There are many different beliefs associated with bats, according to which these small animals are representatives of evil spirits, vampires, and the well-known Dracula. And if we add to this the unpleasant appearance of bats, it becomes clear why many are confused and even scared when at least one representative of this tribe flies into their house.
Night guest
A dark, spacious apartment in a high-rise building in the north of Moscow. Nearby are the Northern River Station and the black expanse of the Khimki Reservoir. It's only nine in the evening, but for October it's already night. There are two of us at home - me and my cat Girard.
- Bzhzhzh, boom. Bzhzhzh, boom. Buzzing and the sound of hitting the wall in the kitchen. Apparently a bumblebee flew in, strange. The cat is right there, hunting. I quickly go to my room, where the light is on. The buzzing turned into flapping wings - phhh, phhhh, phhhh. Butterfly? In October?!
The butterfly is no longer there. A bird is flying around the room. From the light of the chandelier, winged shadows stretched half a meter across the ceiling. No, it's not a bird. The creature is larger than a sparrow, but smaller than a dove. Girard bares his fangs and meows. It taps its tail on the floor so hard that blows can be heard. Starts jumping after this creature. This is a bat...
Once - and she stuck to the door, wrapping her wings around it from above. Silence.
After the hunt. Girard studies fishing gear. Photo: portal Moscow 24/Ivan Nosatov
I find myself on the balcony with a notebook in my hand, the door is closed. Breathing is rapid. From afar, I took a video of the night visitor on my phone. “Batman flew into my house!” – emotions were overwhelming, and I was talking complete nonsense. Having calmed down a little, I threw a blanket over the mouse and released it into the Moscow night. She squealed loudly on her way to the balcony. She was scared...
Moscow courtyard in the Levoberezhny district, where the bat was released. Photo: portal Moscow 24/Ivan Nosatov
Dream Interpretation
Seeing bats in your home in a dream carries both negative and positive meanings:
The most common thing is a meeting with a stranger. You need to pay attention to what emotions arose in the dream: if they are good, then in reality things will go well; if they are bad, you need to be careful and be careful. The unexpected appearance of a mouse in the room and its chaotic movement means a short trip in the near future. A flock of toothy guests in the house predicts an imminent long journey. If in a dream an unexpected guest not only flew into your home, but also bit you, this means that one of your friends is trying to manipulate the sleeping person. If blood flows from the wound, then the culprit of the trouble will be a relative. The mouse grabbed the hair - you need to be careful with strangers and not reveal your plans to strangers
The mouse grabbed his hair - you need to be careful with strangers and not reveal your plans to strangers.
The flying guest flew through the door and began to circle around the person - to the increased attention of representatives of the opposite sex. The animal sat on your hand or shoulder - a whirlwind romance. A bat hanging upside down in a room - a dream warns that you need to be careful outside the house over the next 24 hours. If you see an animal fly out through the window and fly away to the heavens, then this is a sign that troubles and troubles will pass by.
A rich world of wild nature surrounds us even within cities, overflowing with the means of civilization. Sometimes bats become our random neighbors, preferring to live in garages, under window sills, on balconies and attics of multi-story buildings. Such a neighborhood does not cause delight. Most people are terrified at the sight of little “winged monsters.” How to get rid of uninvited guests once and for all?
Moscow registration
The bat turned out to be an absolutely ordinary phenomenon for Moscow.
“Bats also live in our area. In Moscow, these are forests and parks,” Lyudmila Korobkova, an ornithologist from a veterinary clinic near Moscow, told the Moscow 24 portal. – They can also live in the attics of houses and in some quarries or rocks. If you look closely, you can see them at night in any summer forest park above a pond. God himself ordered them to fly over bodies of water.”
Photo: depositphotos/KirsanovVal
Bats in Moscow are found in places with large forested areas, with old trees, and ponds, for example, in Izmailovsky and Troparevsky parks, confirmed Sergei Kruskop, leading researcher at the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University.
Bats are a general name for representatives of the order Chiroptera (with the exception of fruit bats). Almost all bats are nocturnal, and during the day they sleep, either hanging upside down or huddled in cracks in trees, rocks, or crevices in buildings.
There are different bats, including vampires, who feed on flesh and blood. There are approximately 1,300 species of bats in the world, of which only three species have mastered feeding on blood. One feeds on the blood of mammals (including humans), the other feeds only on the blood of birds, and the third can do both. True, they do not live in Russia; their homeland is Central America.
“Those that live in our region feed on either pollen or insects. As such, they do not pose a danger to humans,” said Dimitry Kuznetsov, head of the center for radiation diagnostics and animal biotherapy of the SBBZh Northern Administrative Okrug.
The chief doctor of the Green Parrot veterinary clinic for birds, Vladimir Romanov, agrees with him.
“No rabies was detected among bats in Russia. Apparently, due to the peculiarities of their residence. In our region, they do not live in mass concentrations, unlike in America.” Vladimir Romanov
Ph.D., chief doctor of the veterinary clinic
According to Romanov, in the United States bats live in large crowds in caves. So many individuals are infected with the rabies virus that in America bats have been identified as a natural reservoir of rabies.
And on the territory of Eurasia, in the entire history of observations, only eight cases of transmission of rabies from a bat to a person have been reliably recorded.
Nevertheless, Lyudmila Korobkova reminds that in addition to the rabies virus, there can be other infections. Not to mention fleas, which, in turn, carry worms.
Other superstitions
Folk signs relate not only to danger warnings, but even to simple meteorology. Previously, rain was predicted by the behavior of bats. Sometimes a terrible click of a mouse on the glass could indicate changes in atmospheric pressure, the arrival of the rainy season. This means that work in the garden and field needs to be postponed.
There are signs of love. For example, if a night guest invaded the room of an unmarried girl, this promised the appearance of her groom . But when a mouse flew into the marital bedroom, it hinted at infidelity in the marriage and the presence of lovers on one of the parties. At the same time, knowledgeable people recommended solving the problem peacefully - without scandals and swearing. The mouse just needs to be sent out without causing it, like the participants in the family drama, harm.
How to behave when meeting a bat
When dealing with bats, it is better to maintain hygiene and use gloves when handling. If possible, avoid bites, explains Korobkova.
It is necessary to carefully cover the mouse with a cloth or towel and try not to damage its wings. Because it is very difficult to restore it to flying condition later.
If the meeting took place in the summer and the bat is not sick, not exhausted, and flies, it is enough to release it out the window. Lyudmila Korobkova
ornithologist
If a bat flies into an apartment in the fall or winter, most likely it was disturbed and brought out of hibernation. She is looking for somewhere to hide so as not to die from the cold. The mouse senses a flow of warm air if a window or vent is open. In cold weather, it should not be allowed outside.
“She found a way to escape in your apartment. She has already warmed up, summer has begun for her. Once again finding herself in the cold, she will again look for some attic, window or other warmer place,” explains the ornithologist.
Photo: depositphotos/smontgom65
As an option, Lyudmila Korobkova suggests giving the animal the opportunity to overwinter at home. To do this, the bat can be put into hibernation - put in a box and left on the balcony or even in the refrigerator. The fact is that the optimal temperature for hibernation of bats is +2..+8 degrees.
Some animals can sleep absolutely motionless for up to 5.5 months in a row, without leaving a state of deep anabiosis. If the animal survives until spring, then with the onset of the first stable warm nights at air temperatures above zero, it can be released.
Photo: depositphotos/EcoPic
Sergei Kruskop advises not to contact a bat in the house yourself. “There are few such cases, 10-12 complaints per winter. It also happened that people found a bat in shoe boxes, in closets, under window sills. In such cases, it is better not to touch the animal yourself, but to contact specialists - for example, call the Moscow Zoo,” the scientist advises.
By the end of autumn, the Moscow Zoo will have its first winter rehabilitation center for bats. The mice that get here will be fed and treated, and when warmer weather arrives, they will be released into the wild. And before being placed in a sleeping chamber, zoologists will carefully examine the animals. For example, if their weight is below the required level, the animals will be fattened.
During the season, the rehabilitation center can receive at least two dozen bats. To help animals, citizens can call.
Chinese omens
In China, a small predator entering a house predicts fame, wealth and happiness. If bats appear in Chinese apartments, all household members will enjoy stable financial condition and longevity. To attract good luck, the Chinese hang paintings or photographs in their homes with images of white winged mice. These people do not associate such animals with troubles, but, on the contrary, rejoice at such guests.
According to the Chinese, the gods grant people numerous benefits that these animals represent:
- peace and prosperity;
- the opportunity to realize oneself in life;
- harmony of soul and body.
If a night guest flew into the room, it means that she brought all the best to the owner of the house.
Get rid of traces of crime
After a successful hunt, the blanket or towel should be washed with regular detergent. As a rule, most washing powders have an antiseptic effect.
Lyudmila Korobkova dispelled fears that the bat could return, and with friends at that. "Excluded. It was you who had to raise her from the point of view of a mouse, nurse her, and feed her. Accustom her to yourself. Then release. She would return to you, fly in, fly away. She flew away, walked around, ate insects, and returned to the window. And then there is a chance that she would have found a mate and, of course, brought her to you for free feeding,” says the ornithologist.
Photo: TASS/Zuma/Jaroslav Ozana
Bats are not birds and do not lay eggs. They give birth to babies. Moreover, in our strip it is mainly in the spring. Meeting a pregnant female in October is unlikely. They usually bring 1-2 naked, blind cubs, which within 20-40 days begin to hunt on their own.
“Even if she gave birth to someone, they would have already died,” the ornithologist concluded. We talked with Lyudmila Korobkova two weeks after the incident.
How to avoid the consequences predicted in signs
To ward off the troubles that an unexpected guest could predict, you can resort to several solutions:
- Believers should go to church , light a blessed candle in the house for three days, and sprinkle the house with holy water.
- Supporters of other esoteric traditions can walk around the house with a lit candle for purification , and they need to go through all the rooms and corners, even where the dark traveler has not been.
- From a purely medical point of view, it is important to treat the places where the mouse has been with a disinfectant solution using gloves - with chlorine, alkali or soap and peroxide. Because bats can carry diseases, they should not be touched with bare hands or come into contact with the animal's secretions.
You should not be afraid of simple everyday things, but if an event suggests terrible signs, think about how often you pray, whether you are holding bad thoughts or resentments that could attract a dark messenger to you. If there has been a bad atmosphere in the house lately, make peace with those with whom you are in a quarrel, throw away the trash, forgive the offenders so that the balance of light is restored.
Protect your home from bats
A regular mosquito net on windows is perfect for keeping bats out. Only if it is securely fastened, without slits. Bats fit through cracks just fine.
Lyudmila Korobkova told how she once met a bat on vacation. “I had a case when I stayed in an economy class hotel on vacation. It just so happened that there was a bat there. At night she flew and flew over the bed, and I could not catch her, observing safety precautions. After all, you need to not just grab it, but carefully, so as not to damage the mouse and so that it does not bite you. And when you turn on the light, she quickly hides. She hid so cleverly, although there seemed to be minimal furniture, but it was impossible to find it. I can hear her in the dark. I turn on the light and see in which direction she flew away. I start looking there, and nothing is visible. She deftly hid in some crevice behind the closet. Then I finally caught her and covered her with a rag.”
Ways to drive away animals
Regardless of whether you are faced with a single uninvited guest or are trying to conquer your own attic from bats, do not forget that these animals can be listed in the Red Book. Therefore, chemical or folk poisons have no place here. You must create such conditions so that the “guests” fly out of the apartment on their own.
Random guest
If you encounter a flying animal in your room, do not panic. The random guest is very confused herself. Finding herself in an unfamiliar environment, she will try to find a way out. And you need to help her a little. Follow three steps to remove a bat from your home.
- Clear the room. Remove children and pets from the room.
- Open the window. Turn on bright lights in the room, pull back the curtains and open the windows wide.
- Leave the room. Close the door behind you, and you can safely return in five to ten minutes. The bat will fly out during this time.
Fighting a massive invasion
If you are dealing not with one individual, but with an entire colony, then you need to act differently. Only the “tenants” need to be evicted closer to autumn, when the females feed all the young. If you drive out mice in the summer, you will doom the kids to a painful death, and turn your balcony or attic into a real breeding ground for infection. Therefore, put up with rustling and squeaking at night. Get into the fight this fall with these four steps.
- Surveillance. At night, carefully monitor through which cracks and loopholes the bats get out.
- Examination. When the entire flock leaves the home, carefully inspect the room again so that not a single animal remains in it.
- Repair. Now carefully seal all holes, cracks, loopholes using fiberglass, metal gratings, and sealants.
- Cleaning. Complete the procedure with general cleaning of the room using white, Domestos.
Repellents
If the expulsion procedure does not end in victory, pay attention to numerous methods that can scare away uninvited guests. They allow you to get rid of bats forever, but do not harm endangered animals. Four drugs are most effective.
- Naphthalene. You can drive out mice using mothballs. Place the substance in bags and hang it in different places. The specific smell will completely repel the animals. It is necessary to change naphthalene periodically. It works as long as it continues to smell. Despite its high efficiency, the method can only be used in non-residential premises. Naphthalene vapors are dangerous to humans and pets.
- Water. A simple way to get rid of mice is to take a shower. Point the hose at surfaces that attract “guests” and spray them with cold water. This will get rid of bats, but, unfortunately, not forever. The animals will calmly return to their places as soon as you dry out the garage or shed.
- Aerosol 876 4-Pack Bat Repellent. If you prefer to fight with industrial means, then pay attention to this drug. It contains peppermint oil. When working with the spray, you must take special care so that, along with repelling mice, you do not provoke intoxication in yourself or your pets.
- Ultrasonic repeller. This is another method that allows you to drive away bats without harming them. Such devices emit special signals that humans cannot hear. But this sound is perfectly captured by the “guests”. They cannot put up with such discomfort, so they quickly leave your walls.
There are other, less effective methods. For example, a smoker. But be prepared for the fact that you will have to smoke for at least three to four days. Mice are afraid of light and fans. But you are unlikely to like this procedure. A roaring fan and a bright spotlight are not at all conducive to good sleep. And the amount charged for electricity consumption is unlikely to please anyone.
Where can I turn in a bat that bit me and my pet?
If a bite does occur, the bite site should be treated with alcohol, chlorhexidine and go to the emergency room. There, at a minimum, they will give an injection for tetanus, says Lyudmila Korobkova.
If a bat attacks you and bites you, there is a suspicion of rabies. It makes sense to catch it and place it in a safe place - a tightly closed box or carrier,” Dimitry Kuznetsov, head of the center for radiation diagnostics and animal biotherapy of the SBBZh SAO, describes the algorithm of actions.
If she is alive, you can take her to the Mosvetstation for quarantine on your own without any direction. If she died, then the corpse is handed over to the city veterinary laboratory. Dimitry Kuznetsov
Head of the Center for Radiation Diagnostics and Biotherapy of Animals, SBBZh, Northern Administrative Okrug
The bat must be taken to these facilities to be tested for rabies. The fact is that after a bat bite, a pet must be taken as soon as possible to the nearest animal disease control station (animal disease control station - editor's note) for primary vaccination against rabies. Deliver within the first 48 hours. According to the instructions, after 14 days the bitten animal is re-vaccinated. However, if the bat turns out to be not rabid, then there is no need for repeated vaccination.
