My parents have bats in their airing cupboard

sarahandme

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

sarahandme said:

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

I desperately hope the mother bat was able to find her babies.  Do you know if she was released close to where you put the babies?  And did the babies take flight when released?  Correct procedure is to report to the police non-emergency line and the National Bat Helpline the helpline may still be able to offer advice. 
Otherwise, with the bats gone, empty everything out of cupboards in the bathroom and have a good old clean and tidy.  

To be perfectly honest,  we dont know because one flew off which we assumed to be the mother towards where we put the babies but we didnt hang around there long enough to see if the babies took flight. We we're more worried about poor mum because its visably worried her up badly which can kill an eldely lady with fright. Shes petrified of bats, so out of desperation we had to remove them from the bathroom to put her mind at rest, or try to, but I think there are still more hiding somewhere. 
What is frustrating is no one will come out until 4th of July.  What do we do in the mean time? You cant just decommission a bathroom. I really feel for poor mum I really do. 

I believe the kindest thing to do with baby bats is to handle them gently and wrap them in soft towels, so they can't unfurl their wings and thrash about, and to try and keep them warm.  A vet might take them, as some practices do take in protected or endangered species.  Otherwise there's the Bat Helpline, who should be able to advise far better than anyone here, or the RSPCA.  
As for the house: go round, open all the cupboards, turn everything out, check behind curtains etc.  There might be bats, in which case you need to deal with them accordingly, or not, allowing you to rest easy in the knowledge the bats have gone.  

I'll try the bat helpline, but I thought the council would have been more help, but like someone said maybe they are busy helping other people with the same problem.  On Google apparently June is when bats have their babies.
Obviously we didnt want to harm them, but the thought of them in the bathroom and airing cupboard was worrying mum sick. We had to take them out. 
Apparently if one bites you its worse than a rat bit. Not sure how true this is. 

Neil49

Given that the house is located in an area frequented by bats (and will continue to be) I suggest buying a bat box and fitting it to the exterior of the house near to where you think they are entering.

It won't solve your immediate issue but it will be a help for the future as they will need somewhere to live. 

sarahandme

Neil49 said:

Given that the house is located in an area frequented by bats (and will continue to be) I suggest buying a bat box and fitting it to the exterior of the house near to where you think they are entering.

It won't solve your immediate issue but it will be a help for the future as they will need somewhere to live. 

Thanks, that sounds like a good idea. Only problem is we are not sure yet where they are coming in and out. 

sheramber

You need a special license to interfere with bats.RSPCA are. It likely to deal with then for that reason as it is an offense to interfere with them or there roosting sites.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bats-protection-s

hb2

I fell sorry for your mum OP, I'm terrified of snakes and couldn't imagine how I would be if they were found in my home (I'd be delighted to find bats)! However, as has been said, bats are a protected species and it is a criminal offence to interfere with them or where they roost. The other issue is that, even in the UK, bats can (albeit incredibly rarely) catch and transmit rabies, so they should not be handled by anyone who does not know what they are doing. Best not tell your mum the bit about rabies though!

sarahandme

hb2 said:

I fell sorry for your mum OP, I'm terrified of snakes and couldn't imagine how I would be if they were found in my home (I'd be delighted to find bats)! However, as has been said, bats are a protected species and it is a criminal offence to interfere with them or where they roost. The other issue is that, even in the UK, bats can (albeit incredibly rarely) catch and transmit rabies, so they should not be handled by anyone who does not know what they are doing. Best not tell your mum the bit about rabies though!

Thank you. Sadly she already knows about the rabies potential, but I think shes more scared in the same way people are to harmless spiders. But knowing they transmit rabies isnt helping her cause. 
I have emailed a national bat organisation, so just waiting to see what they suggest. Problem is it doesnt say where they are based, probably not local to us. 

coffeehound

Does the airing cupboard have pipes coming to/from the loft above?  They are probably squeezing through the gap around those if so.

sarahandme

coffeehound said:

Does the airing cupboard have pipes coming to/from the loft above?  They are probably squeezing through the gap around those if so.

Yeah lots of pipes, but the gaps don't look big enough to me. How tiny a gap can they squeeze through? 

eamon

Useful info here

https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/where-do-bats-live/bat-roosts/what-is-a-roost

sarahandme

eamon said:

Useful info here

bats/where-do-bats-live/bat-roosts/what-is-a-roost

Thanks for that. That is the company I emailed today. Still haven't had a reply.