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Gone Batty!

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Mickey Richaud

Mickey Richaud

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Last night, we were invaded - BAT in the house! Not sure how it got in, but it was flying around the den and upstairs. Couldn't find it, so decided to go to bed and try again this morning. We closed off all the rooms before going to bed, hopefully containing it to the living area. Luckily, Jax, our dog, never saw it. This morning I got up and looked around again. Finally spotted it hanging on one of the rafters over the den, obviously sleeping. Fashioned a tool to grab it with a fish net and an extendable window washing pole with custom duct tape fastening. It was near the staircase, so I went up and reached out with my trusty bat net and nabbed it! Wings were extended (wingspan of about 8-10") and I was afraid it was going to escape, but managed to bring it outside and unceremoniously dumped it on the driveway. It lay there for about 15 minutes before taking flight to who-knows-where; hopefully not to return.

Wish I'd had the presence of mind to snap a few pictures, but was so relieved to rid ourselves of it that I didn't think to. This is the second visitor we've had since moving here; first one was found hanging on an indoor plant and I grabbed it with a long pair of plastic tongs. Got to figure out how they got in...
 
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Mickey Richaud

Mickey Richaud

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NutmegCT

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There's one in every crowd for sure.

"You don't need to follow me!"

"You're all individuals!"

"You're all different!"

I'm not.

:smile:
 
Basil

Basil

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Remember having a bat in our house when I was in grade school. Can't remember how we got it out. Glad you managed too set him (her?) free.
 
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Mickey Richaud

Mickey Richaud

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We've had a bunch of them ~roosting~ on the roof overhangs in a couple places around the house. I'm thinking these guys got in through the chimney when the damper was open; have to remember to keep it closed when not in use.

I really want them around to gobble up mosquitoes and gnats; need to put some bat houses up in the trees around the house. Plus, they're kinda fascinating to watch at dusk.
 
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Silverghost

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Mickey Richaud said:
Last night, we were invaded - BAT in the house! Not sure how it got in, but it was flying around the den and upstairs. Couldn't find it, so decided to go to bed and try again this morning. We closed off all the rooms before going to bed, hopefully containing it to the living area. Luckily, Jax, our dog, never saw it. This morning I got up and looked around again. Finally spotted it hanging on one of the rafters over the den, obviously sleeping. Fashioned a tool to grab it with a fish net and an extendable window washing pole with custom duct tape fastening. It was near the staircase, so I went up and reached out with my trusty bat net and nabbed it! Wings were extended (wingspan of about 8-10") and I was afraid it was going to escape, but managed to bring it outside and unceremoniously dumped it on the driveway. It lay there for about 15 minutes before taking flight to who-knows-where; hopefully not to return.

Wish I'd had the presence of mind to snap a few pictures, but was so relieved to rid ourselves of it that I didn't think to. This is the second visitor we've had since moving here; first one was found hanging on an indoor plant and I grabbed it with a long pair of plastic tongs. Got to figure out how they got in...
Click to expand...
Mickey, everyone knows they can't enter unless you invite them in! :D

"Invitation is a weakness of vampires and hybrids, including Original vampires/hybrids. In order to enter any house owned by humans, witches, werewolves, or doppelgängers, vampires or hybrids must be invited by the owners of the home. Once invited, the vampire cannot be uninvited unless the ownership of the house changes."

Hate to say it but it looks like you may have to move!
 
DrEntropy

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Haven't seen many here. We've plenty of mosquitoes and not enough bats. Mebbe bat houses with "Welcome!" signs?
 
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gonzo

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Save a bats! The fruit-bat live display at the Portland, OR bat aviary convinced my wife that bats are sweet and kinda cute. These guys eat bananas.
 
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YakkoWarner

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My sister had one in her house last year. One thng I remember her telling me was that the people she called advised her to place it outside on something elevated. Apparently they cannot easily take off from the ground like birds do - they need to be able to drop and start flapping to get in the air. I don't know if thats true for ALL species or not, just one of the things that stuck in my head from the conversation.
 
DrEntropy

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While in Southeast Asia we saw bats across the entire region, huge succahs compared to what I've seen domestically. They would generally nest in tall palms and drop out of the dead leaves around the tops in scores. At dusk it was amazing to see hundreds of them zooming about. I heard someplace they can eat their own weight in insects in a few hours. Amazing critters, for sure.
 
equiprx

equiprx

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Mickey Richaud said:
Last night, we were invaded - BAT in the house! Not sure how it got in, but it was flying around the den and upstairs. Couldn't find it, so decided to go to bed and try again this morning. We closed off all the rooms before going to bed, hopefully containing it to the living area. Luckily, Jax, our dog, never saw it. This morning I got up and looked around again. Finally spotted it hanging on one of the rafters over the den, obviously sleeping. Fashioned a tool to grab it with a fish net and an extendable window washing pole with custom duct tape fastening. It was near the staircase, so I went up and reached out with my trusty bat net and nabbed it! Wings were extended (wingspan of about 8-10") and I was afraid it was going to escape, but managed to bring it outside and unceremoniously dumped it on the driveway. It lay there for about 15 minutes before taking flight to who-knows-where; hopefully not to return.

Wish I'd had the presence of mind to snap a few pictures, but was so relieved to rid ourselves of it that I didn't think to. This is the second visitor we've had since moving here; first one was found hanging on an indoor plant and I grabbed it with a long pair of plastic tongs. Got to figure out how they got in...
Click to expand...
About 40 years ago, driving home from work in my Fiat 850 Spyder, in extreme winds, one lodged itself under my wiper blade.
I had a pair of heavy leather gloves and a shoe box in the car.
We fashioned large box with a screen top to see what it's condition was.
After listening to it's squeaks all night, we decided it was healthy.
By by BAT.
 
AngliaGT

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Right after we got married we rented the upstairs in a Victorian house.
On a full moon you could hear the bats moving around in the walls.I'd grab
the cord to one of the window weights,& then hear them moved around.They
never really caused us trouble though.
 
NutmegCT

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Doug - that would drive me nuts. Similar happens here in New England when you hear some "scratching" inside the walls.
eek
 
DrEntropy

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But they eat the real vermin.

As a youngin' the only things I knew about bats were they got in girls' hair and they would suck your blood. Young adulthood changed my view. Observation and learning about them, I gained appreciation.
 
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Mickey Richaud

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Yeah, like I said above, I want them around - just not in the house!

Had the chimney swept last Saturday, and the guys left the damper open. Maybe that's how it got in. Doesn't take much of an opening for them to infiltrate.
 
AngliaGT

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You need to put some wire mesh over the top of the chimney.
We used to get birds nesting on the small ledge about 1/3 of the way
up.Couldn't bring myself to light a fire,& it was always "We'll fix it after-
they leave".We never did.
 
JPSmit

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DrEntropy said:
But they eat the real vermin.

As a youngin' the only things I knew about bats were they got in girls' hair and they would suck your blood. Young adulthood changed my view. Observation and learning about them, I gained appreciation.
Click to expand...
bats or girls? :D
 
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Mickey Richaud

Mickey Richaud

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AngliaGT said:
You need to put some wire mesh over the top of the chimney.
We used to get birds nesting on the small ledge about 1/3 of the way
up.Couldn't bring myself to light a fire,& it was always "We'll fix it after-
they leave".We never did.
Click to expand...
Chimney has a cap with fire arrestor. Not sure how large the openings are - maybe large enough for bats to squeeze in.
 
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