The Cellar - Good news, bad news

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- - Good news, bad news (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=16582)

On the floor? I don't think I've ever seen a bat sitting on the floor. they're always flitting around scooping up the bugs or hanging from various perch-y type things. Get that camera.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LabRat (Post 516126)

The good news is, we found the bat that had been reported being seen on our floor. The bad news is that facilities is going to destroy it when they come. :(

I'd have thought they'd just hand it over to the lab for experiments.

cow orker had camera and took pics, but her cord is at home so can't post right now. he is so cute. sigh. poor fella.

Eh, you're probably just saying that while you're really thinking about all the various experiments you can run on him.

Uh, you know he probably has rabies, right? Putting him down humanely is the best thing they can do for him.

Why does he "probably" have rabies? Maybe he's just... lost?

Bats are nocturnal. If he's out during the day, he is almost certainly sick. Rabies is the most likely choice.

Did you know Austin has the largest urban bat population in the country?

(Maybe he got in during the night and can't get out?)

Maybe he thought he was staying up for Father Christmas - bats are notoriously bad at making appointments.

However they aren't bad with dates - something you might like to try LabRat?

Can't you hide him from the bad guys and smuggle him cookies or whatever cute/rabid bats eat?

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster (Post 516201)

Can't you hide him from the bad guys and smuggle him cookies or whatever cute/rabid bats eat?

I expect the undergraduates are already gone for the holiday.

The only way to make certain the bat does not carry rabies is to chop off his head and examine the brain. If it hasn't bitten, drooled, or bled onto anyone then it could be turned loose, but one should only take that risk for oneself, and not others. The 10 day quarantine is a valid procedure only for dogs and cats.
I've been vaccinated against rabies twice. Fun times!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pie (Post 516191)

(Maybe he got in during the night and can't get out?)

That happened frequently at my kids old school. It was a very old building with lots of places for them to get in at night, go to sleep, and then be scared shitless when the kids came in in the morning. It was also common to see them hanging from the rafters all day in the big meeting room.

We had quite a few come into our old house too, that whole area was lousy with them... never heard of or saw any with rabies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble (Post 516165)

Uh, you know he probably has rabies, right? Putting him down humanely is the best thing they can do for him.

sorry, clobble...you're usually on the mark, but that is just reactionary bullshit, just like everything else you hear on tv. might as well go stock up on milk, eggs and bread before that big snowstorm......

.5% chance of getting rabies from a bat

Quote:

Scientific surveys of wild bats typically report a positive rate of less than 0.5% for most North American bat species. Even where a rabid bat had been found, examinations of the entire colony show no other rabid individuals. In addition, bats are not “carriers” of rabies; when a bat gets the disease it will die. Bats also tend to become paralyzed with the disease, often avoiding the aggressive form of rabies.

......Bats will usually exhibit the paralytic form of rabies, which immobilizes the animal. Although they are not usually aggressive, bats will bite if they are threatened. Also, outbreaks of rabies in bats have never been reported, unlike the skunk, raccoon, and fox. Chances of coming in contact with a rabid bat is very rare. In fact, chances are better to die from getting struck by lightning, a plane crash, falling down a flight of stairs, or being killed by your spouse. Actually, you have a higher chance of winning your state lottery that being bitten by a bat with rabies. Even though coming in contact with a rabid animal may be uncommon, it is wise to know what to do if you are in that situation.

better have BigRed taken too, just to be safe ;)