Tuesday, January 5, 2010

The Bat Cave, er, Sunroom


Yes, this picture is rightways up. We have a bat hibernating in our sunroom. I'm not sure what to do about this...

It first appeared over this last weekend, and ensconced itself thoroughly in the Southwest corner of the sunroom. I have no idea how it got in. Then it stayed there, all day....AND ALL NIGHT.

This prompted a conversation wherein we first thought it was dead, so my brave husband went downstairs with a shovel to dispose of its body safely. Then it wriggled.

So it wasn't dead. I then suggested it was sick, and should be taken to the Vet.

Him: What?
Me: To the Vet!
Him: How?
Me: Well, you get a shoebox, and you scoop the bat into it, and you put the lid on, and you take it to the Vet, and you say...
Him: "In this box I have a very angry sick bat."
Me: Something like that.
Him: And you expect the Vet to do what exactly?
Me: Maybe give it a bat sedative.
Him: Like Bativan? Halbat?
Me: *laughing* and hydrate it!
Him: With a tiny IV?
Me: YES
Him: And admit it to the BICU?
Me: *doubled over laughing* YES DAMMIT!

Finally we wondered why it wasn't with its fellow flying fuzzies, and looked it up on the mighty internet, only to discover that brown bats like the ones in our area hibernate during the winter. They do not eat, or really wake, until Spring. They like to hibernate in abandoned houses (!) and hollowed out trees (!!).

I kind of resent the implication that our house is a hollowed out tree, but I see it. Especially since the sunroom is not well heated at this moment.

I still don't know what to do about this.