured that I'm perfectly safe with it hanging round, but to avoid close contact.
There are official bat carers in the ACT and one has just rung me (the third of my experts, the one who says "I'm really a reptile person".) She's been vaccinated and she was very excited by my description. She thinks it's a particularly large insect-eating bat, and I don't remember the type. She'll tell me for certain (ish, for she's a reptile expert) when she gets here. She wants to net my bat-in-a-flat and rehydrate it and then let it go at dusk. We worked out that since my place tends to insects (for the same reason it now has a bat) my bat-in-a-flat's probably not hungry. In fact, it's currently sleeping nicely, but I'll be pleased to say goodbye. A good houseguest shouldn't stay above two days. Also, it's surprisingly freaky to have a big bat asleep on one's kitchen ceiling.
ETA: The bat carer has been and gone. It took a few minutes longer than necessary because we had a lot to catch up on, since the nice woman over the phone turned out to be a friend of mine! The bat is young, female and in surprisingly good condition. She's either a Gould's wattled bat or a chocolate wattled bat. (I've not seen either before!) My friend rehydrated her immediately and checked to see just how starving she was and if anything was broken. The batling is in good condition and may even have eaten a spider and other tasty snacks from around my flat. Apparently she's in the best condition of any rescued bat my friend has seen, and was a really easy rescue to boot. I've been lucky, my little bat has been lucky - and I get coffee with a friend, to boot!!
*When I was a child, we had moths in our front yard that reached 8 inches across, so this isn't nearly as stupid a mistake as it sounds
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