Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Bat Attack!

I know many of you would not have freaked out about this, but after a nice day of work I get to my house at midnight to sit down with a cold beer and a mac n cheese. Suddenly out of nowhere I was attacked by a viscious bat flying at me at least 45 mph. Likely avoiding both side walls with his echosystem, this brought him inches away from me.

These attacks happened several times until I escaped to the upstairs bathroom. I finally got the nerve to venture out toward the front door when he attacked again with a ferocity I doubt has ever been seen. Armed now with a towel, I swatted at him repeatedly until he managed to coral me back to the bathroom. Again I tip toed back down and this time went out the back door and set off the alarm (from the other story and the stolen cell phone). The police came as I was unable to disarm the alarm in time with my remote control and the game warden was called. His advice was to sneak back to my bedroom and sleep overnight until a game warden could come over. For some reason I didn't like this advice.

I called a friend of mine who came over. We located the bat and trapped it with a broom. It was hanging high up on the wall. We managed to get him to the outside porch, garbage bag him after a few more broom swaps and box and tape him. The game warden was notified and I was to make the drop for rabies testing the following day. So, I brought the box to work only to find out that it was still alive.

The game warden said he would be over to get the bat, but he wondered how he would get the live bat out without being bit. This is the same game warden he advised me to go back in the house.

Anyway, the warden just stopped by to get the bat. I will let you know if he has rabies.

I suppose I am rather wimpy, but it scared the living hell out of me.

We have lots of bats in our area of Florida, and one will infrequently get inside, and they are really hard to catch. But I've never been attacked. Hope that bat is healthy.

Do you catch them or do you call someone to help? Did you know that with 300 species they make up one-fourth of the world's mammalian population?

Bert,
We have lots of bats around here, too. We often see them flying around at night, diving for bugs over the pool. That is not too bad, but in the house and coming at you is a different story. It is unusual (but not rare) for them to get into an attic or dormers, and generally calling animal control at the health department is the way to go.

Not to throw gasoline on the flames, but here is an article from today's Baltimore Sun.

Sounds like someone may be in for a rabies vaccination series.

I have always been lucky enough to notice them during the day, and animal control comes within a few hours and catches them with a net and frees them. These bats haven't been aggressive. I have heard that the droppings are bad, so don't go rustling around in the ceiling without a mask.

Sounds like you need to call "Billy the Exterminator"

I actually heard differently about the droppings. In this case I think it had just gotten in and was probably thrown off by the different series of lights going off and on and my moving around.

In Maine, animal control does domestic animals and the game wardens do the non-domestic, which I find rather stupid. I tend to think of game wardens as being law officers with poachers, etc., ecologists, etc. I don't think of them as knowing a lot about dogs or bats with question of rabies. I would think animal control would be better at catching them, e.g. "controlling."

I suppose if you saw it and didn't have it near you, it would be fine to let them go. God knows if this one nicked me or whatever.

I think its histoplasmosis from the guano, rabies from a bite or saliva.

Great. So, I know there was no bite. But, he was so pissed off he could have spit on me.

John is correct regarding histopasmosis from the guano (bat droppings).

So, given a doctor who has himself as a doctor has a fool for a doctor, what would I look for and how would I treat it. Then again, I guess I could go to my doctor.

I also have been plagued with a bat this summer. It has taken up residence behind a shutter on my house. I know it is there because I see its distinctive droppings on the steps below it. I always sweep up the droppings wearing a mask. I remember the lesson from medical school about the spelunkers who became sick after exploring the bat infested caves. I take a garden hose and squirt behind the shutter to drive it out. It always scares me when it comes flying out. I would be terrified if I was was trapped in a room with it. I do like having the bats around to eat the bugs (especially the mosquitoes), just not that close.

Good story Donna. Thanks. I was terrified. If it is the first time and you have no idea what is going on, your mind just races as to your options. Most of the time I was in the house, I didn't know if it were a bat or bird. To be completely honest, I didn't even know bats existed in Maine.

Seems like you could have gotten animal control to take it and move it somewhere else. It is so ironic that you used a hose. While I was waiting for my friend to come over, I started hosing down my garage floor. Yes, I have crusher dust, and no rain gets on it, so it gets powdery. After soaking it, I started squirting the windows trying to scare it.

Now, here is a million to one event. I call Adam (#739 posts on the top right)(my best friend) and relay the story to him. So, he just called me, and has a bat in his room. He had to run out of the room.

Maybe there is something going on right now with bats. The heatwave in Texas may be pushing them north?

Anyone ever see the movie, The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock. How any author/director could take a simple concempt and make it absolutely scary is incredible.

It was suggested to me that I buy a "bat house" and mount it on a pole at the corner of my yard, and they would hang out there in preference to my house. Still be around at nite to eat skeeters tho'.

Yes, that is what my friend said who used to get many bats in his house. I guess it all depends what the percentage of bats that are rabid. I suppose it is fairly low.

I think its time to introduce Bert's new avatar:



Bert-man, the caped crusader

Though it's reliability is always suspect, the Baltimore Sun says "fewer than 1 percent of bats are carriers". That is from the article which I linked earlier.

Thanks Jon, didn't see your post.

@John, may have to look into that one.

It's a great coined name. The only problem is Bert-man and Bertman are too similar. Exact, actually.

Yes, Bert, The Birds, was the most terrifying movie I've ever seen. Yet, Hitchcock achieved the drama without resorting to modern day levels of blood and gore.

But seriously--get some good advice regarding rabies for your local ED or an Inf Dis doc. As you know, rabies is no joke.

True, but I don't it didn't bite me, and they are testing the bat for rabies.

John,
Of course each person gets to choose their own avatar. I only saw Bert once, at the 2010 ACUC, but from what I remember, this looks JUST like him...so the decision should be a slamdunk.

I wonder if I should blame this on Amazing Charts. When I was using v5, I never got attacked by bats.

http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats/contact/index.html

As the CDC site points out bat saliva can spread rabies if it comes in contact with mucous membranes or an open wound.

I don't think that happened either. I guess since they quarantine skunks and dogs and racoons, etc. for 10 days, I have that long to start the series?

Nice! Dr. John. I'm pretty sure Bert will like...

Like you said about FL. I live in Lehigh Acres where bats are common. I remember some neighborhood kids catching bats with a sock ball. The bat claws would get stuck in the sock ball in spectacular fashion. The wings of bats (well...some bats) are not strong enough to carry the weight of a sock ball. That would lead for an easy catch. They would throw the sock up and the bat would be foolish enough to attack it.

Bert had the right idea, with the towel, but of course, he had to defend himself, which is completely understandable. I would have done the same thing. Good to know you didn't get bitten, buddy.

Thanks Lawrence,

If that thing had bitten me I would have grabbed the syringe from the ED doc and injected the Rabies Immune Globulin directly into the wound myself and topped it off with the first vaccine.

I do remember as a kid going to Carls Bad Caverns and seeing thousands of bats. But, they were't attack bats.

Here's the info on the vaccine:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM133484.pdf
It's recommended that vaccination start as soon as possible after exposure. Yet, the vaccine has been shown to work as much as 14 days after exposure (sure would make me nervous if I had to wait that long). But as I suggested earlier, I'd touch base with your local ED doc or ID doc--they deal with this issue regularly.

But on the light side, Bert, you should definitely go with the new avatar!

So one night when I was lying in bed half asleep I thought I saw a moth flying in my bedroom - when I realized I was being dive bombed by a bat I rolled out of bed and jumped for the door - unfortunately I made it out was going to use a broom. The broom was of course in the bathroom of the bedroom so I dove through got the broom and tried my best impression of a ninja swordsman...not good. Exited, regrouped and went back in where I luckily hit it mid air - beat it several times and was able to scoop up. I know how Bert feels - it was not a pretty sight. A bit unnerving......

Yes, you should have used a .NET over your bed.

I used to live in Maine and I experienced a similar attack. It was quite spooky. Within 5 minutes and during my fight with the bat, the power went off and on and then off permanently due to a spring storm outside. It was terrifying but made me tough. I learned that Maine has a state batman who came to my house to investigate. My attic was home to over 1000 bats. No wonder I had such beautiful flowers.....bat quano. The very best weapon against a bat is a tennis racket. They can spot a broom a mile away but a tennis racket is nearly invisible. You knock him out cold and then without touching it throw it outside.

Anyway...."bats are our friends". Mine were migratory bats. The only way to get rid of them was to caulk every crack around the eves of the house and leave one way in and out and then caulk that once they headed south for the winter. In the spring, they moved into the barn across the street. They can enter through unbelievably tiny cracks. A bat house would certainly help but a tennis racket is the best weapon as I said. Did I mention that they are "protected". No extermination allowed.

The tennis racket idea is genius!

Not meaning to upset Bert any more, but bat ticks can theoretically carry Lyme Disease.

Bert,
Thanks for sharing. I'd be willing to wager that the bat was rabid. Glad you survived.

Reminds me of the time I was attacked by a Mama Moose in the Yukon. I was on horseback and inadvertently got between the Mom and the Calf. Mama charged us several times. Thought I was going to die.

@Steven Great story. Sounds just like mine. The deal is whether you are dealing with a prowler in the house, a moose, a bear in the woods or a bat, just like their sonar gets thrown off by the lights or echo or whatever, your thinking gets distorted. You panic and try to outwit the damned thing. It doesn't help that emergency people don't respond very well.

911 where's your emergency? (whatever happened to what's your emergency?)
911: What's your phone number? (whatever happened to what's your name and what is threatening your life?)
911: What's the problem? (ahh finally I can tell them what the issue is).
911: We will call the most least-interested person we can. Game warden should should call you back in oh, time enough to develop rabies. (ok, what the hell happened to "Please stay on the phone") I guess that got replaced with On Star)
On Star: This is On Star, what's your emergency. (well at least they started with my favorite line). OK, do you want us to stay on the line? Hell yes I want you to stay on the line. I want someone to know the exact time of death.
On Star: Do you mind if we use this in a commercial? The accident ones are not getting very good ratings anymore.

The worst part you can't even play Angry Birds as 911 shuts everything else down. I guess Angry Bats would be a more apropos game.

@St Lawrence I read the Protected part too. Yeah, mountain lions are protected but not in your house.

@John God, you and Jon are funnier than hell. .NET I laughed so hard. Unfortunately, I had .NET 3.5.

@John I take that back. The Lyme disease article kinda killed the buzz on your original joke.

@Ken Thanks. What would make you think the bat was rabid? I suppose any bat in the same situation would act like that.

Now isn't everyone glad I didn't do a million quotes

Should I have "someone else" check my attic. I only hear mice up there.

Mice with wings!!!! Call the state bat man. Seriously unless major budget cuts, there is a state bat man. He will help you. And you will be less afraid.

Why wouldn't the game warden and animal control advise me of that?

Check out this site.


Maine.gov

then just search bats.

Maybe they don't really get alot of bat calls. Maybe the 911 dispatcher didn't know who else to call.

I think I'm starting to get a better feel for how this board operates. Over the week, serious intense discussion of significant issues. Over the weekend...well....

I'll go back to changing video cards. Gene