What Should I Do With a Downed Bat on My Balcony?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around how to assist a downed bat found on a balcony in Thailand. Participants explore various approaches to care for the bat, considering its potential health issues and the risks involved in handling it. The conversation includes concerns about rabies, feeding methods, and the ethical implications of intervention.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses uncertainty about how to help the bat and mentions leaving meal worms and water for it.
  • Another participant warns about the risk of rabies in bats, advising against touching the animal until more is known.
  • A link to a UK website is shared, suggesting it contains advice on helping grounded bats.
  • Some participants agree that rabies can be a concern in Thailand, reinforcing the caution against direct contact.
  • One participant suggests wrapping the bat in a towel and keeping it warm, while also noting the need for gloves due to potential bites.
  • A participant confirms they have rabies shots and emphasizes the importance of minimal handling of wild animals, expressing a desire to help the bat recover.
  • Another participant questions the effectiveness of feeding the bat meal worms, suggesting that bats typically eat flying insects and may not recognize food provided by humans.
  • One participant expresses skepticism about the bat's chances of survival, suggesting that it may be kinder to euthanize it rather than let it suffer.
  • A controversial suggestion is made to spray the bat with insecticide, which is met with criticism from other participants.
  • One participant shares feelings of helplessness regarding the situation and thanks others for their advice.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on how to handle the situation, with no clear consensus on the best course of action. Some agree on the risks of rabies and the need for caution, while others debate the effectiveness of feeding and the ethical implications of intervention.

Contextual Notes

Participants acknowledge the uncertainty surrounding the bat's condition and the appropriateness of various suggested actions. There is also a lack of clarity regarding the bat's dietary needs and the potential consequences of different interventions.

globaleliz
I have a downed bat on my balcony (5th floor apartment) and I have pretty much no idea what to do to help it. It has some movement - it can crawl back under my washing machine. Tonight I left some meal worms and a shallow container of water out for it. I live in THAILAND and it is not like I can pick up the phone book and look for a "bat doctor". I need help so I know what to do so that it will not die and possibly return to the wild. Many thanks!
 
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Yikes! In North America, bats are known to be rabies carriers. The standard advice here is, do not touch a bat, especially a sick one. I don't know if rabies is an issue in Thailand, but until you do a bit of research on that, don't touch it!
 
http://www.bats.org.uk/
Yeah, it's a UK site but it seems to have a lot of advice on how to help a bat you "found on the ground".
 
awww bats are cute! I'm guessing wrap it in a towel and keep in warm - its warm blooded like a mouse or something? don't know what it eats tho - depends on the species. Wear thick gloves cos they may bite! put it in a box with a soft cloth for it to crawl into.
 
To all concerned, I do have my current rabies shots. I am not planning on touching it. It is nice and warm here in Thailand - so I don't have to worry about it getting cold. I wore thick gloves and a long sleeve shirt when I went out and left the meal worms for it last night. I don't want to pick it up - the less you touch wild animals the better (for everyone involved). I just know that most species of bats are endangered - and if I can help the little guy get better and move on...I really want to. Any more advice?
 
globaleliz said:
To all concerned, I do have my current rabies shots. I am not planning on touching it. It is nice and warm here in Thailand - so I don't have to worry about it getting cold. I wore thick gloves and a long sleeve shirt when I went out and left the meal worms for it last night. I don't want to pick it up - the less you touch wild animals the better (for everyone involved). I just know that most species of bats are endangered - and if I can help the little guy get better and move on...I really want to. Any more advice?

I'm not sure they eat worms, most bats I know of eat flying insects. Can you leave a dish of water nearby?
 
It might be sad, but the fact is you are probably wasting your time.

It probably won't recognize anything as "food" unless it can catch it itself while flying.
Small mammals need a large amount of food in proportion to their body size compared with big ones. Most likely the only way to feed by hand would be giving it regular shots of glucose or milk (say evey 30 minutes) straight down its throat with a liquid dropper, which would of course mean handling it regularly. But getting the amount wrong will probably give it diarrhea and kill it anyway.

It is unlikely to survive much longer than 24 hours with no food and by then it will probably be too weak to fly and catch its own food, even if it isn't injured.

It might sound cruel, but putting it out of its misery with a quick death is probably kinder than letting it die slowly.

If it look OK, your best bet would be to try to make something so it can roost "normally" (probably hanging upside down from a small piece of wood, or something similar) outside, so it can fly away on its own when it gets dark.
 
  • #10
Spray it with some insecticide in the face. Don't give me this animal rights BS, you killed worms to feed it, so you're not saving any lives here.
 
  • #11
Curl said:
Spray it with some insecticide in the face. Don't give me this animal rights BS, you killed worms to feed it, so you're not saving any lives here.

That would only irritate and hurt it, why would you suggest doing that?
 
  • #12
Alpha Zero you are right. I feel helpless and so sad for the bat. I guess this is why I did not become a vet...every animal that I would die would take a part of me with them. Guess I am just a sap.

But thank you to all the people who offered helpful advice!
 
  • #13
globaleliz said:
Alpha Zero you are right. I feel helpless and so sad for the bat. I guess this is why I did not become a vet...every animal that I would die would take a part of me with them. Guess I am just a sap.

But thank you to all the people who offered helpful advice!

Your existence kills a lot of life everyday. Just think about that.
 

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