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nredman · Aug 28, 2005, 08:49 AM

so last night my cat is at the balcony door in my apartment just going crazy, so i look out there as he likes to attack bugs and any birds that may fly into the balcony. right next to the light there is a tiny bat just chilling - now its morning and he is still there. just taking a little nappy. i will try to get a good picture of it. anyone else ever have any experiences with bats?

chris v · Aug 28, 2005, 08:51 AM

All the time. Bats ar cool little critters -- just don't handle it, as they do carry rabies sometimes, and will bite if frightened.

Pendergast · Aug 28, 2005, 09:04 AM

Whatever you do, don't take chances; garlic is your friend.

ghporter · Aug 28, 2005, 09:20 AM

I lived in Austin, Tx for a while (sadly, a long time ago), and every evening at sunset the bats would depart from under the Congress Ave. bridge-it was quite a spectacle! And every night, these hundreds of thousands of bats would eat some large percentage of their body weight in insects (YAY!), benefitting the entire community. Bats is yer friends!

A picture of the lil guy will be much appreciated.

nredman · Aug 28, 2005, 11:03 AM

Sorry for the bad picture quality, i didn't want to get too close to the little guy.

This is from last night...

And this is from about 10 minutes ago...he has moved alittle bit

SpaceMonkey · Aug 28, 2005, 11:06 AM

My only experiences with bats are from trying to get them out of attic apartments.

andreas_g4 · Aug 28, 2005, 11:06 AM

Sweet! But how is your cat...?

SeSawaya · Aug 28, 2005, 11:08 AM

I have a child now thanks to a bat,

yah long story. I think she'll fight crime when she grows up.

nredman · Aug 28, 2005, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by andreas_g4

Sweet! But how is your cat...?

my cat was pissed last night because i wouldn't let him out there, he was pawing at the door and meowing like crazy. i guess i am overprotective of him.

andreas_g4 · Aug 28, 2005, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by nredman

my cat was pissed last night because i wouldn't let him out there, he was pawing at the door and meowing like crazy. i guess i am overprotective of him.

I don't know your cat, but I'd assume you are protecting the little bat-guy more… Can a bat hurt a cat?

nredman · Aug 28, 2005, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by andreas_g4

I don't know your cat, but I'd assume you are protecting the little bat-guy more… Can a bat hurt a cat?

probably not, i guess i didnt want him to scare the bat away.

andreas_g4 · Aug 28, 2005, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by nredman

probably not, i guess i didnt want him to scare the bat away.

See...

RAILhead · Aug 28, 2005, 01:22 PM

bat has rabies
bat bites cat
cat has rabies
cat dies

Not worth the risk

jcadam · Aug 28, 2005, 01:29 PM

I remember once (when I was about 16, standing around by a lake after a day of fishing, around dusk, I saw something out of the corner of my eye, moving fast towards my head. I ducked. And looked up to see what it was after it had passed just inches over me. It was a not-so-small bat (!), first time I had seen one, outside of the Discovery channel® and pictures in textbooks. Damn thing was homing in on my head for some reason.

Pendergast · Aug 28, 2005, 02:00 PM

Originally Posted by nredman

Sorry for the bad picture quality, i didn't want to get too close to the little guy.

This is from last night...

And this is from about 10 minutes ago...he has moved alittle bit

Cute!

And nice pict!

strictlyplaid · Aug 28, 2005, 03:38 PM

First:

Then:

MaxPower2k3 · Aug 28, 2005, 06:56 PM

Trapped him between two window panes. That's the best picture I got of him (the rest are out of focus). Not as bad as the time I woke up at 4:30 in morning because a bat landed on my pillow right next to my head

sminch · Aug 28, 2005, 07:43 PM

what on earth is spackling paste???

sminch

KeriVit · Aug 28, 2005, 07:58 PM

They're hairy. they don't fly in your hair and they like to fly stupidly, does that help?

Doofy · Aug 28, 2005, 08:21 PM

Ozzy would also like to know the answer to this question:

Originally Posted by sminch

what on earth is spackling paste???

strictlyplaid · Aug 28, 2005, 08:22 PM

Originally Posted by sminch

what on earth is spackling paste???

sminch

Main Entry: Spackle
Function: trademark
-- used for a powder mixed with water to form a paste and used as a filler for cracks in a surface before painting

Translation: it patches holes.

See, it's funny, because first you blast the... never mind.

JoshuaZ · Aug 29, 2005, 03:42 AM

Friends don't let friends eat bats.

OwlBoy · Aug 29, 2005, 04:23 AM

My cat likes bats too.

Video: http://owlboy.com/blog/?p=136

-Owl

nredman · Aug 29, 2005, 04:51 PM

i think that bat is dying or something. it is still out there after a day and a half. i knocked hard on the door and he looked up and then just goes back to sleep. hopefully he isn't dead in the morning.

turtle777 · Aug 29, 2005, 04:56 PM

HA! HA! You balcony is turning into a bat graveyard!!!!!111!11oneone

-t

The iMac Man · Aug 29, 2005, 04:58 PM

Bats don't see, they use sonar, so he's probably scared to death.

Try tossing some small rocks past the area he is in. His sonar might pick it up as an insect, and he'll chase after it. Night time is the best time to get him active... they sleep during the day.

nredman · Aug 29, 2005, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

HA! HA! You balcony is turning into a bat graveyard!!!!!111!11oneone

-t

that statement just doesn't have the same zing without the "HA HA" guy

turtle777 · Aug 29, 2005, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by nredman

that statement just doesn't have the same zing without the "HA HA" guy

I'm sure someone will bother...

-t

FulcrumPilot · Aug 29, 2005, 05:14 PM

If you are adventurous here is an idea:

Don Lansky Jun 17 1999, 3:00 am
Newsgroups: alt.food.asian
From: "Don Lansky" <dlans...@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: 1999/06/17
Subject: Re: bats as food

Bat taste and preparation are as varied throughout Asia and Indonesia as any
food - perhaps more so than pork or beef because of the great disparity of
bat species. (Only in Africa is bat cuisine limited in approach. There it
is generally accepted to skewer a whole uneviscerated carcass on a damp
stick, burn off the flea and tick infested fur in a cloud of foul-smelling
smoke with an open fire, squat down turning your back upon those without
food, and eat it.) Asians and Islanders are more refined, having a
tradition of civilized manners, however some of their preparation methods
are at least as disgusting. Bats vary in size from those the size of a
hummingbird, to those the size of a medium dog, weighing upwards of 35lbs.
Don't think chicken when thinking about bat flavor and texture. Think cat.
Bats are obviously mammals, but they are also predators. This makes them
lean with a tough stringy musculature that bears tenderization either by
marinades or pounding. Bat skin (Other than the wings, we'll get to
those...) should be discarded, or made into fish barb and coral resistant
fishermen's gloves. Bat skulls, powdered, are the ubiquitous aphrodisiac we
found so often made from odds & ends in this part of the world. The wings,
battered and fried are a true light and crunchy delicacy not to be missed.
The bones from the wings are hot items. These are big sellers in the US,
especially from those endangered species which need to be smuggled in. They
are used by those that are into body piercing and mutilation as decorations
in the nose, nipples, scrotum and labia. Use any recipe you have for cat on
the body of a bat and you won't be disappointed.

turtle777 · Aug 29, 2005, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by FulcrumPilot

Use any recipe you have for cat on the body of a bat and you won't be disappointed.

I think, that line will be convincing nredman to go ahead

-t

Doofy · Aug 29, 2005, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by nredman

i think that bat is dying or something. it is still out there after a day and a half. i knocked hard on the door and he looked up and then just goes back to sleep. hopefully he isn't dead in the morning.

Put some gloves on. Catch him. Set him free.

KeriVit · Aug 29, 2005, 06:51 PM

Help him- poor lil guy.

Pendergast · Aug 29, 2005, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by nredman

i think that bat is dying or something. it is still out there after a day and a half. i knocked hard on the door and he looked up and then just goes back to sleep. hopefully he isn't dead in the morning.

How very sad...

The iMac Man · Aug 29, 2005, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by Doofy

Put some gloves on. Catch him. Set him free.

Uh, he is free. Or am I mistaken? Is this an indoor balcony you are talking about?

He's probably just sleeping... that's what bats do all day long. Wait until nightfall, and then try getting a reaction out of him. Try spraying him with a squirt bottle.

Doofy · Aug 29, 2005, 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by The iMac Man

Uh, he is free. Or am I mistaken? Is this an indoor balcony you are talking about?

My bad. Looks like it's an outdoor balcony.
I'm just concerned for the little fella.

AKcrab · Aug 29, 2005, 08:08 PM

Be happy he's around. He eats nasty bugs by the thousands.

Mrjinglesusa · Aug 29, 2005, 08:20 PM

Cute little guy - hope he's alright. Bats are really cool animals, especially those little guys. Like a cute mouse with wings. lol

torsoboy · Aug 30, 2005, 01:57 AM

We have bats flying all over every night here. They fly down from a mountain just a mile or so away. We don't have any mesquito problems thanks to them. A buddy of mine caught one with a fly-fishing pole one night... just practice casting in his front yard and a bat thought that it was a real insect i guess... it was pretty funny. sad, but funny.

When i was in the philipinnes, they sold bats in the markets (for food). They were pretty small bats, but their stomachs were HUGE. I don't know if they stuffed them first before cooking them, or if it was just their stomaches expanding from being cooked over a bbq. It looked pretty cool either way. But i didn't dare eat one.

El Gato · Aug 30, 2005, 02:29 AM

You should look up your local bat rescue, if you have one in the area.

The little guy may be hurt or lost, the bat rescue can take him and make sure he gets back safely into the wild.

JoshuaZ · Aug 30, 2005, 03:24 AM

Yeah, I would say you should call someone about the little guy before something eats it or gets sick from it. Then again, I've always said, "friends don't let friends eat bats." But really, do you want to eat something that eats bugs for a living?

nredman · Aug 30, 2005, 07:22 PM

just thought i'd let you guys know my little batty friend flew away last night, guess he just needed a good long ass nap

ghporter · Aug 30, 2005, 07:42 PM

Hurray! I'm very glad to hear that! Now he can go out and eat a couple of pounds of bugs for all of us! Bon apetit!

Mrjinglesusa · Aug 30, 2005, 08:33 PM

Originally Posted by nredman

just thought i'd let you guys know my little batty friend flew away last night, guess he just needed a good long ass nap