Oh, yeah. We have affectionately called him Rat, or Igor. Here's a better shot.
Mom, you'll note the clearly non-friendly open mouth, as well as the lack of drool. :) 
He didn't wake up until I opened the window more to get a picture w/ Robert's camera, and then he started opening his mouth and making a sort of mechanical-sounding clicking. Pretty fun.
51 comments:
You enjoy this, don't you Ben? Moms just don't have enough to worry about. Ben, they gots rabies!!!!! And they might not even hurt if they bite you, or, um, maybe even hurl spit across the room at you - you might not even notice. And then you have to get the shots now or get the bad stuff and all that whole thing........ Did you touch it? Did it touch you? Should you call Animal Control? You should. Bats are my new biggest scary thing, more than snakes.
ok
no, I did not touch it.
I did touch the screen near it one time. But as you have noted, I'm sure, it was aggressive: it opened and closed its mouth in a scary way, and made scary sounds. It was being threatening. It wasn't docile. No foam, either.
The guys, as I call them, said that it's been there a month. What does that mean? I'm not sure. But I just tend to think a rabid animal wouldn't have been showing such normal behavior. I don't know, though. I don't know how long it incubates in a bat. How about this-- I'll watch him to see how he does. If he starts showing symptoms, I'll know to worry.
if it would make you feel better, I can call animal and ask them about it.
What does Dad think
Here's the CDC site on this:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/bats_&_rabies/bats&.htm
(it was not "in a room". It was on the other side of the screen. Also, it is obviosly inactive during the day. It's gone from the window now.)
Well, if it's gone, it can't be tested. What do we do now? You think rabid would be docile?
Ole Yeller wasn't docile.
Dad doesn't think it's anything to worry about, but Dad didn't think Tim's rusty nail was such a big deal either. Let's see, when did Dad last worry...?
Didja have a wound?
Hey, this is not funny. Very, very important Animal control is called and that thing removed. Hands off. Paul is nuts this time. Wrong advice. Mom.
Maybe you should call AC & just describe the situation. I don't think the risk is high but how can you take chances with rabies?
Did it fly away as in it's gone, or does it come & go? There is something about if they have rabies they can get paralyzed, but if he was paralyzed he probably couldn't fly away. (Figured that out myself, yup.)
I see no reason to worry.
But I will call animal care tomorrow.
I agree with you. It's probably fine but a call would be good. Tell them you touched the screen.
How could you encourage it to stick around? Fruit or bugs?
oh wait, I forgot that bats are bugs, the big bug scourge of the skies!
How could we encourage it to leave, a gun or an exterminator?
I don't think you really want one, Tim. They stink.
Ben, do we need to sit down and have the "you are the older brother; you must be an example" talk? Like, a good example.
Note to self: Christmas List: Tim, one Atlanta Braves bat.
Here's a fun website I found for ya Ben: http://www.medicinenet.com/rabies/article.htm
Just a sidenote - rabies is also known as hydrophobia (which means fear of water) and I think animals w/ rabies stop drinking water, so how long could a bat w/ live w/o water?
Now that I've said something a little responsible let me tell you Ben that I think thats pretty neat about your little roomie :).
Oh more cool things about your little friend - Bat "waste" can be used in explosives! It has a high content of methane or something (I learned that from MacGyver), AND if you read the back of some barbecue chips one of the ingredients in them is disodium guanolate... I don't know how to spell it exactly, but thats just something else I've heard by rumor...
Well, yuk. I do remember what guano is.
Ben, don't listen to your, uh, little brother.
my, this is a popular one. now I'll go read the comments.
I like Tim's method of finding out whehter it has rabies or not. I bet it would just lap that water up...Mom, you have to admit that would be cute.
And Cassandra, I duly appreciate your awareness of the coolness of this situation.
There is in fact some guano in my very room. I mean, in the window. So does that mean I could make explosives?
and i have to say, the C&H quote was well-used.
C & H quote?
C & H means Calvin and Hobbes, but now that I've said it, the magic has slipped away.
I know! Still call Animal Control or the CDC or someone, just to be safe.
My kids are so well-raised. Favorite home school curriculum: Calvin & Hobbes.
Still quoting from it how many years later.......And I don't remember ever giving them a test on that material. There must be a lesson to be learned here.
So I called the State Health Department today. They said their veterinarian was out so the dr. I would talk to would be an epidemiologist. I can't remember his name, but we'll call him Steve.
Steve said the virus is not very resistant to heat/dryness/light, so something like what I described wouldn't be risky.
Yay! You called. And you didn't get this nice guy Steve's real name in case we have to sue him later?
nope
And no, you can't make explosives. Sorry. (Like you'd ask me first :) )
Maybe someone needs to update this post....
yes what happened to cute little Igor?
did you ever get to pet him?
Let me explain something. Bats are not cute. Winnie the Pooh is cute. Tweety Bird is cute. Okay, even baby alligators are cute. Igor I would not describe as cute (sorry).
he was very cute. sadly, he ended up leaving about a week ago.
yes, i think so too, thanks. I have two more doses, one on the 25th and one on oct. 9.
What this means is that I can play freely with all my furry woodland friends, with no fear.
~Sigh.~
in that case Ben we have a "kitty" for you :) Tim will explain... but no matter what he says it was his idea...
hmm. ok.
I like cats. they taste just like chicken.
I hope you have some persimmons then...
(looking at dictionary.com)
(to see whether I should be insulted)
well, your mom eats persimmons
do you mean so I could eat them with the cat?
In TN this particular type of cat is eaten by some ppl, but usually they feed it persimmons the wk b4 that.
Tennessee? Did that piece of trivia come from Logan?? No wonder he's careful what he eats!
thanks, thanks, I know
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