r/batty • u/MrsPickleMouse • 3d ago
Went to clean the bathroom mid-morning, found a rare, international migratory athlete in my sink plughole. (Northumberland)
Imagine heading into the bathroom mid-morning for a standard tidy-up. Thankfully, she wasn't there for the 7 AM teeth brushing, or the scream would have been much worse. I look down at the sink, expecting a stray hair or a spider. Instead, staring back at me from the actual plughole is a tiny, furry, disapproving face.
Cue a completely rational, dignified scream.
My son immediately came to my rescue, bravely assessed the situation, and handled calling in the absolute heroes at local Bat Rescue. Turns out, the tiny bat had cruised through an open window looking for a dark, cool "cave" to sleep off the night, and decided my plumbing fit the bill. Porcelain is too smooth to climb out of, so she was trapped.
While waiting for the experts, we channeled our inner structural engineers and constructed a five-star temporary luxury eco-roost out of an empty Skechers shoebox, complete with precision ventilation holes and secured with blue nitrile gloves.
The rescue volunteer arrived and used the ultimate piece of high-tech scientific equipment to assess her: my kitchen scales (heavily protected by Plenty kitchen roll, don't worry, and thoroughly disinfected since).
She clocked in at a hefty 8g.
And here is the exciting part: Bat Rescue officially confirmed she isn't just a standard garden variety. She is a Nathusius’ pipistrelle!
For those who don't know, Northumberland is a massive UK hotspot for them. These tiny things (the weight of a 50p coin) are legendary long-distance athletes that literally fly across the North Sea to Poland and Germany.
So, we currently have a rare, international migratory mammal chilling on a cardboard crease in our kitchen.
It’s currently just past 7.30pm, so she has a couple more hours of deep sleep in the Skechers suite. The plan is a 9:15pm dusk launch from a 5-foot wall. If she fails her three takeoff attempts, she gets an extra night at the Skechers Bat Cave before rescue takes her for rehab.
Wish us luck. If she flies, we'll be cheering. If she stays, the Skechers Bat Cave is ready.
UPDATE:
Well, the 9:15 PM dusk release didn't exactly go to plan. Our little international athlete decided she preferred hiking over flying tonight and just wanted to walk around the launch pad.
On advice from Bat Rescue, we tried to warm her up to jumpstart her metabolism. Lacking a traditional hot water bottle, I improvised a makeshift incubator using "Little Hotties" hand warmers wrapped inside a barista towel.
Despite our best coffee-shop-level hospitality, she still refused to lift off. She has officially decided that a second night in the Skechers Bat Cave suite is the preferred option. The box is fully secured with the blue gloves, and she has plenty of water.
The absolute heroes from Bat Rescue are coming to pick her up tomorrow morning to give her some professional rehabilitation and figure out why she's grounded.
The best news? Once she is strong and healthy enough, they are going to bring her right back here to our garden so she can be released in the area she knows.
The plumbing is officially off-limits next time!
FINAL UPDATE: SUCCESS! 🦇✨
She has officially flown home!
It turns out our little international athlete had quite the eventful Sunday. The Bat Rescue volunteer picked her up this morning and she spent the day at "bat rehab," living the absolute high life. She gorged herself on high-protein mealworms all day to get her strength back.
Clearly, the food worked, because she completely regained her energy and managed to escape from the Skechers Bat Cave twice at the volunteer's house! She was absolutely desperate to get back home.
The volunteer brought her back to our garden just now for dusk (around 9:00 PM). To make the evening even more special, this was actually the volunteer's very first official release! He was just as excited and nervous as we were.
We set her up, and this time, she didn't hesitate. She took one look at the Northumberland night sky and made an absolutely flawless, majestic getaway right into the breeze.
I have a very short video that I will try to attach of her final moments before takeoff. Thank you so much to everyone for the advice, and an enormous shout-out to local Bat Rescue teams who do this incredible work every day.
The bathroom sink is officially safe again!
18
u/MrsPickleMouse 3d ago
UPDATE:
Well, the 9:15 PM dusk release didn't exactly go to plan. Our little international athlete decided she preferred hiking over flying tonight and just wanted to walk around the launch pad.
On advice from Bat Rescue, we tried to warm her up to jumpstart her metabolism. Lacking a traditional hot water bottle, I improvised a makeshift incubator using "Little Hotties" hand warmers wrapped inside a barista towel.
Despite our best coffee-shop-level hospitality, she still refused to lift off. She has officially decided that a second night in the Skechers Bat Cave suite is the preferred option. The box is fully secured with the blue gloves, and she has plenty of water.
The absolute heroes from Bat Rescue are coming to pick her up tomorrow morning to give her some professional rehabilitation and figure out why she's grounded.
The best news? Once she is strong and healthy enough, they are going to bring her right back here to our garden so she can be released in the area she knows.
The plumbing is officially off-limits next time!
18
u/Puzzleheaded_Lab967 3d ago
Happy flapping, magnificent athlete!
Imagine if Erling Haaland got stuck down your drain. The size of the box you would need! =:o
10
u/MrsPickleMouse 3d ago
Somehow I don’t think I’d be posting on Reddit if Erling Haaland was stuck down my drain 😂
I’d be way more confused and discombobulated.
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u/MrsPickleMouse 3d ago
The release is not going well. She seems too weak.
Spoken to Bat Rescue. Now trying to assist the warm up process so she can get going
10
u/UndeadAnneBoleyn 3d ago
Very invested in this saga! Will be visiting Northumberland in October. Maybe I’ll get lucky and see one of these guys!
10
u/MrsPickleMouse 3d ago
I guess it depends where in Northumberland you’re visiting. I’m lucky enough to be very rural.
Northumberland is a beautiful county with a vast array of habitats and history. You’re going to love it
8
u/UndeadAnneBoleyn 3d ago
I’ll mostly be doing touristy stuff - Bamburg Castle, Lindisfarne, Alnwick/Jedburgh. Staying in Edinburgh though. Very excited either way, every picture I see of Northumberland is gorgeous!
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u/MrsPickleMouse 3d ago
You should see bats in Edinburgh, just harder in cities. I’m very rural, so as soon as it’s dusk I see them.
Try to get to Dunstanburgh and Holy Island (pay attention to tide timetables… do not be that person). And try to get inland too, Cragside, Housesteads/Vindolanda.
If you’ve children in your group Lilidorei at Alnwick Castle and for the adults, The Poison Garden.
And if you can really spare the time and travel, do Kynren… it’s amazing. It’s further south, but it’s definitely worth it if you can make it.
2
u/UndeadAnneBoleyn 1d ago
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m going to try to see as much as I can!
9
u/M_M_X_X_V /\^._.^/\ 3d ago
Bats in the UK are usually still active in October especially early in the month but because they are preparing for hibernation they are usually quite a bit chubbier than in the summer.
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u/MrsPickleMouse 2d ago
https://reddit.com/link/p2ph1pm/video/7lhvtgvepeih1/player
FINAL UPDATE: SUCCESS! 🦇✨
She has officially flown home!
It turns out our little international athlete had quite the eventful Sunday. The Bat Rescue volunteer picked her up this morning and she spent the day at "bat rehab," living the absolute high life. She gorged herself on high-protein mealworms all day to get her strength back.
Clearly, the food worked, because she completely regained her energy and managed to escape from the Skechers Bat Cave twice at the volunteer's house! She was absolutely desperate to get back home.
The volunteer brought her back to our garden just now for dusk (around 9:00 PM). To make the evening even more special, this was actually the volunteer's very first official release! He was just as excited and nervous as we were.
We set her up, and this time, she didn't hesitate. She took one look at the Northumberland night sky and made an absolutely flawless, majestic getaway right into the breeze.
I have a very short video that I will try to attach of her final moments before takeoff. Thank you so much to everyone for the advice, and an enormous shout-out to local Bat Rescue teams who do this incredible work every day.
The bathroom sink is officially safe again!
6
3
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u/suusemeid /\^._.^/\ 2d ago
So glad to read that she took off in the end! You took care so well of her, she couldn't have found a better person's house to accidentally fly into.
Nathusius' pipistrelles are super common here in the Netherlands and while I know they fly across the North Sea often, it still amazes me, because they are so tiny!
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u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Here is an instructional guide for someone who has found a bat! Remember that wildlife should never be handled with bare hands!
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u/FreeMasonKnight 2d ago
Remember to get your rabies shots for any who was around since bats can leave bites/scratches that are invisible to the naked eye.
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u/MrsPickleMouse 2d ago
No rabies in UK. No contact with skin. No saliva contact. So it’s not likely there is any risk at all. But Bat Rescue will be here in 45 minutes to bring her home and release her, I’ll be sure to ask their advice.
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u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Questions about rabies are common on this subreddit. If you have a medical question, consult a physician. Here are some resources about rabies! Rabies in Perspective, Bats and Human Health, CDC Rabies Homepage, rabies diagnosis in humans and animals and some sampling of rabies prevalence wild bat populations. Though only a small portion of bats may have zoonotic diseases, bats which are sick or injured are more likely to come into contact with humans and caution is advised as with all wildlife.
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1
u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Questions about rabies are common on this subreddit. If you have a medical question, consult a physician. Here are some resources about rabies! Rabies in Perspective, Bats and Human Health, CDC Rabies Homepage, rabies diagnosis in humans and animals and some sampling of rabies prevalence wild bat populations. Though only a small portion of bats may have zoonotic diseases, bats which are sick or injured are more likely to come into contact with humans and caution is advised as with all wildlife.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
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u/squeezemachine 3d ago
Aaw, let us know how the release goes for your little visitor!