The Management Of Bats In Captivity
The management of bats in captivity is very important. They are common patients in wildlife recovery centers, especially the young that are found by pedestrians outside their nests, or sick individuals.
General information on the handling of bats
First of all, anyone who will be in contact with bats should receive rabies vaccination as a preventive method. These animals tend to bite and can be infected, so there is little prevention. That is why the use of leather gloves is also recommended at all times.
When it comes to picking them up, the use of large cloth sacks can be useful to contain them for several hours. The ideal size of these bags varies depending on the species present in the rescue area. In any case, each bag should contain only one individual. And they will be placed in suspension, well secured, inside cardboard or wooden boxes when they are going to be collected, to facilitate their transport and avoid blows.
Bats in captivity
Facilities
Bats require large facilities, especially the larger species. If so, the easiest way to catch them for examination is to use a butterfly net.
Within these facilities it is recommended to place shelters – made of wood – where they can hang and hide. Ideally, at least three or four per installation. Those bats forced to be in small facilities and forming large groups often suffer injuries and alopecia, derived from stress and fights with other individuals.
Despite the fact that they are social animals, they usually feed them alone. Therefore, it is necessary to facilitate the availability of spaces to get away from other individuals. For example, in large groups, several food trays have to be arranged at different points in the room, far from each other. In addition, in this way we prevent possible collisions when ‘landing’.
Since bats tolerate the cold quite poorly, it is recommended to provide them with a temperature in the facilities close to 38 ºC. And at night you have to keep the radiator off so that there is that day-night duality. With these measures, the animals have shown higher survival rates and higher feed consumption.
Feeding
Many bats tend to capture their prey or pick up the pieces of fruit in flight. But those that have been caught recently, and kept in containers that are not large enough, can show difficulties when it comes to flying.
In the first days after capture, the food must be placed accessible on the floor of the facility ; otherwise, premature death could occur. Some individuals will even need to be hand fed until they are able to do it themselves.
Diseases and causes of death
The first cause of mortality in bats in captivity is the stress of the capture itself, which occurs in the first hours. Those who survive can develop salmonellosis and other infections derived from injuries generated during transport and fights with other individuals. Ectoparasites are also quite common, which in young individuals can even cause death.
Bats in captivity: the breeding season
In the event that newborn bats arrive at the clinic, they will need to be administered a special formula using a syringe. They will be fed four times a day, with the amount corresponding to 5% of their weight. And it is important to keep them at temperatures between 36 and 40 ºC for at least two hours before being fed.
