The bat wasn't rabid.

[trof]

What bat?

The one my daughter trapped on her sun porch Saturday.

Four years ago they had a bat in the house and hired a company to "bat-proof" the place.
Evidently they missed a spot.
She saw it on the porch and closed the doors, stuffed towels at the threshold.
Called the bat gitters.

A lady came out an hour later (prompt!) and netted the bat.
Gotta test it for rabies and it has to be dead for the test.

So she drowned the damn thing in a coffee can in my daughter's kitchen!
My daughter was a bit put off by that.
Said it 'chittered' for a few minutes and then went silent.
Her 4 year old says "Mommy, what's my bat buddy doing?"
He had bonded.
"Um...it's getting a drink of water."
"Oh."

I think the bat lady could have done that in the back yard, or in the truck, or even back at the office.
:eyes:

[flvegan]

1. Uh, did the bat bite anyone? Why "gotta test" for rabies?

Is there a quarantine or something around there?

Personally, I can understand the worry about rabies, however, dispensing ANY animal via drowning is cruel when there are other methods available, especially in the customer's kitchen.

[trof]

3. No bites that we know of.

Apparently it's sop to test bats captured in houses.
I'm not unhappy about the execution.
Just the time and place.

[MissB]

8. Bat can bite people in their sleep without waking them up.

[xchrom]

14. not unless they are bloodsuckers.

and i'm not even sure there are any of those north say of south texas.

[Elidor]

2. Why test it if no one has been bitten?

I don't understand.

At the risk of sounding corny - but no, I like to sound corny - bats are our friends. I've been around thousands of them with no trouble. We're a far greater threat to them than they are to us.

[trof]

4. 1. They have a cat.

2. They have a 4 year old. You don't want to hear, at bedtime, "Mommy, my finger hurts."
3. Some bats can inflict wounds that aren't noticed or might be mistaken for mosquito bites, spider bites, etc.

[Elidor]

6. Ah, yes, a sensible precaution

Poor little guy, tho. My nephew is terrified of them and thinks they have wingspans of 2 feet and love to eat small boys. But they're so cute and delicate. And tiny. And frail.

[xmas74]

9. My six year old loves bats.

She is constantly picking out new books to read about bats and has been begging to build a bathouse for the backyard.

She's also nagging me about wanting one as a pet.

[AlienGirl]

15. Bats aren't legal for private ownership in the US

Which is a shame, because fruit bats and flying foxes are kept as pets in their native ranges. To have bats in the US one must be an educational or research institution or a zoo.

Tucker

[xmas74]

16. We've discussed that.

We had a park ranger explain it to her.

She's only six so she doesn't quite understand it. She just wants a house full of pets. She's especially fascinated with bats for some reason. She says that it can fly around her room at night while she's sleeping.

[AlienGirl]

17. Well, then there's only one thing to do!

Start a Bat Educational Society, get yourself permitted, and get a fruit bat! :D

Tucker

[xmas74]

18. Let's not bring that idea up to her.

The dog and cat are enough, along w/ the various frogs and turtles that she's caught.

[AlienGirl]

19. What, she hasn't started bringing in voles, mice, or shrews yet?

Does she need one of these?


http://www.havahart.com/store/product.asp?dept%5Fid=46&pf%5Fid=1020&mscssid=J8VVSXBK111J9MJTS09TSGJSVJRXFSU5

Tucker (the enabler)

[xmas74]

20. She wants a rat.

And she'd love one of those so she won't be seeing this thread any time in the near future.

[AlienGirl]

21. Rats are fun!

Seriously, rats are very friendly and can be litterbox-trained and learn tricks like a dog. The drawback is they only live a few years (2 or 3 for pet-store rats, show rats sometimes hit 4 or 5).

Tucker

[xmas74]

22. I don't want one w/ a cat around.

I'm afraid she'll leave the cage open one night...

I really don't want to mess w/ a crying six year old.

[AlienGirl]

23. Depends on the rat and the cat

The last rat I had loved tormenting cats. He would chase my roommate's cat around the apartment and try to grab her tail. The cat, not having ever hunted rodents, had no idea she was not supposed to be scared of the rat.

I have seen video of a cat and a mouse who are friends playing tag. That was really amazing because the cat had to override an instinct to kill whatever is small, moves away fast, and gets chased.

Tucker

[trof]

5. I agree about bats.

They're great bug getters.
I'd put up a bat house if Miz t. would go along with it.
But, like poisonous snakes, once they get in the house it's a whole 'nuther ball game.

[Cannikin]

7. I'm glad shes ok, but its a shame an animal had to be cruelly put to death

Especially since it turned out healthy in the end

[flaminbats]

10. what did you call me?

don't worry, I've had my rabies shot.....I think!

but don't make me bite..:evilgrin:

[LisaM]

11. Accordingly to my FIL, who was an MD in public health for years,

you can tell a rabid bat by the way it flies. I don't like bats and freak out when I see them. He would just calmly look at it and say, "I don't observe any unusual or erratic flying patterns" and we would all stop worrying about rabies (same thing once with a squirrel; a friend was freaking out from one he'd been feeding biting him, and he just asked how it was acting and didn't seem concerned in the least!)

[AlienGirl]

13. Squirrels and other rodents are not likely to have rabies

Because rodents are so small, any bite that would transmit rabies to them is almost certain to kill them; and unlike bats, they are not in contact with aerosolized saliva. Rodent-to-human transmission of rabies has not happened in the US. Groundhogs are more likely to catch rabies than other rodents because they are bigger.

The most common rabies vectors in the United States are, in order: raccoons, skunks, bats, foxes, cats, and dogs.

Tucker

[gkdmaths]

12. oh, thats wrong as hell

Was the 'exterminator' a professional? If so, there are laws regarding the humane treatment and euthanasia of animals. As a researcher I am constantly observed and put under the scruitiny of both a licensed vet and an Animal Welfare Review Comittee.

If she was a professional, she may have violated some legal/ethical guidelines governing her conduct.

I would lodge a complaint asap. This behavior is totally inappropriate! a mL of pentobarb or ketamine would have been the right thing to do, humane quick and efficient.

[trof]

24. Nope, some amateur they selected randomly from the phone book.

Oh god.
I'm sorry.
I apologize, really.
:-)
But it was just too good a straight line to pass up.
I'd have to assume that if they're listed in the yellow pages as exterminators and that they deal wiht bats (which is the case) that they are "professionals".

I totally agree that the method, time, and place of execution was crude, rude, grossly unfeeling (for the bat AND the observers), and completely uncalled for.

[gkdmaths]

25. ugh

It is perfectly conceivable that the neighbor just 'knew somebody', or something.

Ive kind of become very sensitive to the way an animal is euthanized, especially since it has become me performing the task.

;)