Rude Awakening

[canuckjack]

Thought you all might enjoy this.

 

At 5 o'clock this morning the Mrs. wakes me up saying she thinks my son is up because she heard something at the door....I open the door and there's nobody around so I close the door and tell her she's hearing things. Then she says maybe it was a bat, we had one in the house a week ago which I trapped and released but we've since been "hearing" things. So I flick on my nightstand light and there's a bat flying straight at my head!

 

So I run to get a broom from the garage (I won't even try to pretend that I'm brave around these things) and by the time I'm back in the house he's flying around the kitchen, just going nuts, he can't land anywhere so I can't trap him. Then I hear the Mrs screaming something about there still being one in our room, now I'm having horror movie images of thousands of bats streaming into my house. So I open the down stairs patio door hoping the one down stairs will fly out and then I go upstairs...but there isn't one up there she was hiding under the sheets and thought she'd heard it in the room still. By the time I get back downstairs I can't find the bat...did he fly out? Is he hiding somewhere? I don't know.

 

I don't have many phobias but bats absolutely freak me out, something about how irratic they are, you can't follow their flight path so one minute they're across the room and then zig-zag they're near my head.

 

We knew they were living in an area in the siding out front where new siding overlaps old and the previous owners didn't seal it off properly, but there's no access that I can figure out from there into the house. I was told to wait until the babies could fly before flushing them out and sealing it off so I was going to wait another week or two before pulling off the siding. What I can't for the life of me figure out is how they are getting into the house...especially my bedroom there's no access into my room when the door is shut other than possibly the cold air return. Anyone ever hear of bats hanging out in air ducts?

 

Waiting for pest control to call back...nervously sipping coffee

[danbouck]

I can't help but thanks for the laugh

[siwash]

Without bats, we would probably have to permanently douse ourselves in DEET!!

[canuckjack]

I can't help but thanks for the laugh

 

I'm gonna need a few days before I can laugh at this one

 

Without bats, we would probably have to permanently douse ourselves in DEET!!

 

Don't get me wrong, I love them for what they do..or rather what they eat, which is why I will always try to C&R without injuring them, but maybe they could find a cave that isn't my house

[Jer]

Once when I opened the table umbrella on the deck, I had a bat fly out and around my head. Freaked me right out, I musta screamed like a little girl. Ever since I've gotten in the habit of opening the umbrella very slowly and getting a good look up inside before cranking it right up.

 

Sucks to have them in the house, I bet. Good luck.

[Tarzan's Jane]

That was a funny read....brought back memories....I hate the little suckers too. I think I can recall every encounter I have ever had with one. My favourite happened about 15 years ago. I was being interviewed to become a foster parent with CAS. It was a nice summer evening and we were outside sitting on the deck when I spotted one flying around. I was answering questions but keeping my eye on it and sure enough it just kept circling and getting closer. Then it flew right at me and I hit the deck....laid there flat on my belly apologizing to the gentleman and telling him that I hate bats. We went inside....I became a foster parent.

 

I just get quite a kick out of hearing others tell the tale.... Good Luck. Is your wife out of bed yet....

[livinisfishin]

Do u have a chimney with no cap leading to a masonry fireplace?

[canuckjack]

Do u have a chimney with no cap leading to a masonry fireplace?

 

We have a chimney for our gas insert and I'm pretty sure it was orinally an open hearth fireplace, there's a cap up top but I'd have to go up on the roof to see if it's a possible access point or if the cap has mesh in it. Could they make their way out of an insert?

[canuckjack]

Once when I opened the table umbrella on the deck, I had a bat fly out and around my head. Freaked me right out, I musta screamed like a little girl. Ever since I've gotten in the habit of opening the umbrella very slowly and getting a good look up inside before cranking it right up.

 

Sucks to have them in the house, I bet. Good luck.

 

Same exact thing happened to my mother in law, apparently it was the scream heard around the globe...her umbrella hasn't been closed since.

 

That was a funny read....brought back memories....I hate the little suckers too. I think I can recall every encounter I have ever had with one. My favourite happened about 15 years ago. I was being interviewed to become a foster parent with CAS. It was a nice summer evening and we were outside sitting on the deck when I spotted one flying around. I was answering questions but keeping my eye on it and sure enough it just kept circling and getting closer. Then it flew right at me and I hit the deck....laid there flat on my belly apologizing to the gentleman and telling him that I hate bats. We went inside....I became a foster parent.

 

I just get quite a kick out of hearing others tell the tale.... Good Luck. Is your wife out of bed yet....

 

Agreed, other people's stories are great The Mrs. is off to work, and she was quite glad to leave, I get to spend my day off dealing with this fun. Need to get it tackled before 5 when my BIL is coming over to go out on the river for another shot at some Pickeral.

[livinisfishin]

Since its a gas insert, u should have an aluminum liner attached to a cap and the other end onto the fireplace. It should be sealed up. There probably isn't mesh around the cap unles someone else put it on. If somethimg were to getinto that cap it would ultimately end up in your fireplace and be trapped and roasted(not fun to clean up). If your cap isn't sealed properly to the chimney itself (via silicone, or screws of some sort) then there could be a corner that is lifting or some kind of hole for a critter to sneak down and then from there they could squeeze through between the trim and the brick. Most likely through a mortar joint where it is not flush to the trim.

[JohnF]

Bats are worthy opponents. A tennis racquet is a great tool to use.

 

JF

[Beans]

Bats are worthy opponents. A tennis racquet is a great tool to use.

 

JF

 

Ya but you gotta have a good backstroke...I nailed one with a 'skeeter zapper as it was flying away from me and knocked it against a wall...My cat grabbed it and ran outside with the dog in persuit...

[Guest Johnny Bass]

All they are is little mice with wings. Don't know how that happened on the evolutionary scale and how cats have reptile eyes! I once hooked one fishing for pickerel at night. It grabbed my jig and twister out of the air. Maybe its all those horror movies as a child, but bats creep me out!

[JohnF]

I had a vacant house for sale one time. Was showing it to a potential buyer and we were standing in the upstairs bathroom. I'm not sure what exactly happened but I reacted to a noise or movement and happened to backhand the biggest damned bat I've ever seen around here. I nailed it perfectly - right into the open toilet. I slammed the lid down while it was swimming. Then we lifted the lid just enuf to see him. He was huge, like a flying rat. The next problem was getting him out. I ended up going for a welding glove, donning it, then feeling around under the lid till I got hold of the critter. Then he was released outside. I didn't mind barehanding little bats when I wuz a kid but somehow it's just lost it's appeal now. They're yucky nasty creatures.

 

JF

[highdrifter]

A broom?? A tennis racket??! You'd still have to get the gloves on...

 

Get the net!!

[alexcba]

LOL! i accidentally knocked one out with my rod casting at night. poor little thing, i grabbed it outta the water and let it rest up on shore.

 

lol you know if your brother in law comes by, and the bat re-appears you guys could re-enact the bat scene from "the great outdoors" lol

[Nemo]

Be very careful handling bats. They are a major source of rabies. If they bite you you will require shots of vaccine.

 

My son came into contact with one at camp and we are now going through the shots. I think there are 10 shots in this protocol.

 

The Public Health Unit tracks these cases closely to ensure no one gets infected.

[Lunatic]

Be very careful handling bats. They are a major source of rabies. If they bite you you will require shots of vaccine.

 

My son came into contact with one at camp and we are now going through the shots. I think there are 10 shots in this protocol.

 

The Public Health Unit tracks these cases closely to ensure no one gets infected.

thats unless you capture the bat first no? cant they test said animal after its killed to see if it has rabies before having to attack humans with needles.

if i ever got bit by a bat id make it my lifes work to hunt it down and kill it to aviod all those needles. i hear they are done thru the navel ouchh

[rylan]

i just bought a house in Aug- 09. The owners never disclosed that there were BATS in the attic- Long story short - I hired a Bat specialist to come and Bat proof the house. This was done by caulk and new flashings( is that how you spell it). It did cost alot of money but I watched the crew do there job. They did not leave any space at all around the WHOLE house. I would say they used about 150 tubes of caulk and about 10 lbs of new flashing. I would strongly suggest that anyone has had or has bats flying in the house to PM me and I will go over what this very pricey procedure. I think I could save alot of time and money getting them out safety ( meaning the bats safety)I mean - you dont want to kill them in the house or trap them in. Two reasons, 1. they will find another way out- they will travel all over behind the walls and causing more damage. 2. They will die in the walls creating a NASTY smell. Trust me- I am now finding dead bats in the attic and outside where they were getting in.

 

So - after a long battle in court I did get money out of the sellers as they were clearly in the wrong-

 

I would be more then happy to talk with anyone going through this mess- It is very clear in my mind as I just got money this week.

[Nemo]

If you retreive the bat they test it for Rabies but this takes a few days. So as a precaution you will most likely receive the first few shots. If you can't positively ID the bat you get them all.

 

The shots are no longer in the stomach. They are intramuscualar and the vaccine is very viscous so they hurt.

[canuckjack]

I am loving the replies, good to know this happens in some form to just about everyone.

 

I've talked to all kinds of people today about this problem. One of those was my Dr. and he told me that the idea that you won't feel or notice a bat bite is a myth, he says no question you'll feel it and see the resulting bite. No rabies shot needed today.

 

Talked with a company in o-town that will do basically what monsterman described but not until mid-August once the babies can fly and the cost is high, too high for this Dutch boy. So instead of that I have a local pest control company coming out tomorrow morning to investigate and tell me what needs doing to keep them out.

 

I put a bunch of screening in place today to hopefully keep them out of the house and keep them from getting through the upstairs cold air return vents so we wake up in a more pleasant way tomorrow.

 

Fingers crossed

[rylan]

http://www.batconservation.org/content/Batproblems.html

 

http://www.howtogetridofbat.com/

 

http://www.batcontrolspecialists.com/articles.htm

 

 

 

This is the company I used ( the last link- bat control )

[esoxansteel]

Bats are protected right now as they are mammels and the young feed off the mother, wait till the first week of september to do any control measures, what you can do is go out just before dusk with at least 4 to 6 people to cover the house and estimate the amount that come out of the house, and determine which exit hole has the most activity, you can do this before sept (lets call it prefishin) when sept comes around determine the amount of exterior caulk or flashing or sealing materials you will need to seal all the holes except one(which was the most active one determined from prefishin) once that is complete, you take a tube sock and cut the toe out of the end and place and secure the tube sock over the last hole, all this work can be done during the day when the bats are inside, with the tube sock secure to the last hole and hangin down, you are complete and waiting for dusk for the bats to come through the sock, once all the bats have come out, they will not be able to come back as the tube sock will hang down again and bats do not have the ability to fly back up a limp or hanging sock, you can leave the sock up for a few days to make sure they are all out, then remove the sock and fill the last hole where the sock was, bats can get through a gap the size of a pencil, you will likely see them around for a few days after try to get back in, but if you have sealed everything up they will have no way back in, for larger gaps foam backer rod which looks like the foam you use for wrapping water pipes without the hole in the middle works great, hope this helps, and yes im an exterminator for the past 28 years so you dont have to wait for the call from the exterminator and the price which will be expensive, if you encounter them in the LIVING QUARTERS of your home you can get rid of them at any time as some bats can carry rabies, but atticks flashing or exterior work must wait till the young have weaned off the females, doing it yourself will likely save you at least 800 to 1000 without even seeing your home hope this helps would have pm you but if any other people are having issues this should help

[vinnimon]

Thanks for the laugh,Kinda reminds of john candy in one of his movies with the fishing net.I did have a hoot with a bud once,night fishing for bass in algonquin.He screamed like a school girl in the canoe.TOO FRIGGEN FUNNY!

[pike n' whities]

I was outside BBQ'ing a week ago and I went to go inside and I heard this screeching/clicking sound. So I took my hand off the door handle and looked around to see what was up. come back to the door 5 mins later and hear the same thing. I have a little concrete pad just outside the door with a roof attached to the house and beside the door is a corner. I looked in the top part of the corner and slowly made my way down then BAM! a bat clinging to the bricks looking at me with its mouth open as if it was ready to bite. scared the crap outta me of course. my hand when it was on the handle was all of about 1-2 cm away from the damn thing.... I grabbed a broom and that didnt work. yea, I panicked a bit and grabbed my bb gun. quick death followed by a burial. not the way I wanted it to go but that was the first time I ever got put into that situation. now I know for next time to just put a glove on.