Austin Bat Hospital Blog

Bat Photos Coming Up!

I'm so excited!  A kind donor sent me the MR-14EX flash that fits on my camera with the macro lens that was also donated to me a year or so ago.  I can't wait to try it out.  I'm just waiting to get the instruction booklet so I can figure out how to use it.  I'll be adding new photos to my photo gallery soon!  I'm also excited to say that the article I wrote with Professor John Whitaker from Indiana about how red bat orphans learn to feed on flying insects without the help of a mother, is being published in this month's issue of Acta Chiropterologica, an international bat journal.

Grocery Store Gift Certificates

You can help buy baby food for the bats by sending the Austin Bat Hospital grocery store gift certificates!  Our grocery stores include HEB, Albertsons, and Randalls.  Send gift certificates to the Austin Bat Hospital at: 7601 Dee Gabriel Collins Rd, Austin Texas 78744.

Tooth brushes for X-mas

All I want for Christmas is a good tooth brush! Hey pals, help our little bat patients out with their dental care needs.  We use lots of Butler G-U-M Go Between cleaners to brush their tiny little bat teeth.  And best yet, they are cheap!  Find them at:  http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jhtml?CATID=100206&id=prod386185

Send donations to:

The Austin Bat Hopital,  7601 Dee Gabriel Collins Road,  Austin Texas 78744

Hurray! Donations!

I'm so excited. I got a few donations from some wonderful people and went “bat shopping”. I got vitamins, minerals, medicines, and new toothbrushes for the “kids.” I hate shopping except for bat supplies. I just love coming home with all the goodies I need for them.

The temperatures are warm here during the day (60s or 70s), but cold at night in the 30s or 40s. So I have to turn the heat on for the bats. I hate it when it's cold enough to need heat because it significantly decreases the humidity in the bat barn. I have to run a humidifier in there all of the time and even then I can't get it as high as I'd like. I don't like the humidity in the bat barn to drop below 60%. I see a big difference in the bats if the humidity is too low. They get dry skin and wing membranes very quickly.

I've gotten 4 free-tails caught in buildings and one eastern pipistrelle from a cave over the past couple of weeks. They were very weak and emaciated. I had to give a couple of them injections of electrolytes every few hours for about 24 hours before I could even feed them. Slowly they began eating blended mealworms and they are looking much better, although sill a bit weak yet.

I'm afraid the eastern pipistrelle I got had rabies. Most pipistrelles I get are pretty passive after they realize I'm not going to hurt them. But this one did nothing but bite, perpetually.

I'm working hard on the final version of the “Bat Talk” video with my friend and web designer, Bryan. I sure couldn't have done it without him. I'm hoping to have it finished before the first of the year.

Well, I see one of the dogs running off with one of my shoes. He tends to run out in the fields with them, so I'd better chase him down before he gets that far because it's dark outside and I'll never find it again if I don't!

Harvard Medical visits

Little “Putts” is doing very well. He is gaining weight and very alert these days. He looks awfully funny, with only one good eye, a curled ear, one messed up wing, and not a single hair on his body. But he sure eats well and interacts with the other bats in his cage now.

Sydney the cat is fine now too. I don't know what caused the swelling around his neck, but it has reduced significantly and he eats and behaves normally.

I had such a nice weekend. First of all, I took a few good bat pictures. For every 25 shots I take, Bryan (my web person) approves about 1 of them as good enough for my web site. Ah well. I just have to take lots and lots of pictures!

Secondly, two wonderful people came to visit me and the bats. One was a professor from Harvard Medical School. She was interested in the things I had learned about social communication. She is also a senior biologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and works with dolphins. How fascinating! She talked about similarities between the things they were learning about the dolphins and the things we were learning about the bats. It was such a pleasure to talk to her and she was so complimentary about the work I do. It was just so nice and moral boosting to have someone like that tell me how important my work was. She had a pathologist with her; he was really nice too.

I hope I let all of the wonderful people who help me in so many ways know how much their help has meant to me. Ethyl (an RN) and DW Brown helped me so much when I was first interested in bats and didn't even have a single good cage. They helped me build cages and care for red bats and put together the very first care manual I wrote. And there's Amanda Lollar who helps me with mealworms and medical supplies. She's worked with me on rehab books and shared so much of her own knowledge and experiences with me. I don't know what I would have done without her. I certainly wouldn't know as much about bat care as I do today without her help. And I am so appreciative of Carol Bunyard. She found an anonymous “guardian angel” who gave me such a wonderful camera which has given me the opportunity to share some of my photographs with other rehabbers. Elaine Acker and her family have done everything from purchase bat supplies to sew roosting pouches for my bats (thank you, Katherine!) And despite his less than complimentary critiques of my photography, I also appreciate Bryan Ockert, the computer genius who put together and maintains my web site. I wouldn't have a web site at all if it weren't for Bryan. And thanks to all of the rehabbers who help me in so many ways. I am lucky to have met and know so many wonderful people. Well, the bats and I appreciate each and every one of you!