Dan and the Bats

Dan and the Bats If you find a grounded or injured bat please call the BCT on 0345 1300 228 and follow their advice

Well I am sorry I didn't get a video of this one. I was frantically trying to swap from photo to video on my phone and m...
08/07/2026

Well I am sorry I didn't get a video of this one. I was frantically trying to swap from photo to video on my phone and missed it.

Our mum and pup from earlier in the week have safely and successfully flew to be back with their own. A contraption was built to give them something to leave from at height, if they wanted to. I attached a bat box to a ladder and placed mum and pup in the box on the towel to minimise handling them both.

There they sat for a short period of time until I heard an echolocation from her direction. This is when the phone scrambling started. By the time I switched to video mode *p**f* shed gone. She then began hunting above my head feeding on the loads of insects that were chewing on me!

Although her stay with me was short I have seen how much an attentive mum she has been to her pup. The pup (Tine) has occasionally pulled away from Mum (Linda) but typically spent most of her time under her wing. They would potter about together, 2 additional little feet poking out at the back.knda would take Tina every time she fed or took water and kept Tina topped up with her own milk.

It's lovely to be able to see them both off and back out in the wild where they belong

This and her were brought into care. A very conscientious person was walking and spotted the two bats laying on the ...
07/07/2026

This and her were brought into care. A very conscientious person was walking and spotted the two bats laying on the floor in what appeared to be a tin.

Someone walked past the finder and said "Oh they've been there since yesterday!"

Yet nobody stopped, until the finder.

The finder immediately got in touch (posting on the social) to let me know and came with the mother and daughter straight away to bring them into care.

Mum was very lethargic and ignoring her baby. The baby was starving and staying away from mum. At first I thought the two of them were unrelated.

I gave baby a milk feed by hand with formula to give mama a little rest from her hungry pup and then gave mama some worms to try and fill her belly. They were put into the temporary housing but we're still not uniting. The pup staying on the floor of the tank.

With a full bowl of mealworms I left them overnight to see what happened....

In the morning, the bowl was empty and pup was hard to find until I saw a little foot poking out from underneath mum. Just as it should be.

Since then she has breastfed her baby regularly and they've been pottering about together. Mum has since polished off another full bowl of mealworms.

I don't want to keep these two any longer than necessary. They're better off in the wild. Now they're rehydrated and fed I'll plan release.

Today I spoke with bat expert Maggie to determine the best way to release these two which I hope to do as soon as possible following a visit to where they were found tonight.

Stay tuned to find out what happens


Bat Conservation Trust

Baby Bat SeasonIt's that time of the year, yes, Barbeques, sunshine, watching 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England in the world cup. But for ...
27/06/2026

Baby Bat Season

It's that time of the year, yes, Barbeques, sunshine, watching 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England in the world cup. But for bats, it's also peak baby season.

So while you're sipping a cold one 🍹 in the sunshine it's possible you might come across either a grounded or baby bat 🦇

Babies will always require some degree of intervention so it's crucial you get in touch with the helpline (0345) 1300 228 as soon as possible whereas some adults may be dehydrated and just need water 💦 and a rest ready for release.

Getting the right advice, early, is crucial.

All bats are small. DON'T assume it is a baby based on size alone! See the photo attached for how to tell if it's a baby or adult bat.

Babies - born without fur. Just skin.
Juveniles - fur coming in, thin layer, suede like. Short hair.
Adults - thicker fur, can appear shaggy

CONTAINMENT

If you find a bat it will need to be contained. Grab a box and try and get it in without handling (scooping up with the box can work well). Pop in a milk bottle top with water inside and some kitchen roll or old cloth for the bat to hide in. Give the lid of the box a couple of small air holes and cover any hols you can get a finger in with paper and tape (make sure there's no tape showing through to the inside as this can cause wing tears).

Call BCT helpline on (0345) 1300 228 - at this time of the year it can be busy so please keep trying and be patient.

Bats can also be dropped off at a local vets. Many vets have telephone numbers of carers to contact directly.

Please avoid where possible direct DMs especially if urgent as I don't always see them, but if you're struggling feel free but I might not be able to respond rapidly.

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Huddersfield
HD46LP

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