this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2024
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Bats

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Bats are cool

Bats are the only true flying mammals. There are over 1,400 species of bats, and they can be found on nearly every part of the planet. Not only are they cute, they are also important...

Studying how bats use echolocation has helped scientists develop navigational aids for the blind. Without bats’ pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control we wouldn’t have bananas, avocados, mangoes, agave, or cacao… that’s right, bats bring us tequila and chocolate!

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Found a bat in my house. Story inside. (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by Jomega@lemmy.world to c/bats@lemmy.world
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So in the middle of the night I heard a noise that I thought was some kind of bug. After 10 - 15 minutes I realized that whatever it was wasn't going away on it's own, so I got up to shoo it away. This little guy was on the floor screaming at the slider door being harassed by my two cats. I don't have a chimney or attic, so I have no idea how they got inside. When I opened the door, instead of taking flight, they simply hopped out the door froggy style. Were they injured? I don't think my cats did it if so, because they mostly just seemed confused by the poor creature. And what were they doing in the house?

Additional pictures of my unexpected guest being rudely gawked at by my feline friend:

And yes, I'm taking my cats to the vet just in case they got bitten.

UPDATE: Thank you to everyone concerned. I have contacted a doctor and she said that given the full details of the story I shouldn't need to worry. The poor thing was inside for *at most" an hour when everyone was awake, so it's highly unlikely to have bitten anyone before being spotted by me. The only concern remains the cats, who as mentioned found the bat before I did. I plan to vaccinate them ASAP. Once again, THANK YOU, but doc says I'm fine.

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[–] Nougat@fedia.io 19 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

As others have noted, go get rabies shots.

https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/prevention/bats.html

Bats play a vital role in our ecosystem, and they do not all carry rabies. However, it's important to recognize possible signs of rabies in bats. Unusual behaviors that could indicate that a bat has rabies include:

  • A bat that is active during the day.
  • A bat that is found in unusual places (inside a home or on the ground).
  • A bat that is unable to fly or is easily approached.

You've got a bat with two (and a half?) signs of being rabid. Do not delay, go get treated immediately. It is not worth the risk.

[–] Jomega@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

How would I go about doing this? I looked up how to get a rabies vaccination in my state (Illinois) and only found information on how to get pets vaccinated, nothing for humans.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 10 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Go to an urgent care, explain that you found a bat in your house that was not afraid of you and appeared unable to fly, and that based on the CDC information (linked above), you are concerned that it was rabid. And that you know it's possible to be bitten by a bat while sleeping (which you were), and not even know it.

Anyone else in your house that may have been exposed (doors open between them and where you found the bat) should go with you.

I'm also in Illinois, ~50 miles west of Chicago. If you're relatively close, I will give you a ride if you need it.

Edit: The urgent care may well redirect you to the ER, but urgent care is more likely to be able to see you quickly. If they do refer you to the ER, they may be able to call ahead while you're en route to prioritize you appropriately.

[–] Jomega@lemmy.world 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Some quick corrections.

  1. That bat was absolutely afraid.

  2. I wasn't asleep when I heard it. I suffer from ADHD brain and am often awake till 2 AM. This is the first time I've heard this sound and we've never seen bats in the house before. I also have a small house with very few hiding spaces I can think of.

It is unlikely that this bat has been in my house before last night, but I will contact a doctor if needed.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 10 points 3 months ago

You should most definitely contact a doctor, and follow the doctor's advice. "If needed" is already here.

[–] thefartographer@lemm.ee 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

if needed

Yes, it's needed.

If you start to notice symptoms of rabies, it's already too late. Don't take any chances on this one. The symptoms and progress of rabies are like a fucking horror movie on steroids

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 4 points 3 months ago

And the first symptoms of rabies are "Ugh, I have a cold." The next symptoms are "Ugh, I have the flu." Only after those do you get to "I am confused, aggressive, horribly thirsty, and afraid of water, and I have no idea why, or that my death is rapidly approaching."

[–] butter@midwest.social 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You need to get yourself vaccinated for rabies.

Also, he was very cute.

[–] Jomega@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago (4 children)

I didn't touch them in any way. I was very careful.

[–] BeanGoblin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 3 months ago

Their teeth are so small they can bite you when you're sleeping and not notice it. Better to be safe than sorry, especially with rabies.

[–] assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

Still do it. Better safe than dead. You never know if it bit you while you were sleeping.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago

Trust me.

You do not want to contract rabies. At all.

Once you have symptoms, it’s 100% fatal. Talk to your doctor, they can get it set up.

And the cats, too, if they’re not current.

[–] butter@midwest.social 1 points 3 months ago

Like everyone else said, just go get the shot.

A bat isn't like a spider or a mosquito. It has lived in your house for who knows how long. When a bat bites you, it's not gonna swell up and itch like a spider or a mosquito. Your gonna wake up with two pin pricks on your ankle or something and totally miss it. Or it'll salavate on your toothbrush or take a nibble out of an apple on your counter.

The shot will either be covered by Medicaid or any insurance or your government if you're not American.

If you want any help or information please reach out. I have plenty of generic advice (since I don't know where you live) and I'll help you in any way I can remotely.

If you want to be scared into it, just look up anything about rabies. It's literally the scariest disease I've ever seen. No cure, no treatment, going crazy, the whole shebang. It can also live in your body for years before it hits. And the vaccine works at any time before symptoms hit.

[–] redline23@lemmy.world 8 points 3 months ago

If you think there is a chance you got exposed, You should get the rabies vaccine from urgent care. It's almost impossible to know if a bat bites you.

If you wait until there are symptoms, you will die because it's too late. Not even joking, the number of people who survived rabies is like 29 worldwide as of March 2020.

I woke up a few years ago with a bat flying around the bed room and ended up getting the vaccine.

[–] Kaliax@lemmy.world 7 points 3 months ago

Please go get vaccinated.

It might sound uncomfortable and inconvenient, but you will 100% die if infected without treatment. The bites from those bats can be so small that you cannot detect them, and that is enough to infect. Rabies is one of the worst ways to die period.

[–] Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee 2 points 3 months ago

Every bat has a story inside.