Brown Bat With Broken Wing?

Question

My husband just called me from work with a bit of a dilemma. His co-worker found an injured brown bat and now they are calling me asking what to do with it. I called the emergency number for The California Wildlife Center and left a message but I haven't heard anything and it's been a few hours (some emergency hotline). I told my husband to get a shoe box and line it with a towel or something soft and to keep him in the dark someplace out of a draft, but that isn't anywhere in his shop that's for sure. So now he's got him in the box and is bringing him home. Can I just leave him settled in a lined shoe box until someone comes to get him? Will someone even come to get him? I don't know what I'm going to do with this bat if no one can help him. I don't know the first thing about caring for injured bats. All I know for sure is that it's one wing is broken. Do bats even recover from broken wings? What do I feed him? Should I give him water? Help! Please!

Answer 1

First, ignore these paranoid people who worry about rabies. I have rescued countless bats over the years. You are not going to get rabies from the bat. That is an extremely rare thing in North American bats and alot of hype was created. The rare cases of rabies in this country were do to other animals. Now even that is rare. No one grabs a bat near the head anyway. Always handle them using gloves. Most of the time bats don't live when their wings are injured. They are very sensitive and die from shock and/or injuries easily. The wildlife center near you should take it. They usually don't pick up animals. You have to take them there. However, if it lives then it would be kept in an enclosure for the rest of its life unless the wing is not actually broken. Bats eat many insects and so feeding them costs money and time. I used crickets and mealworms until the bat I had could be released. It hung on the screen I had wrapped around a board in the aquarium. Hopefully, the wildlife center or a wildlife volunteer will help you. It won't live long without help.

Answer 2

Broken Bat Wing

Answer 3

You don't mention what part of CA you're in, but you might call a few emergency vets to see if they can give you some advice. Vets are sometimes called upon for injured wildlife so chances are they'll know what else can be done for the bat. My guess is that the little guy's wing can recover if there's nothing more serious going on & if proper care can be obtained.
It's true that bats, like most mammals, can carry rabies but that doesn't mean *all* bats are rabid. Play it safe & don't handle him/her but I would put a heavy, shallow dish of water in the box although the bat is very likely too scared to drink or eat. Wear heavy gloves so you don't get bit.
Even if the bat doesn't survive the night, the Wildlife Center would probably want to examine him/her. Good luck. I hope someone is able to help you with this.

Answer 4

First of all, wild bats are a a major carrier of rabies. Unless it was an endangered type of bat, the wildlife center probably won't do anything for it and you won't hear back from them at least until tomorrow. You can try calling them again tomorrow but seems the law of nature is at work here. Not sure how it got the broken wing but unless you have some wildlife rescue willing to take it (which is doubtful) you more then likely will get a cold 'just dispose of it' or 'put it back outside and let nature run it's course' response from them.
Sounds heartless I know but having grown up on a farm with an old school step dad, I learned the wildlife place doesn't consider it a big deal if you have a bat you need help with, a duckling with a broken leg, or even some motherless wild bunnies. I know growing up I thought they were heartless! lol.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
(For the person down below who doesn't believe rabies in bats is an issue:
I personally have dealt with the issue of rabies! caused in two pets by a rabid bat and we had an outbreak of them caused by bats in this area! I'm glad you rescue them. I wasn't telling her not to. But just because you're a bat lover doesn't mean you can dismiss every other persons claims or experience with them)

Answer 5

As an Aussie, I don't know much about Brown Bats or American animal shelters. However, as an animal lover, I googled what I could and found a link to a discussion of someone who had found and nursed a Brown Bat back to health. Can't help you much with what to do about his wing, but there are tips on how to generally care for him (but the person says it's a Southern Brown Bat. Is that the same thing as the kind you're talking about? I don't know foreign animals very well) Just try and make contact with an animal shelter as soon as possible, because bats should remain wild, and the longer you keep him and care for him, the more dependant on you he will become.
It's all on the link below, but I'll give you a quick summary, but you should probably check it out anyway:
-Feed it (carefully!) with tweezers, to avoid being bitten (you may need to rubber-tip them to ensure the bat doesn't miss and injure himself)
-Feed it water in a water dropper
-They seem to generally eat insects (moths, mosquitoes, crickets, beetles, etc) - apparently they can eat up to 1000 mosquitos a night. The person who gives all this info says he feeds his bat 10-20 moths or 5-8 crickets a night - the bat quits when he's full.

Hope that's of some help.

Answer 6

Awww - I love bats! That's so sweet of your husband and you wanting to help this little guy! And bravo to Caveman - the one educated responder that actually knew about bats! The most important thing is to keep him in a warm and quiet spot. I wouldn't worry about getting food in him if you'll most likely hear from the wildlife rescue tomorrow. If not then contact a vet or local zoo that may be able to help you. No, he probably won't give you rabies but he's still an injured wild animal that could bite you out of fear. Good luck and please update this post once you speak with the wildlife folks.

Answer 7

are you kidding me? bats carry rabies. they are carriers of it, never really getting the disease but can spread it. don't touch this animal at all!!!!!!!! tape the shoebox shut, leave small airholes and put it someplace the bat can't escape. call the local police department, someone will be on call for animal control and tell them you have a bat. they will come get it. it needs to be tested for rabies now that your husband and co-worker have come in contact with it. you must keep that bat somewhere it can't get out and don't touch it until animal control or a police officer arrives. if not you might end up going through rabies shots for no reason if it's not positive. but if it is positive and you let it go or rehab it you're asking for trouble. wildlife rescue will not touch this animal. they will call local authorities to come get it. they are not going to chance brining rabies into their place. in my area brown bats are high on the list of known rabies carriers. stay away from that bat. and under no circumstance what so ever are you to bring it in your house.

Answer 8

The only thing you can really do is take it to the nearest wildlife center and turn him over to them. There's nothing you can really do to fix the problem. He should be fine over night, but as soon as you can, take him in and make sure someone gets him. They have to hunt for their food like any other animal, and you feeding him wouldn't be very effective, if not dangerous.