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it's time for another exciting round of What Would You Do?

lets just say you had not one, but two, bats sequestered into a corner of a "built in" area in your toddler's playroom, which is a recessed cedar space that I suppose might be used to put in an entertainment center if you're into that sort of thing. they are wedged in the corner of a space that's only about 18 inches wide and they are about 8 feet off the ground, so even if you're tall it's still a bit of a stretch to get to them and since the space is so narrow it seems likely that they will GET TANGLED IN YOUR HAIR!

so, smarty pants, how do you get them out while minimizing trauma to yourself and the bats ( i.e. any solution that involves smeared bat guts on the inside of the space is not an option :-) ). oh, and they seem pretty content to sit where they are, so just banging on the wall isn't an option.

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8/07/2006 10:01:00 PM 8 comments

8 Comments:

I think I might make use of a step ladder and a small trash can to get them out. I would also invest in making sure their way back in is blocked as they most assurredly have one (chimney? broken window? hole in eves?)

Good luck,
Rena

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:52 AM  

yeah, they certainly have a way in! we discovered many/most are in the chimney, so we've blocked that off. and i think these two might have crawled through the small opening between the sashes of screen-less window with an air conditioning unit. we're learning that they can crawl through some mighty small spaces!

By Blogger e3, at 9:03 AM  

A quick google of "Wisconsin Bat Removal" brought up Wisconsin Bat Specialists in Waterford...are you near there?

This referreal comes from Bat Conservation International, so you can be sure they'll be kind to your bats.

The website also has this handy do-it-yourself guide to bat exclusion:
http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=51&idSubPage=48

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 9:24 AM  

lee: " A quick google of "Wisconsin Bat Removal" brought up Wisconsin Bat Specialists in Waterford...are you near there?"

only about 216 miles :-) thanks for the link! their recommendation of using a box to cover the bats and slipping a piece of cardboard underneath would have worked well in this case, if only i had those things lying around...

By Blogger e3, at 9:35 AM  

What about a large fishing net? The pole should be long enough to reach.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:59 PM  

anonymous: "What about a large fishing net? The pole should be long enough to reach."

a large fishing net was too big to get into the corner without leaving gaps wide enough between the net frame and the wall to fly through. so, i procured a butterfly net which was small enough and flexible enough to wedge into the corner and cover the bats, covered the opening of the net with a tennis racket, walked them outside and tossed the bats and net as far as i could and ran in the opposite direction while trying not to scream like a school girl.

By Blogger e3, at 4:28 PM  

barbandmark: "Eric, I think it's time to call in some experts. We had bats in our home in Goodrich and my parents sealed the top peaks at both ends of the roof line. The next day there were about a hundred bats hanging on the side of our house since they couldn't get in."

that's actually what we're afraid of! i don't mind if they hang out in the chimney until they leave for warmer climes in october or november and i'm afraid if we smoke them out of the chimney and cap it that they'll just come back and try and get in by whatver means necessary. although it might not seem that way, i think we're having some success closing off the obvious openings ( such as the firesplace that is lacking a flue/damper ). if we can keep them out of the house then i think we'll wait until late fall to do a thorough bat-proofing ( it's an old house and there's lots of spaces in the roof soffits that i'm sure the bats could crawl into ).

By Blogger e3, at 11:10 PM  

Just a friendly reminder that bats can be carriers of rabies. Most ppl who are bitten by bats don't ever remember being bit. Please have animal control or bat experts remove the bats and submit them for rabies testing by your state health dept. If any are positive, you should probably undergo rabies treatment if you came into physical contact with them. Not to scare you, but it's been a busy year all over for rabies. Just better safe than sorry.

Good luck from your friendly microbiologist from Colorado.... :) Joyce

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:10 PM  

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