Anyone with bat tips? Photo added

[Debbie]

So this afternoon I'm typing away at my computer and I look up and there's a bat in my house. I admit I went all fluttery and girlie at first and tried to calmly get away as quick as I could.

Now, little one's still parked there, the open doorway maybe 10 feet away. It is daylight, so we don't want to shoo it out the door and into the bright lights. We're hoping come sunset (many hours from now) that it'll find it's own way out without help, but if it does need coaxing, does anyone have some tips on how to get it out without harm to us or the bat?

[harveydales]

Is your bat still there? I've never handled live bats but there are groups all over the UK giving advice and rescuing bats. This is the first one that came up when I googled: www.essex-batgroup.org.uk/Rescue%20Pages/bat_advice_rescue.html Good luck - hope you can rescue it.

[zeldalithgow]

Is it a small bat?, when we had one in the house during the day I was told to catch it in a tea towel and put it outside, but it was so grumpy and squeaky that I just left it alone and come night time we createde a passage way by closing the other doors and left the room and outside doors open switched off the lights and it made it's own way out - if you do try to pick it up make sure you wear gloves so it can't bite you as they can carry rabies etc

[flintfootfilly]

I used to be a licensed batworker about 10 years ago and did quite a few bat surveys for people who discovered them in their homes, and also did regular bat counts in all the roosts at Fountains Abbey. But I haven't renewed my licence for a long time.

We're into that time of year when young bats are out and about and learning where home is, and isn't! My guess is that it may be a young bat who has just missed the entrance to its proper roost.

We used to pick them up with our bare hands, but I think now I'd probably wear thin gloves of some sort - probably medical or rubbery garden gloves, something that isn't going to snag their tiny little claws. Or the tea towel sounds a good idea too.

Once visited a lady who'd had a bat fly into the bedroom. It had gone into her wardrobe and was hanging in between some of the clothes! So definitely worth removing the bat whilst you can see where he is, because they do like to squeeze into tight spaces like folds in curtain, or between clothes hanging in a wardrobe etc!

Any idea how he got in? May be a one off, but it might also be worth checking if there are any obvious places where he's mistakenly come in through.

Sarah

I'd suggest you just pick up the bat, and hang him up on a shady bit of wall outside (out of direct sunshine, and high enough up to be out of the graps of cats or anything else that might take an interest in him). Then he should be able to fly off from there when he's ready.

[Debbie]

Thankfully once the sunset proper, it decided to fly right out on it's own. We have sliding doors all over the home and day before yesterday was hot for us, so we had a lot of the doors opened wide to catch cross breezes. No doubt little one decided this was a good place to roost for the day.

I heard Eldon shouting as I was going to sleep. Seems in his attempts to coax the bat out, two swallows thought he was inviting them in thankfully the house is critter free this morning.

[heathera]

We have some bats in the left (yes, you can all make free with the 'H has bats in her belfry' jokes.

This means we regularly have them in the house. If active and flying about you need a double bed sheet to stand any chance of throwing it over them, even then you possibly have to rely on exhaustion to catch them.

once they are roosted and sleepy or just tired we catch them with a large bath towel and just chuck them back outside.

I hope yours found his own way out.

[cadeby]

We have bats living in the frame of one of our dormer windows. I love them - surely one of the most fascinating animals on the planet. A mammal that can fly. Staggering evolution

Very occasionally ours will take a wrong turn and fly into the hall or lounge. Our first priority is to grab the Ginger Ninja dog because she tries to murder them in mid flight Ours have always found their own way back out so we've never had to pick them up. My french neighbour has a cardboard box on standby for his. He just gently brushes them off their roosting spot into the box then releases them outside.

Glad your visitor has found freedom Debbie. Do you know what species it was?

[ikklecob]

We had a nursey coloney in our dormer some years ago. I found a baby who had dropped out one day so called the bat man (haha but really) for advice. Alas it didn't make it I think it had been in the sun too long before we found it. I don't mind them at all. Rather them than spiders or rats euugggh

[knight1]

Glad your house is bat free, hope your visitors stay outside. I do hope the bats hang around your place, outside only please, because of the insects they eat. Natural insect control that's amazingly fun to watch. We have some in our old barn that is mostly storage for my carriage. Amazing little creatures.

[Debbie]

Here's a picture (finally!) of the little mucket. Eldon tells me it didn't just leave as easy as I'd thought. Apparently it woke up, squeaked, yawned, stretched and decided to go back to sleep. It woke up again around 11pm and did the same thing, so he washed out a plastic tub and use that to coax the bat out the door

Not a clue what it was. We did look, but there are something like 15 different ones native to Oregon and there were at least 5 that this one looked like.

[cadeby]

Great picture Debbie. I love how you can see it using the claw on it's thumb to get a good grip whilst dangling

I think it's a California Myotis (because of the points on the ends of its ears), plus they are "opportunistic roosters" ie. they will roost in any place they fancy (in this case your house!) but don't tend to return to the same roost every day, so hopefully it won't become one of those persistent visitors who out-stay their welcom, lol.

I lived in Alberta, Western Canada for a short while and saw lots of them up there. Apparently they weigh less than 3g.

[Debbie]

I thought it might be the California myotis too from the pics, but as we scrolled down, they all look a bit alike thankfully this one hasn't come back to roost.

[valerie n scout]

Oh that's a brilliant pic Debbie, wow I love to watch them here x