Bat House Forum

[yuvallahav]

Hello.
My name is Yuval, I live just outside of Rome, Italy (not Italian, btw, just married one...), and I found half an hour ago a small bat on my doorstep.
Touching it to see if it was a live, it moved, tried to fly, couldn't, and rested on the ground. I picked it up, very very carefully of course, and it started climbing on my arm and shirt, looking very lively, where every once in a while he tried again to fly away but dropped to the ground.
I know this isn't a pet keeping forum, but it's first "professional" looking forum I found.
What can I do with the little guy?? I mean, I had many pats before, I have a cat and a dog right now, in and out of the house (we have a closed off garden), I can't just leave the bat outside if it can't fly (wings are looking perfect, not torn), since, one, it can't eat, second, my cat will probably get him and eat him, it's 22:50 now, so can't call my vet, what should I do??!!
this is an picture I found that looks just like the bat I found, and since it's from an Italian (Roman) site talking about bats houses being installed all around and inside Rome so the bats will eat the mosquitoes, I guess it's the same kind of bat.

THIS IS NOT ME HOLDING THE BAT LIKE THIS, IT'S A PICTURE I GOOGLED ONLINE!!

I would appreciate any help you guys can offer.

thanks.

Yuval Lahav.

[Erik]

Hi Yuval,

very good that you are trying to help this bat!

First things to do to keep the bat secure: Put him / her in a shoebox or some other box, which it can't escape from. Put some holes in the top of the box for air.
Take a lid from a jar or a small saucer. Take some tissue paper or toilet paper. Make a ball of it and soak it in water. Put the lid or saucer in a corner of the box with the soaked paper on it. Then the bat can drink from the water, without the risk of falling in the water and drowning.
Put the box in safe place (safe from cats), preferably a cool place (15-20 C) , like a cellar or something. But not to cool , not in a fridge or something!
Bats adapt their body temperature to the surrounding temperature, and in a cool place they will safe energy.
My Italian is not that good, but some first aid migth be in this document: http://fauna.dipbsf.uninsubria.it/chiroptera/primo_soccorso.pdf

Next you try to contact someone in Rome or the Rome area that is specialised in dealing with weak or injured bats. I'm from the Netherlands, but I have been in Italy for Bat Research once, and I once made an overview of bat conservation organisations in European Countries. I don't know if the information is up to date, but I will give it a try. My best guess is to call the:

Il Centro Recupero Fauna Selvatica
Via Aldrovandi 2
(angolo viale Belle Arti) a Villa Borghese.
Tel. 06/3201912
http://www.crfslipuroma.it/

Don't be afraid to call them late at night. Most wildlife is found at night, so they should be "open".

If the address above is wrong, then maybe this website can give you the right information:
http://fauna.dipbsf.uninsubria.it/chiroptera/.

Good luck and please let us now the outcome!

greetings,

Erik

[Joe Spencer]

Excellent information Erik! Great protocol to follow to avoid dehydration and fat burning until help arrives. Hope we hear back from this gentleman.

[yuvallahav]

This gentleman is back but sorry it took me so much time, but 2 baby kids, a wife, a dog, a cat, a full time job, a WoW account, and living in a country which is not your own took their toll on me and my mind, and I compleatly forgot to report back.
I called the people at the center in Villa Borghese, talked to them, as most "official" Italians I talked to in the past, they were compleatly unfriendly and a little rude, even though I called in normal working hours... but hey, it's the way of life here, I guess...
To make a long story short, they told me to drive right to them with the bat, but since I was at work in the city, and the bad was at home, outside the city, that was not possible.
At that evening, as I've read on a site, and also here, I'm sure, I tryed to set the bat free, and what do you know!! after a couple of failed attampts, the little guy took wings and flew away
I guess that like the rest of my family (animals included), he was just a little tierd, and maybe a little lazy too
Again, sorry it took me some time to get back to report, good thing I checked the mail notification, or else who knows when I was going to come back if at all...

Thanks again for all your help!

Yuval Lahav, B.R.U. (bat rescue unlimited...).