If this does't win me house cleaner of the year award nothing will

[Flowing Brook]

Today I cleaned house for a 93 yo lady.  While I was vacuuming her bathroom I saw a black wing flapping under her bathroom cabinet.  Upon closer inspection I realized it was a bat.  I went and told her there was a bat underneath her cabinet. She went with me to the bathroom and said maybe I could get it out with the dust pan. So I decided if I was going to get that close I was going to have to put on some gloves first. I was unable to kill the bat because he kept going deeper against the cabinet.

 

I then left to get the broom. When I returned he was nowhere to be found. So I bravely looked around the room trying to find him. I got a flash light and found him between the wall and the cabinet. I then tried the broom. That did not work so the lady said to just suck it up with the  vacuum cleaner. So not only did I suck it up with the vacuum cleaner but I had to empty the bag knowing HE was in there. Then I put the vacuum bag in a grocery sack and managed to carry it to the end of her lane where I proceeded to put the bag in the trash can.

 

So tell me does this deserve an award or what? :D

[Lara in Colo]

 

You win

[Tap]

The 'You're Freaking Awsome" award goes to Puddles of TWTM!   Whoooot Whoot.

 

 

As for the bat...his day sucked.   LOL  Get it   :smilielol5:  :smilielol5:  :smilielol5:  :smilielol5: Sucks....vacuum....lol  

[ashfern]

Gross!

[Jean in Newcastle]

[Melissa in Australia]

poor bat :-(

[Luanne]

Poor bat.  LOL ... I hate bats.  They are so gross.  They are like rats with wings.  YUCK!

[Rose in BC]

You're a winner! I could NEVER do that!

[plansrme]

I love bats and have a bunch of them roosting in the attic vent (louvers?) at the highest part of my house, and you can tell the difference in my mosquito population and that of my neighbor's, whose backyard abuts mine and is all but uninhabitable during the summer, but bats need to stay on their side of the screen.  Once they are in my living space, that's the end of the Bat Love.  And I fully support whatever measures are necessary to remove the wayward bat.  Way to go, Puddles.

[Eagle]

Ewwwwwww!!!

[SweetMissMagnolia]

oh my

 

[Melissa in Australia]

Poor bat.  LOL ... I hate bats.  They are so gross.  They are like rats with wings.  YUCK!

they eat something like their body weight in mosquitoes each night.

[jhschool]

I don't see why you couldn't open the bag and set the bat free.

 

Or let him be and open a window so he could leave at night.

 

He was sucked up with the vacuum which must have broken his bones, then left to die in terrible pain.

 

At least putting him out of his misery would have been preferable.  You could have

dispatched him quickly.

 

Here we call the animal rehabilitators and they remove, help, and rehabilitate.

 

Poor bat...

 

 

[Scarlett]

I don't see why you couldn't open the bag and set the bat free.

 

Or let him be and open a window so he could leave at night.

 

He was sucked up with the vacuum which must have broken his bones, then left to die in terrible pain.

 

At least putting him out of his misery would have been preferable. You could have

dispatched him quickly.

 

Here we call the animal rehabilitators and they remove, help, and rehabilitate.

 

Poor bat...

Oh good grief. Why couldn't you just say that was a tough job and you did a good deed for an old lady. Or if you couldn't manage that, say nothing.

[Guest inoubliable]

You... sucked him up in a vacuum??

 

Sorry, I know bats can be icky and creepy and all but that's pretty harsh. :( If it ever happens again, you might want to take a minute and find out your local animal control people's number and give them a ring. They come out and remove it and then test it for rabies. Bats have itty bitty teeth and don't often leave bite marks for long. People have been known to get bitten in the night or just in batting at a bat and not realize it until later when rabies shows up. Once it shows up, it's fatal.

 

I know you're looking for a pat on the back for dealing with a bat, but really this was just the wrong move. :(

[Guest inoubliable]

Oh good grief. Why couldn't you just say that was a tough job and you did a good deed for an old lady. Or if you couldn't manage that, say nothing.

 

Probably because she has more compassion than you do for a small woodland creature. :)

[jhschool]

Oh good grief. Why couldn't you just say that was a tough job and you did a good deed for an old lady. Or if you couldn't manage that, say nothing.

Why?

Because it's a cruel thing to do, to vacuum a bat, who is a sentient creature, and

let it die in the bag.

 

I think it's good to help an old lady.  I can manage to say that just fine.

Edited July 5, 2013 by Moderator
Removed personal attack. Really, folks. Chill.

[Miss Peregrine]

Does this remind anyone else of the flying squirrel thread?

[Mergath]

You... sucked him up in a vacuum??

 

Sorry, I know bats can be icky and creepy and all but that's pretty harsh. :( If it ever happens again, you might want to take a minute and find out your local animal control people's number and give them a ring. They come out and remove it and then test it for rabies. Bats have itty bitty teeth and don't often leave bite marks for long. People have been known to get bitten in the night or just in batting at a bat and not realize it until later when rabies shows up. Once it shows up, it's fatal.

 

I know you're looking for a pat on the back for dealing with a bat, but really this was just the wrong move. :(

 

:iagree:   That was a terrible way for the poor thing to go.  :(  I don't know why people think animal cruelty is okay when it's an animal they think is "icky."  I doubt anyone would be cheering if she'd sucked a battered kitten up a vacuum.

[Spy Car]

Not cool.

 

Bill

[kitten18]

Does this remind anyone else of the flying squirrel thread?

Yep, exactly.

[skeeterbug]

I love watching the bats in our town every night at dusk flying off in search of food. Or if we happen to be at the lake, seeing them dip down in the water mid-flight for a drink. We have quite the bat colony here in one of our big local parks.

 

I probably would have locked up the room and called animal control. I'm too scared of the rabies factor after a child in Qld died from it earlier this year, he'd gotten it from a scratch from a bat but they didn't know until it was too late.

 

It is interesting that our attitudes are different towards 'icky' animals (as Mergath said above!). I feel bad for the mice we've caught in traps, but not bad enough to do live traps and relocate them or something. I wonder why. I guess the thought of them in my pantry is just so gross, I want them out. I heard one get caught recently, heard it squeal, but it wasn't long before it was dead from what I could tell.

 

I admit to vacuuming spiders on a regular basis. Does that mean they are dying a painful, prolonged death? (I'm asking seriously, I've always wondered.) I tell myself they are smothered instantly by all the dirt in my vacuum. :leaving:

[skeeterbug]

Does this remind anyone else of the flying squirrel thread?

Was there a toilet involved? I have a vague recollection...

[Scarlett]

Why?

Because it's a cruel thing to do, to vacuum a bat, who is a sentient creature, and

let it die in the bag.

 

I think it's good to help an old lady. I can manage to say that just fine.

I apologize for my meanness.

Edited July 5, 2013 by Moderator
Removed quote from personal attack.

[Catherine]

I don't see why you couldn't open the bag and set the bat free.

 

Or let him be and open a window so he could leave at night.

 

He was sucked up with the vacuum which must have broken his bones, then left to die in terrible pain.

 

At least putting him out of his misery would have been preferable.  You could have

dispatched him quickly.

 

Here we call the animal rehabilitators and they remove, help, and rehabilitate.

 

Poor bat...

No, no, no.

 

Bats have a high rate of rabies infection. You should never touch them. I understand the posters who are concerned about animal cruelty, but your own safety should come first.

[ChristusG]

Ewww, yeah, you win LOL! I would have freaked out and ran!

 

Next time I'm thinking of killing that huge cockroach that enters my house, I'll just consider scooping it up and setting it free ;) Or not LOL.

[DawnM]

Yep, if anyone remembers my bat and rabies shots thread.....

 

 

 

No, no, no.

 

Bats have a high rate of rabies infection. You should never touch them. I understand the posters who are concerned about animal cruelty, but your own safety should come first.

[Serenade]

  I doubt anyone would be cheering if she'd sucked a battered kitten up a vacuum.

 

A kitten doesn't pose a health risk.

 

I like bats, but if one were in my house, I'd do all in my power to get it out, even if that meant killing it.  We do occasionally get lizards in the house, and I get my boys to take them outside (alive) and set them free.  We've set a mouse outside that made its way into our hermit crab aquarium.  But I'm not really sure how the OP could have easily gotten rid of the bat in a safe manner, at least without having to pay someone big bucks to remove it for her.  And I'm guessing most bat removal services would have killed it, too.  

[[email protected]]

I really think you can continue this thread without any name calling.

 

Try really hard.

 

Moderator

[marbel]

I've no idea what I'd do if a bat got in my house.  I don't think they're icky but I would not leave an elderly lady with what could be a rabid critter in her house.

 

There is no animal control where I live. There are private companies that will remove animals, for a high fee and sometimes a long wait. The police will move a dead deer off the road, or shoot a raccoon that's out in daytime but I can't imagine them coming to help with a bat.  So animal control isn't always an option. 

 

Sorry OP that you've taken so much grief for doing what you had to do, with the methods available to you at the time.

[Guest inoubliable]

A kitten doesn't pose a health risk.

 

I like bats, but if one were in my house, I'd do all in my power to get it out, even if that meant killing it.  We do occasionally get lizards in the house, and I get my boys to take them outside (alive) and set them free.  We've set a mouse outside that made its way into our hermit crab aquarium.  But I'm not really sure how the OP could have easily gotten rid of the bat in a safe manner, at least without having to pay someone big bucks to remove it for her.  And I'm guessing most bat removal services would have killed it, too.

 

Animal control.

 

I have never heard of one charging. But I guess we'll never know since the OP didn't bother to check.

 

No one suggested that she handle it by hand, anyway.

[Guest inoubliable]

I really think you can continue this thread without any name calling.

 

Try really hard.

 

Moderator

So the "good grief" bit stays?? Wasn't that a personal attack?

[Tammyla]

:hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray: Op....Around here bats have rabies and they can bite without you knowing it or leaving a visible mark :w00t: .  Lots of people have to get shots and pay for a professional to remove them.

 

That 93 y/old lady was blessed to have you there.

[momacacia]

I'm going to take this moment to hollar:

 

"KITTENS AND CUPCAKES!!!"

 

;-)

[Mergath]

A kitten doesn't pose a health risk.

 

I like bats, but if one were in my house, I'd do all in my power to get it out, even if that meant killing it.  We do occasionally get lizards in the house, and I get my boys to take them outside (alive) and set them free.  We've set a mouse outside that made its way into our hermit crab aquarium.  But I'm not really sure how the OP could have easily gotten rid of the bat in a safe manner, at least without having to pay someone big bucks to remove it for her.  And I'm guessing most bat removal services would have killed it, too.  

 

Like others have said.  Animal control.  I always thought that was SOP when dealing with a bat in someone's home that may have bitten them unknowingly while they were sleeping.

 

And I've shooed bats out before without having any contact with it.  People act like they can spit rabies at you through the air, but if you open a window, close the door, and give it an hour, they usually leave on their own.  And even if, for some reason, the bat has to be killed, there's no reason to do it in such an inhumane manner.

[Mergath]

:hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray: Op....Around here bats have rabies and they can bite without you knowing it or leaving a visible mark :w00t: .  Lots of people have to get shots and pay for a professional to remove them.

 

That 93 y/old lady was blessed to have you there.

 

 

They can bite you in your sleep without your knowing, but I can't imagine how one could do so when you're awake and staring at it.

[TheReader]

I'd have called animal control, but I don't particularly fault you for doing what you could to get rid of the bat, especially a bat awake in the (presumably?) daytime. 

 

I would suggest, if it is even remotely possible that the bat might have been in her home overnight, that the 93 yr old get rabies shots, just in case. Better safe than sorry, and I know she's 93 and all, but still, rabies would not be a fun way to go. 

 

Most (all??) of the human deaths from rabies are after unnoticed bat bites, particularly if bitten while sleeping.  Not all bats carry rabies (really it's a low percentage that do) but the risk is just too big to ignore.  Please encourage her to find out about the shots, just in case. 

[Guest inoubliable]

I would suggest, if it is even remotely possible that the bat might have been in her home overnight, that the 93 yr old get rabies shots, just in case. Better safe than sorry, and I know she's 93 and all, but still, rabies would not be a fun way to go. 

 

Most (all??) of the human deaths from rabies are after unnoticed bat bites, particularly if bitten while sleeping.  Not all bats carry rabies (really it's a low percentage that do) but the risk is just too big to ignore.  Please encourage her to find out about the shots, just in case.

Thank you. Said better than I did. OP, I hope you encourage your friend/client to get herself to a doctor and have the shots.

[TheReader]

Thank you. Said better than I did. OP, I hope you encourage your friend/client to get herself to a doctor and have the shots.

 

no problem :) 

 

our dog caught a live, awake bat in the middle of the day once. DH disposed of it (humanely) (we live in Brazil and had no idea at the time how to call animal control), but his first attempt involved grabbing it with just a plastic bag. The bat tried to scratch him, through the bag, at which point DH remembered to put on the leather work gloves instead. 

 

Even with a "maybe it scratched me" I made him go get the shots. Better to for sure suffer through the shots than to maybe plan his funeral, ya know? 

 

When we have them in the house, we open the back door, the kids go into the other room, and dh uses  a broom to gently guide the bat back outside where he belongs. If we ever once woke up to one in the house in the morning, the whole family would go for shots just in case. Rabies is just not worth the risk, at all. 

[Guest inoubliable]

no problem :)

 

our dog caught a live, awake bat in the middle of the day once. DH disposed of it (humanely) (we live in Brazil and had no idea at the time how to call animal control), but his first attempt involved grabbing it with just a plastic bag. The bat tried to scratch him, through the bag, at which point DH remembered to put on the leather work gloves instead. 

 

Even with a "maybe it scratched me" I made him go get the shots. Better to for sure suffer through the shots than to maybe plan his funeral, ya know? 

 

When we have them in the house, we open the back door, the kids go into the other room, and dh uses  a broom to gently guide the bat back outside where he belongs. If we ever once woke up to one in the house in the morning, the whole family would go for shots just in case. Rabies is just not worth the risk, at all.

Agreed. Rabies would be an awful way to go. :(

 

Last summer my oldest was removing laundry from the washing machine. We hardly ever use it and it's in the basement where we never go unless it's to use that washing machine. So it's dark down there and kind of creepy. When we heard DS12 scream, we ran to the door and figured he'd freaked himself out somehow from the dark. Nope. He thought he saw a sock at the bottom of the machine and grabbed it but it was a small bat. He thought it was dead and dropped it back in there, but wasn't sure. We called animal control and they came to get it. It was dead, but it was a scary 3-day wait while they ran tests to make sure the bat didn't have rabies. There was a small risk that DS12 could have grazed himself with the bat's teeth or that the bat could have been alive when he picked it up and bitten him, but then died from being flung back in the washer. If it had, DS12 would have gotten free shots through the health department. No rabies were present and the animal control officer even made a special trip back out to reassure DS12 and to do a sweep of the basement to check for more bats.

 

Rabies just isn't something to mess around with. And DS12 still gets upset at the thought that he might have caused that poor thing's death.

[TheReader]

Agreed. Rabies would be an awful way to go. :(

 

Last summer my oldest was removing laundry from the washing machine. We hardly ever use it and it's in the basement where we never go unless it's to use that washing machine. So it's dark down there and kind of creepy. When we heard DS12 scream, we ran to the door and figured he'd freaked himself out somehow from the dark. Nope. He thought he saw a sock at the bottom of the machine and grabbed it but it was a small bat. He thought it was dead and dropped it back in there, but wasn't sure. We called animal control and they came to get it. It was dead, but it was a scary 3-day wait while they ran tests to make sure the bat didn't have rabies. There was a small risk that DS12 could have grazed himself with the bat's teeth or that the bat could have been alive when he picked it up and bitten him, but then died from being flung back in the washer. If it had, DS12 would have gotten free shots through the health department. No rabies were present and the animal control officer even made a special trip back out to reassure DS12 and to do a sweep of the basement to check for more bats.

 

Rabies just isn't something to mess around with. And DS12 still gets upset at the thought that he might have caused that poor thing's death.

 

that would be scary; poor guy. Glad he's okay. 

[Guest inoubliable]

that would be scary; poor guy. Glad he's okay.

He's better now that DS5 has stopped calling him Bat Slayer. Let's just hope DS5 doesn't want to watch Shark Tale anytime soon. Ha!

[DawnM]

We all had to get rabies shots for this very reason. We woke up to a bat flying around the house.

 

They are good for 10 years. If you have another rabies incident, you just need a booster.

 

 

I'd have called animal control, but I don't particularly fault you for doing what you could to get rid of the bat, especially a bat awake in the (presumably?) daytime. 

 

I would suggest, if it is even remotely possible that the bat might have been in her home overnight, that the 93 yr old get rabies shots, just in case. Better safe than sorry, and I know she's 93 and all, but still, rabies would not be a fun way to go. 

 

Most (all??) of the human deaths from rabies are after unnoticed bat bites, particularly if bitten while sleeping.  Not all bats carry rabies (really it's a low percentage that do) but the risk is just too big to ignore.  Please encourage her to find out about the shots, just in case.

[Flowing Brook]

I wanted to  say I truly am sorry for anyone that I offended with my story.  I do not have animal control within a 100 miles of me. We live in a very small town. My first instinct was to save the bat. I tried to scoop it up with a dust pan.  The reason I put gloves on first.

I then tried to kill it quickly and humanly. when I tried the broom and the end of the dust pan. I could only hear it make noises. I did not enjoy hearing the animal suffer. Vacuuming it was a last resort.  I know bats carry rabies so my personal safety was my first priority.  Again I apologize for anyone I offended. I do not take pleasure in killing animals. I just felt in this situation I did what I had to do.

[peachskittles]

No, no, no.

 

Bats have a high rate of rabies infection. You should never touch them. I understand the posters who are concerned about animal cruelty, but your own safety should come first.

I know I had read something about the low rate in bats but I found the link.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110131133323.htm

 

Less than one percent of bats actually have rabies. If I find a bat in my room while I'm sleeping, I will definitely get the vaccine, unless I can catch him. For an alive, I can see it bat, I will proceed with caution in removing him from the house and place him in a tree away from our home. If it happens to bite me, then I can take the alive, I can see it bat to the vet (or whoever you are to take it to) and (sadly) let them do what is necessary to make sure I didn't get rabies. I have an attic full of bats. They stay up there, I stay down here. I have found a few on the sidewalks, but I gently remove them to a tree so they aren't trampled.

[Luanne]

they eat something like their body weight in mosquitoes each night.

 

I'm glad there is some good use for them.  Of course God could have just not made mosquitos and then there would be no need for bats. LOL

[Guest inoubliable]

I'm glad there is some good use for them.  Of course God could have just not made mosquitos and then there would be no need for bats. LOL

LOLwut?

They're at the bottom of the food chain, mosquitoes are. Larvae are fish snacks. Geeze.

[Tammyla]

:iagree:  You would think so, but my first concern would be the elderly lady sleeping with a bat in her home and not knowing she was bitten.

They can bite you in your sleep without your knowing, but I can't imagine how one could do so when you're awake and staring at it.

 

[Laurie4b]

They can bite you in your sleep without your knowing, but I can't imagine how one could do so when you're awake and staring at it.

Actually, there have been some rabies cases in which an adult was awake while in contact with a bat, didn't think there was a bite, and died. I found out researching after personal contact. There are some things that happened don't entirely emake sense given how rabies are normally transmitted.

[MommaOfalotta]

I admit to vacuuming spiders on a regular basis. Does that mean they are dying a painful, prolonged death? (I'm asking seriously, I've always wondered.) I tell myself they are smothered instantly by all the dirt in my vacuum. :leaving:

 

I don't feel safe vacuuming spiders. Not good enough, at all. I feel like they will crawl their way right back out. I kill them with a shoe, or I have dh do it if they are big. *Shudder*

 

And I dont feel bad about that at all. ;)

 

We live in the country, and bats (while they do help with the bugs) can be a problem. They were always in our elementary when I was a kid, they get in dhs factory at work, in some cases they swarm around the street lights at night. They are not afraid at all to swoop right down at you. Which sounds kind of creepy now that I think about it. lol. We are very used to them, and appreciate what they do and their place in the food chain.. BUT safety of people comes first in these situations. We are in no shortage of bats, they aren't endangered, but if they are swooping down to us, in our schools, jobs etc, my dh has put a few down. I can feel horrible for just about anything (except spiders ;) ) but when it is a health risk we dont hesitate.