Our dog just found a very small bat lying in the driveway. It is alive and appears uninjured.

It is about 2 inches long, maybe 1.25 wide.

Curled tightly into a ball.

light brown to reddish brown in color.

We brought it into the house, put it in a padded box to warm up, and maybe sleep until dark?

Suggestions welcome!

If a bat isn't either flying around or roosting (or whatever they call it), it might be sick, possibly with rabies. Did it bite your dog? It (the bat) probably won't last much longer.

You brought it inside?

Reminds me of the recent story of the Utah man who was the first to die of rabies in the state since 1944. He and his wife would let them land on their hands, lick on their fingers and crawl on their bed.

Sad the guy died, but I thought it was universally known to not mess with bats generally, but if so, to take appropriate precautions to protect themselves from the deadly virus.

Yeah, I'd be very careful around that bat. Any time you see a nocturnal animal acting oddly in daylight I'd be very wary.

A number of years ago we had a skunk chasing one of our dogs in the pasture in broad daylight. It never sprayed so I shot it with my pellet rifle. I should have taken it to the vet to see if it was rabid but thought it was pointless at the time. Very weird behavior.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Elk Hunter:...

Curled tightly into a ball. ...

Well duh, it's a ball bat.

Oh my, Monkey!

But I would get rid of the bat considering diseases and all.

Well, all is well that ends well.

The little guy came to, got out of the box and towel we had it in, and flew around the house until it found the sliding glass door we had standing open for it.

Please go read-up on rabies. The symptoms might not appear for months. Once symptoms appear, death is virtually inevitable, even with modern medicine. Bats are the most common source of rabies.

quote:

Originally posted by Elk Hunter:
Well, all is well that ends well.

It ends well when you're sure your family members and pets didn't contract rabies from handling a bat that was acting strangely.

AFAIK, the brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) is the only one common to our area.

As stated above, rabies is a real concern. It may be unlikely that y'all will contract it, but if you do it'll ruin your whole day. I'd call my doc and get an opinion.

Since you have invited him in, he will be back!

Rabies is transmitted from saliva to blood, or, very rarely, into a mucous membrane. If no one got bitten, it is unlikely to give you rabies. Bats are, unfortunately, a common vector. However, rabies is almost completely, universally fatal once the symptoms are apparent. I'd ask my doctor about what to do.

quote:

Well, all is well that ends well.

The little guy came to, got out of the box and towel we had it in, and flew around the house until it found the sliding glass door we had standing open for it.

Well, I'll be darned. My guess is it didn't have rabies or it wouldn't be alive, let alone flying away.

You would be better off if you still had the bat and could get it tested. Without the bat, the likely suggestion is to have everyone who was in contact to be treated for rabies. You need to seek medical advice. You can ignore this suggestion and more than likely you will be fine. On the other hand, you could die. I would talk with a medical professional asap.

ETA: From the CDC- "Postexposure prophylaxis should be considered when direct contact between a human and a bat has occurred, unless the exposed person can be certain a bite, scratch, or mucous membrane exposure did not occur."

https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/animals/bats.html

quote:

ETA: From the CDC- "Postexposure prophylaxis should be considered when direct contact between a human and a bat has occurred, unless the exposed person can be certain a bite, scratch, or mucous membrane exposure did not occur."

Which is precisely what happened. Nobody got bitten, no mucous was exchanged, etc etc.

recently:

https://www.abc4.com/news/loca...om-rabies/1581118739

--------------------------------

quote:

Originally posted by Elk Hunter:

quote:

ETA: From the CDC- "Postexposure prophylaxis should be considered when direct contact between a human and a bat has occurred, unless the exposed person can be certain a bite, scratch, or mucous membrane exposure did not occur."

Which is precisely what happened. Nobody got bitten, no mucous was exchanged, etc etc.

Was the bat or anything it touched handled with bare hands by anyone? If so, can you be 100% sure there was no open skin, no touching of eyes, nose or mouth?

Also don't forget about histoplasmosis.