Rabid bats biting during the night....

nappy · #1 07/31/08, 06:45 PM

The reason I ask is that a bat was flying around our bedroom at 3:15 am when we got up for DH's work today. I'm not afraid of bats in general but there have been recent reports of rabid bats being found in my county, one had bitten someone. Could a bat bite a person without them being aware of the bite? We couldn't locate the bat after it was flying in other rooms. Should we be nervous about going to sleep tonight or should we sleep with the lights on?

Thank you for any input.

Nappy

BaronsMom · #2 07/31/08, 06:48 PM

I'm wouldn't panic - but it is possible to have a bat bite without even knowing you were biten if sleeping.

Nebraska has changed their protocols for dealing with bats found in homes - and has adopted new recommended protocol for handling potential bat-human exposures.

Assume a person was bitten if:

1. He/she awakens to find a bat in the room;

2. A bat is found in the room with someone unable to communicate well (i.e. children, intoxicated or otherwise mentally impaired);

3. The bat made contact with a person.

In these situations, do not release the bat. Take care not to damage the bat’s head (no tennis racquets, please). Contact local health officials to determine where the bat needs to be sent for rabies testing. If the bat is not found within a couple of hours, consult health professionals about needed treatment.

Sources: Bats in and around homes - Univ of Nebraska-Lincoln
http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/...licationId=654

longshadowfarms · #3 07/31/08, 07:00 PM

Yup. My dr brother and dr SIL went through this a few years ago - woke up with a bat flying around the room. Had to assume they had been in contact and go through all the shots. When it happened to my son recently we knew the stakes and knew what to do. He's been through 4 of the 5 rounds of shots now. The last will be in another week. The shots have not bothered him at all and they didn't bother my brother either. My SIL was pretty sore from them though. Our local health dept covers anything our insurance does not (including any and all deductibles). Call your local health dept and see what they say. This is the second time we've had to call - both times were because of actions by this same child (insert eye rolling emoticon here). Sigh.

nappy · #4 07/31/08, 07:16 PM

Thank you for replying so quickly. DH has gone to bed already....he doesn't seem too worried about it but I am. I copied the info. in that website so I'll know what to do if the bat comes out again tonight.

Nappy

Common Tator · #5 07/31/08, 07:55 PM

Remember those old fashioned sticky fly ribbon traps? I caught a bat on one of those. That is how the bathroom became the batroom!

If you still think a bat is in the house, you may want to put several up around the house. It is a way of catching them without touching them.

patience · #6 07/31/08, 08:46 PM

We are going through a round of shots now because we woke up to a bat flying over our bed. Health Dept. said they had to assume we had been bitten and had to get the shots. We get to go tomorrow and then next Friday will be our last shot. I'll be so glad when they are over.

Rocky Fields · #7 07/31/08, 09:34 PM

Hey.

Chances are very slight to be bitten. Bats avoid humans using their hearing. They're not on a hidden agenda to bite you.

RF

naturewoman · #8 07/31/08, 09:43 PM

RF, I agree with you...however, a bat flying in your house that is rabid just may be on such an agenda.

I don't worry about them here because my cats bring them in, or they get in a small opening I haven't figured out a way to close up yet (while looking for a place to roost) and we don't have a problem with rabid bats here...so I assume it's just accidental and they are safe. But, if you live in an area having problems with rabid bats, it's probably better to play it safe.

And if you are just terrified and will be worried sick over it, it's still probably better to be safe and put your mind at ease.

I wait till my flying bats land, and then pick them up with a dishcloth and release them outside. Haven't gotten rabies yet. I doubt one could bite me at night anyway, as I have too many cats sleeping on my bed.

mylala · #9 07/31/08, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky Fields

Hey.

Chances are very slight to be bitten. Bats avoid humans using their hearing. They're not on a hidden agenda to bite you.

RF

This may be true of a healthy bat, but IF it was rabid it would not typically respond as a healthy bat would. The slight chance of being bitten equals 99.9999% dead if the bat has bitten and was rabid. Why chance it?

foxtrapper · #10 08/01/08, 06:40 AM

Were it me, I'd catch the bat and send it to the lab for testing. Then you'd know.

sugarbush · #11 08/01/08, 06:58 AM

It is very rare for a bat to carry rabies because it would be very rare for it to come in contact with another animal that was infected. The nature of the bat to fly by night and sleep from the ceiling all day makes it very hard for a rabid coon or fox to get to it..... I would question any reports of rabid bats unless the report was straight from the health dept or CDC. There have been a few cases, but I would not be freaking out over it.

http://www.cdc.gov/RABIES/bats.html

shagerman · #12 08/01/08, 07:16 AM

i hate bats.. here a bout a year ago i had one land on my chest when i was sleeping scared the ---- out of me. i threw the cover back which made it hit a wall. and dh got the ---- kicked literally out of him. he got up turned a lite on scooped him up with a bowl and piece of cardboard. and out the door he went, how he got in i know but haven't got it fixed. i wont go in the attic, and i just plain hate them.

BaronsMom · #13 08/01/08, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sugarbush

It is very rare for a bat to carry rabies because it would be very rare for it to come in contact with another animal that was infected. The nature of the bat to fly by night and sleep from the ceiling all day makes it very hard for a rabid coon or fox to get to it..... I would question any reports of rabid bats unless the report was straight from the health dept or CDC. There have been a few cases, but I would not be freaking out over it.

http://www.cdc.gov/RABIES/bats.html

But, it also isn't worth taking a risk. So better to follow the local Health Department protocols just to be sure.

Personally, I like bats - don't want them in the house, but they are VERY beneficial.

Jena · #14 08/01/08, 08:52 AM

Wow. I had a bat bite me on the head while I was riding my bike. I swear! I was riding, saw the bat flitting around, didn't think anything of it, then a little prick on my head. I honestly wasn't sure if it bit me or just pulled a hair....

I thought it strange, but didn't even give it another thought as far as possible rabies. Guess it wasn't rabid, because I'm still here...

Jena

suzfromWi · #15 08/01/08, 09:50 AM

Man, so many of you with Bats in your houses...Ewwww. Close up them thar holes people......Oh and the snake holes too. Double ewwwwwwww.

Common Tator · #16 08/01/08, 10:05 AM

I actually like bats! They eat bugs, and with a pond near the house we have plenty of mosquitos. At dusk the mosquitos and other bugs head for our bug zapper, but they never get zapped because the bats come out in force and eat up every bug in the area before it can get to the zapper!

Bats are useful and beneficial. I actually intend to put up a couple of bat houses to attract more.

Our apple orchard is organic. No pesticieds, and we have a problem with coddlin moths. some of the bugs being eaten by the bats are coddlin moths. Since we put up the bug zapper light and observed the increased bat activity, we have had less coddlin moth damage to our crops.

lickcreek · #17 08/01/08, 11:01 AM

How do you find out what areas are having rabid bat problems? We raised/closed the hay loft door at my Mom's over the 4th of July weekend after cleaning up the barn yard. It hadn't been put up for over 20 years. DH and the guys that helped said there were over 500 bats under that door!! The sky went black when they started lifting the door.

Now, I am doubting that anyone got bit in the flurry of flight, and if they were rabid, we would have probably known by now if they had, being that it has been almost a month ago. But still, that's a lot of bats to 'relocate', probably into the interior of the barn. And she is renting it out to the neighbors for his horses... so I'm just thinking...

Anyway, we are in SE Iowa. Is there a problem here? Where would I go to find out?

shagerman · #18 08/01/08, 11:02 AM

common tator. you can have mine. then i can fix the holes and get back to living without the fear of another one landing on me,

bgraham · #19 08/01/08, 11:14 AM

I would definately catch the bat and have it tested if possible.

If not, I would assume the worst and get treated just in case.

Though a rabid bat bite is unlikely, if it is and you don't get treated there is a 99.9% chance you won't survive.

Beth

Maura · #20 08/01/08, 11:34 AM

Go to www.batcon.org They have a page on rabies.

Bats aren't really attracted to large animals like people; they prefer mosquitos and other flying insects. It's also extremely rare to get rabies from a bat even if one bit you. However, if the health dept in your area considers bats in the house to be a danger, I'd follow their advice.

There is an illness that is affecting bats and killing them. If you see a downed bat (very small, looks like a mouse with tucked in wings) it's probably sick.