Sumpin ye rarely see....

[Jim West Pa]

Standin at the sink washin breakfast dishes this morn and i hear a wing flap.
I look up to see this right in front o' my face.

My wife and i affectionately refer to this guy as 'Grampa'.
We often see him flyin 'round in the house late at night.
He's been with us about 3 years now and refuses to go outside.
[attachment 169168 IMGP9244.JPG]

Yep, that's fly paper he's stuck on.

[attachment 169169 IMGP9247.JPG]

After gently peelin him off the paper
i washed him up with some Dawn dish soap
and suprisingly all the glue came off.

He's dryin off in this tub outside but don't seem to be very appreciative or happy.
[attachment 169170 IMGP9255.JPG]

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

Did you folks feed the bat these past few years or did it just eat bugs that were in the house? I wonder if it could survive outside after living inside your home? Kelley (Texas)

 

[Jim West Pa]

he's outside only to dry off. He's lookin pretty good so far. I really hope he pulls thru this.
We have never fed him, well ,that aint true. i just gave him a de-legged small grass hopper but he has shown no interest in it.
He must get all the bugs he needs right here in the house.
With the age of this building and the type of 170 y/o construction, there is no shortage of bugs for him.
I spose he was zeroing in on a live fly on the paper and that is how he got stuck.
I don't see why he couldn't survive outside Fred. Afrer all, he must catch his food the same way indoors as he would out doors (?)
In all reality tho, with the little i know about the brown bat, they need an awfull lot of bugs each day/night to survive.
Makes ya wonder, how could he possibly catch that many flyin around in here.
If there were that many in here i don't think Janet and i could co-exist with them.

 

[Elton]

Aren't bats carriers of rabies ?? That is not being asked as a smart alec question.. Just something we are warned about in my neck of the woods..

 

[Jim West Pa]

I spose the answer is yes. But then so do raccoons, squirrels and many other critters.
Bats are no more dangerous than any of them. In fact, probably the least dangerous.
To have contact with a wild bat is extreemly rare. If it occurs, ( outside of a circumstance as this one)
Chances are then, it is sick in some way and should be left alone.
Squirrels can be bigger carriers than a lot of folks realize. And a lot of folks put themselves
in contact with them more often that they should.
When was the last, or even first , time you heard of someone bein bitten by a bat ?
When he's flyin around in the house it's allways late at night and whenever we encounter him he
works hard at stayin out of our way.
Oh, and NO, they do not land in and get tangled in your hair. A wives tale.

 

[Hotcz70]

but your answer makes sense to me.

PS:...you're right..."Grandpa" doesn't look all too thrilled.

 

[LabradorBob]

Reminded me of something that happened one time.
Went to go up to a nearby store one night after dark.
Had a ford bronco then,and my brother in law was in the back seat,
Son in the passengers seat,Anyway were about three quarters of a mile from the store
and i hear something hit the side door mirror,My brother in law comes to life yelling HEY,HEY,theres
something in here,and about the time i get pulled over it lands across the front of his shirt.
I get out,brother in law is wanting out,and as i lean the front seat forward i see the bat sitting in the floor board.
it hops out and flies off,but it sure got exciting for a few minutes!

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

n/t

 

[Jim West Pa]

n/t

 

[Jim West Pa]

After he was thoroughly dry i took him upstairs
and set him on the top of a step ladder in one of the under constructin bed rooms.
He soon got his bearings and off he went back up into the attic.
I sure hope he lernt a lesson and don't go for the flys on the fly paper again.