Bat House Forum

[cloudman75]

 


 

I just put this house up so the 93 little browns total I have now in two other houses can look it over. This one has no vents, is darker on top portion, and is about 24 inches tall x 14 inches wide with 5 total chambers. My thoughts were to provide a not too large warm maternity house for the bats in April when they arrive to have pups. They did not like the large 5 chamber I have for pups and moved them. They later moved into a smaller house next to the large house and stayed with their pups until they were flying OK. Then most moved back to the large house where they are now. I think the large house was just too cold for the pups and they moved to the smaller one. I was beginning to think the large house had too many parasites or maybe a predator. However they sure like it now. This new house mounted about 20 ft from the other two houses will give the larger colony (I hope) a temporary warm maternity house warm enough and large enough for them until the weather warms. It has a one inch space above the baffles to allow the pups to move back and forth without going down below. I used screening to help them hold on. It has a calked ceiling, then a top over that with roofing shingles on the roof to keep it dry. It has three coats of exterior latex on bottom plus a dark coat of exterior latex enamel on top. It was built from left over materials from my storage house project. Exterior siding, all baffles but one are plywood, one is aspenite sheathing. It weighs about 20 pounds It has one 1 inch spaced baffle and the rest are 5/8 inch as measured. I wanted them to be 3/4 inch spacing but missed it an eigth as measured. The one inch chamber is for birthing. The house is 20 ft up on metal pole. The pole is junk one aluminum, one a steel fence toprail clamped together to make it ridgid enough.

I am hoping some bats will move into it right away, but they seem to have their

own preferences.

  

[cloudman75]

 

Other two houses with 93 bats total bats

 

[Terry Lobdell]

Cloudman, that is interesting about the birthing chamber.........I've never thought about that.........I'll look forward to hearing how this design turns out for you!

[cloudman75]

Terry,

I have watched the bats using the chamber at the back with the landing attached to have pups in one house located above my carport.  They actually do hang upright as I had read and  also come down near the bottom so they can catch the pups. I watched several go through this a few years back. That's why I gave them a little extra room on the rear chamber. The bat house was only about 10 ft above the carport  driveway so I could see them in the daylight as the overhang of the roof blocked the sun. I'll share the news if they visit the house this year. I watched them exit tonight and they had to avoid the new addition to their bat space. I have a very understanding wife with three houses at our sundeck location. I have placed a white plastic garbage bag under the house so I can easily see any droppings. If you click on the photos do they enlarge? I'm still trying to learn to post them.

[Terry Lobdell]

Cloudman, yes they do enlarge.........I am going to have to watch my colonies next year to find out exactly when and where they are giving birth. This year I pinpointed when both my little browns and big browns began flying. It will be interesting next year to find if  my bats prefer certain bat houses to give birth in.