The only time, lately, I can take my dog for a walk is at 5am. I live in a heavly wooded area and bats are constantly flying around my head. I hate it, but my dog looooves her walks. Are bats vicious? Will they attack me? I heard that bats attack animals. Should I be scared or am I being a baby?
2007-05-10 09:29:16 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
You're not being a baby, just someone who doesn't know about bats!
Bats are not 'vicious'. They feed on insects, they're not interested in you. They might swoop a bit close sometimes while they're chasing insects.
Bats don't 'attack' animals. Vampire bats are the only ones that feed on blood, but these ones only live in caves in Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Argentina so unless you live in these places you're not going to meet one - besides they feed on sleeping animals so they don't get disturbed during their feeding, they're not going to pounce on you or your dog because they would be wounded when you fought back.
The only possible dangers from bats are rabies - bats carry a form of this virus but it still under debate whether people can catch bat rabies or not. Do you live in an area where rabies is endemic? If so, you and your dog will presumably already be vaccinated against it!
I loooove bats, I get well excited if I see any when I'm outside.
Chalice
2007-05-10 09:54:26 · answer #1 · answered by Chalice 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bats are not vicious, and will neither attack you or your dog. You're thinking of the vampire bat which to my knowledge only lives in Europe, and the Middle East which drinks blood. The only time a bat will attack you is when it's rabid, which is very, very, rare.
Whats probably happen is that your walks are stirring up bugs, which are getting eaten by the bats. As 5 am is prime time for both bats and bugs being close to sunrise you're probably seeing more bat activity than normal.
You should be happy about seeing so many bats. They are a sign of a healthy ecosystem and are rapidly disappearing from the Americas.
2007-05-10 09:40:22 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Normal bats DO NOT attack people. The only bat you would ever have to worry about would be a vampire bat and that is only if you live in Central America and happen to be sleeping:
Vampire Bats
Vampire bats feed on the blood of stock animals and other warm-blooded animals. They bite and then suck at the animal's blood. Their teeth are razor sharp and can easily cut at something as tough as a cattle's hide. These bats are small, about 3 to 4 inches long, and belong to a group of bats in the "blood sucking" bat family.
These bats are found in tropical and Central America. They have gotten a "bloodthirsty" reputation for their eating habits which includes sometimes attacking people who are sleeping! Their bite is harmless, and can heal but they are very dangerous if the bat is carrying rabies. This disease is deadly to people and animals if not treated with medicine.
2007-05-10 09:39:36 · answer #3 · answered by Joe Dragon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you're being a baby. Healthy bats will NEVER attack a human. Even sick bats (bats are one of the leading carriers of rabies) will not usually bite unless you corner them. You're probably more likely to be struck by lightening (or a falling tree) than be attacked by bats while walking your dog in the woods.
2007-05-10 09:42:57 · answer #4 · answered by ainawgsd 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't like to disagree with all of the above answers. BUT, bats will dive bomb you and go after your hair. My daughter has experienced this in her back yard at dusk. She goes outside to smoke and takes her dog out with her. I live about seven miles from her and she was here last week. Sure enough, just before dark she showed them to me in my yard. They come real close to your head. We came back in the house. I didn't want to see them any more. She told me her dog was in the middle of the yard and dived after him. He is a little 9 pound dog.
She said if you know where they live, people will come and get rid of them. There is an old vacant barn near her where they go. AND she lives in the city....
2007-05-10 09:55:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I worked in a rural prison here in the US, we had bats that would sleep on the sides of the prison and get into the tier at night sometimes. I was doing count around 11 one night and the bat was flying around the tier and consistently dive bombed me. I had to use a broom to keep it at bay. My partner was laughing his *** off.
Also, when I was a kid at a family get together on the outskirts of town, a bat was divebombing my family at dusk, probably rabid. My uncle killed it with a rake
Thay can be rabid, imnot sure if the one at prison was Maybe confused. They cant see well obviously
2016-01-16 09:42:57 · answer #6 · answered by Bolt 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unless you are a insect you have nothing to worry about.
2007-05-10 10:45:11 · answer #7 · answered by raven blackwing 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont think they will attack.
2007-05-10 09:32:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They will bite if they become alarmed
2007-05-10 09:32:31 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋