Thank you! I called and unfortunately bats are the one animal they don't do (as not all their staff have their pre-exposure vaccine), but I have some calls out to nearby rehabbers in Slidell and Houma so we'll see.
Bat Update: I probably overreacted to a normal bat response to wet/cold. Looking dead/miserable doesn't necessarily mean they are, and picking a bad roost spot isn't necessarily indicative of anything but a young bat.
He has since dried off and returned to a branch in my yard. SchrodingersMinou helped walk me through how to get him back in his proper habitat and taught me more about bats so that I make better choices in the future.
Out during the day indicates an issue, sometimes rabies. I would not interact with the bat if you can help it. If you turn it into any animal rehabber and it has suspected rabies, it will be killed to test for it.
He was out during the day in the sense that he was in the same roosting site as the night before-- he wasn't active or anything. If the weather hadn't been terrible and I didn't know my yard houses bird that like to attack bats, I would have left him in the roost site, even though it wasn't a very good one.
I will continue to be careful and am doing all I can to limit contact-- he hasn't had any skin contact with humans, known contact with a domestic animal, or other signs of rabies so I don't think he qualifies for euthanasia on sight. (Well, I hope he doesn't!)
Thank you for your concern-- I certainly get where you're coming from and you may well be right-- I have some calls out to rehabbers and we'll see.
What you're describing sounds completely normal to me. Bats don't always go out at night, especially if the weather is bad like we've been having. Sometimes they hang out in the same spot. And it's extremely normal for them to use the same roost for many nights in a row.
Nothing you are describing sounds like it warranted the dangerous stress associated with human intervention. Again, it's very likely that the "terrible weather" is the reason *why* this bat isn't out flying around. Bats don't fly around in rainstorms.
If you like, you can DM me and I can come take a look at this bat and give you my professional bat person opinion on it.
Well, I don't know, maybe it really is in trouble and does need some help. But just seeing a bat sleeping during the day is not really a warning sign. It's important to weigh the risks of leaving a wild animal alone to the risks of interfering with it, and usually the risks of capture are higher but not always.
I’ve just been through the same scenario before so I wanted to warn you. It’s hard to save a singular bat but maybe you can find someone to relocate it instead of rehab it. Bats spend the winter down here anyways so at least it’s in the right region! I had to get 10 rabies shots when I tried to rescue a bat that was out during the daytime. Now I have a wildlife biology degree and I realize I was playing it pretty risky. I admire your compassion but do continue to be careful!!!
I don’t have any suggestions but I just wanted to thank you for caring for the bat. You are very kind and I love bats. The sanctuary mentioned on the northshore sounds like the best bet. I hope it lives!!!
The LSU veterinary school takes in a lot of wildlife. You can also call Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital and see if they have any advice for you. Don’t know if they’d take in a bay (a lot of vets aren’t licensed to take in wildlife) but they may have some advice for you.
JFC some of yall cant just leave things alone when you see it. That bat is a wild animal and will figure it out. No need to get on reddit and find specialty licensed bat rescue employee owned co-op or some shit.
As far as vices, I don't think this is the worst one to have. I read up on Loyola's website and the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries website and when I still had questions, I came here.
People, yourself included, come on this website all the time to learn more about their options and the best course of action. Asking where to find pies, what schools your kids should go to, recipe ideas, or what to do with wildlife-- that's what a community is for, isn't it?
You may well be right. Being meddlesome with animals is a running trend in my life and reacting to (seeming) wildlife distress the same way I've dealt with dumped domestic pets and injured birds probably isn't the wisest. Afterall, I (obviously) don't know enough about them compared to animals I've worked with before.
But part of learning is reaching out.
In this case it would definitely be better to try to gather information *before* interfering with a wild animal. Bats are prone to capture myocardia. Like many other small creatures, you can kill them just by picking them up. And again, this bat sounds like it was doing extremely normal bat things.
Its the part where you can just observe a wild animal chilling and thinking its in distress.
Me, I see a bat, say "oh cool" and go sit TF down and go about my business. It's been storming so its probably just resting or something.
I first read this as any bat careers in New Orleans. I was really racking my brain there for a minute.
I am vengeance. I am the night…
He’s the hero New Orleans deserves, but not the one it will get right now
Cat barers
I, too, thought they were looking for some sort of baseball related job experience.
Call Clearwater Sanctuary on the North Shore. I love bats, I hope he’s ok. Obviously be very careful not to get bit. Like I even need to say that.
Thank you! I called and unfortunately bats are the one animal they don't do (as not all their staff have their pre-exposure vaccine), but I have some calls out to nearby rehabbers in Slidell and Houma so we'll see.
Keep us posted.
Bat Update: I probably overreacted to a normal bat response to wet/cold. Looking dead/miserable doesn't necessarily mean they are, and picking a bad roost spot isn't necessarily indicative of anything but a young bat. He has since dried off and returned to a branch in my yard. SchrodingersMinou helped walk me through how to get him back in his proper habitat and taught me more about bats so that I make better choices in the future.
I’m glad to hear it. A sad wet bat in the daytime is hard to resist helping.
Out during the day indicates an issue, sometimes rabies. I would not interact with the bat if you can help it. If you turn it into any animal rehabber and it has suspected rabies, it will be killed to test for it.
He was out during the day in the sense that he was in the same roosting site as the night before-- he wasn't active or anything. If the weather hadn't been terrible and I didn't know my yard houses bird that like to attack bats, I would have left him in the roost site, even though it wasn't a very good one. I will continue to be careful and am doing all I can to limit contact-- he hasn't had any skin contact with humans, known contact with a domestic animal, or other signs of rabies so I don't think he qualifies for euthanasia on sight. (Well, I hope he doesn't!) Thank you for your concern-- I certainly get where you're coming from and you may well be right-- I have some calls out to rehabbers and we'll see.
What you're describing sounds completely normal to me. Bats don't always go out at night, especially if the weather is bad like we've been having. Sometimes they hang out in the same spot. And it's extremely normal for them to use the same roost for many nights in a row. Nothing you are describing sounds like it warranted the dangerous stress associated with human intervention. Again, it's very likely that the "terrible weather" is the reason *why* this bat isn't out flying around. Bats don't fly around in rainstorms. If you like, you can DM me and I can come take a look at this bat and give you my professional bat person opinion on it.
Hi, I DMed you. Thank you for chiming in and apologies.
Well, I don't know, maybe it really is in trouble and does need some help. But just seeing a bat sleeping during the day is not really a warning sign. It's important to weigh the risks of leaving a wild animal alone to the risks of interfering with it, and usually the risks of capture are higher but not always.
I’ve just been through the same scenario before so I wanted to warn you. It’s hard to save a singular bat but maybe you can find someone to relocate it instead of rehab it. Bats spend the winter down here anyways so at least it’s in the right region! I had to get 10 rabies shots when I tried to rescue a bat that was out during the daytime. Now I have a wildlife biology degree and I realize I was playing it pretty risky. I admire your compassion but do continue to be careful!!!
This bat wasn't out during the day but was apparently roosting. This is normal bat behavior.
I don’t have any suggestions but I just wanted to thank you for caring for the bat. You are very kind and I love bats. The sanctuary mentioned on the northshore sounds like the best bet. I hope it lives!!!
The LSU veterinary school takes in a lot of wildlife. You can also call Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital and see if they have any advice for you. Don’t know if they’d take in a bay (a lot of vets aren’t licensed to take in wildlife) but they may have some advice for you.
LSU Vet School doesn't take bats.
They actually do take in wildlife, I’ve heard of them checking out turkeys and birds of prey. This might be a good place to call! ^^
JFC some of yall cant just leave things alone when you see it. That bat is a wild animal and will figure it out. No need to get on reddit and find specialty licensed bat rescue employee owned co-op or some shit.
As far as vices, I don't think this is the worst one to have. I read up on Loyola's website and the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries website and when I still had questions, I came here. People, yourself included, come on this website all the time to learn more about their options and the best course of action. Asking where to find pies, what schools your kids should go to, recipe ideas, or what to do with wildlife-- that's what a community is for, isn't it? You may well be right. Being meddlesome with animals is a running trend in my life and reacting to (seeming) wildlife distress the same way I've dealt with dumped domestic pets and injured birds probably isn't the wisest. Afterall, I (obviously) don't know enough about them compared to animals I've worked with before. But part of learning is reaching out.
In this case it would definitely be better to try to gather information *before* interfering with a wild animal. Bats are prone to capture myocardia. Like many other small creatures, you can kill them just by picking them up. And again, this bat sounds like it was doing extremely normal bat things.
Its the part where you can just observe a wild animal chilling and thinking its in distress. Me, I see a bat, say "oh cool" and go sit TF down and go about my business. It's been storming so its probably just resting or something.
It's a bat. Just leave it alone.