Shebbear Bat Care

06/07/2025

16/04/2025

A big thank you to the ladies of the Langtree W.I for inviting us to do a bat talk and for the wonderful donations it's very much appreciated.

11/04/2025

Just want to say a huge thank you to Leslie for the generous gifts to the Bat's. 🦇🦇.

13/11/2024

A story has been circulated in several media outlets about the cost of a structure being built over part of the length of the HS2 rail line as it passes a woodland Site of Special Scientific Interest in Buckinghamshire.
https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2024/11/high-speed-2-bat-protection-costs

08/08/2024

Should have added to last post a big thank you to Martin and Sarah not only did they bring the pip to us all the way from Exeter but they also gave us a wonderful donation. Also a huge thank you to Sam Nutt at Sam Bees Bats for her donation. It was a lovely surprise and will go towards the flight pen.
And a big thank you to all that have donated so far this year it is very much appreciated.

08/08/2024

The good the bad and the memorable. A few more bats have come in since the last post and a few have gone back home. Morwenstow,Hartland,Northlew,Ashbury and the Okehampton pip from the Rentokil warehouse all have gone home.The Ashbury bat was a interesting one as Mark held the pip up another bat flew in and flew around Marks hand until flying off followed by the little pip. But as one bat leaves another arrives, some more young pips have come in and a few Whiskered's.
Another memorable bat is a young Natterer's we have called Terf and Surf, l know it's a strange name for a bat but he was rolled up in some turf and as the finder unrolled it poor little bat was flipped into their pond.
Also in was a baby sparrow I found,we kept it safe over night and then passed it on to Sue Gear at Born To Be Wild.
Sadly there have been losses, three Natterer's two very underweight one's and one with a broken shoulder.Two Whiskered's one catted and another underweight one and some pips that were very underweight and one with a broken pelvis.

22/07/2024

PART TWO.
Sadly the BLE from St Melion passed away despite looking like she was picking up.
Thursday and another young BLE brought in to us. She was found hanging on a wall but has no injuries but is lethargic.
After flying the three drain pipe bats we decided to get them back home. The pipe had been removed so that no other bats could get stuck They were all released at the same time and flew off together.
We also released the sticky bat that had come in a couple of weeks earlier. He took his time to go but once others started emerging he was off.
Friday a call from a lady who had a bat roosting up on her curtains in North Petherwin. She had no idea how it had gotten in as no windows were open and thought it might have been in for over a week. Mark went over to collect it and try and see where it had come in. It was another young pip that was in good health. It looks like it might have come down a disused chimney. As it was healthy and flying we managed to get it back out that evening.
Before going to release the North Petherwin a call for a bat found on a rug in Halwill Junction. The finder had put it out on a chair,we asked them to retrieve it and secure it in a box and as we hadn't heard any thing Mark headed over. In the meantime the finder went to get the bat but it had gone. Mark arrived and looked everywhere but couldn't find it. Hopefully it was OK and just flew off.
Saturday NO BATS IN 👍
Sunday and first bat of the day collected from Hartland. A young pip found the night before and put out in the hope it would fly away. Mark collected it but on the way home had a call for a bat at Brandis Corner. This was a young Whiskered with one of its wings stuck together. It needs feeding up but it also has a bruised wrist.
Next call was for another young pip found grounded in Morwenstow. Again no injuries and just needs feeding up.On the way to collect that one Mark had a call from a finder in Bratton Clovelly. They meet at Halwill Junction, this was a young Natterer's but it was very underweight at only 4.2g and was covered head to tail in parasites. Sadly it passed away that evening.

22/07/2024

PART ONE.
Another relentless week on the bat front. Monday we collected a grounded female BLE from Penbode in Stratton,she looks OK but the finder reported he had seen blood so we are keeping a eye on her.
Tuesday we woke up to a message on the phone about a grounded bat. Luckily it was only a couple of minutes down the road. It's a young Whiskered that need to put on weight and strengthen its flight.
Wednesday, first bat in was actually found by Mark. So spiderman has spider senses and bat carers have bat senses.....not really but everything starts looking like a grounded bat,a leaf a piece of moss horse poo but this time it was actually a bat. Mark was driving down the road when he spotted something behind a drain pip of a house a couple of minutes down the road. He stopped the car in the middle of the road and gloved up,it was a Natterer's bat but sadly had a broken wing so unfortunately it was a trip to the vets. On his way there the second call came in this was for a grounded bat in St Anne's Chapel near Callington. This was a young pip with a very swollen wrist.
Third bat was brought to us from Ashbury it had fallen in front of the finders during the day.Its a older pip with no injuries but is underweight.
Forth bat ,so Mark had only just got in from Callington when a call came in for a bat that was seen in the finders garden but wasn't able to fly. We got them to capture it a put it in a box and asked if we could meet in Launceston as they were from St Melion near Callington.Sadly Launceston was just to far for them so another trip to Callington for us. This was a female BLE that was definitely unwell,she was malnourished,dehydrated and covered in fly eggs.
Fitth,sixth and seventh bats. The call most carers dread the multiple bat call. The finder had heard a noise in a down pipe and opened it up. Inside were the decomposed bodies of over eight bats one live bat flew off and three others were still alive. The finder brought them into us and fortunately they weren't in a bad condition. They were two adult female pips and one juvenile. After rehydrated fed and cleaned up they were settled in for the night.

14/07/2024

A week of ups and downs,a definite downer was the loss of the BLE we collected from Tavistock not long ago.After she had aborted her bady it looked like she had started to improve.We were hoping to get her back out but the morning after the thunderstorm the other weekend we came down to find blood in her pen.Lookimg her over we saw she had chewed her thumbs and edges of her wings to the bone.All we can think is the storm had stressed her out and sadly we had to have her euthanized. Another downer was a young pip Mark collected. Although the finder had said it was quite active when he arrived to collect it sadly it had passed away.
A young Whiskered we collected needs a bit of time in the flight pen as it wasn't great at flying but a pip that had been brought in was good so we decided to get it back that night.
The pip release was a bit of a definite up,we arrived at the finders just before the bats started to emerge. The first bat was seen so the little pip was raised up in a hope he would know where he was and fly off but no. He jumped off marks hand and landed on his front. Second try with more bat coming out he was raised up again only to fly over to a wall. One last try before packing up and heading back home with him. Mark held him in his hand and pondering whether or not to try again when little batty became very active. Mark raised him up and this time the little pip flew straight up doing a couple of circuits before heading to a line of trees and started flying around them. Then all of a sudden mum's and pups appeared all heading to the same tree line at which point we lost sight of our little pip.It was great to see young pups being taught by their mums how to hunt.
Another two pups came into care,first a young pip found on a house wall and with the hope the roost could be found there was no evidence of one. The finder had never seen any bats emerging from the house but we did ask if they could have a look about 20 minutes after sunset for a bit just in case.
Second pup was a BLE found in a kitchen but with no loft or BLE roost in the house the only place it could have come from was one of the many barns that were there.Sadly the weather was against us and we were unable to reunite.
Yesterday we collected a BLE from the vets in Callington he had a very nasty wound on his wing and some exposed finger bones but the worst wound was to his head. One of his eyes was hanging out and he was bobbing his head up and down. It was decided there and then to euthanize him.
Today and another very small Pip that had fallen off mum when she had flown in trough a bedroom window. The roost was above the bedroom and one of the entrances was found but some wasps were also using it. Not wanting to put the pup into an area with wasps another route was found and after hearing adults the pup was offered up and it crawled towards the calls.

08/07/2024

Another week finished with more bats added to the growing number.Monday Mark collected a female pip from westmoor vets in Tavistock.She was found under a tree at the primary school and has a swollen wrist. Sadly it looks like she had a pup back at her roost but there is always a hope that it's old enough and didn't need mum anymore 🤞
On Tuesday evening we collected two juvenile bats from lewdown. One had been on a wall for nearly two days and the other was found in a dogs water bowl that was outside and had water in it.Both were starving,dehydrated cold and wet. Both are doing well now putting on weight and growing nicely.We did try and find a roost for them and apart from one bat seen flying over the roof of the finders home no evidence of where these two came from was found.
Wednesday NO BATS needing help 😀
Thursday we had a call for a bat found in a wood burner. She was a juvenile pip but had been in there for some time She was was covered in ash and was weak and dehydrated and passed away before Mark got her home .We were brought a juvenile Soprano Pip that was found on the finders bathroom floor in Little Torrington. She was in good condition and was flying so after a little feed we took her back and got her back to roost.
Friday first bat call came in for a catted baby bat in Northlew.We went over to get it but it turned out to be a adult male Pip.Sadly for him it turns out he was caught twice.First he was caught in the evening and the cat let him go in the house,he flew of and hid only to be discovered by the cat again and left on kitchen worktop. He doesn't look like he was injured to much and apart from a slight hole in his wing and a bleeding ear he is all good. He's on antibiotics at the moment just incase but hopefully we will be able to get him out again soon.
Next call was for a baby bat found on the floor of a property in Buckland Brewer.The finders didn't know they had a roost but after looking around Mark spotted the entrance.We took the Little one home to feed up and went back that evening hoping to get her back. After another check Mark noticed another baby hanging from the entrance but it had been dead for some time.We were also informed that the finders had found a dead adult in the garden some time before which had been caught by their cat. Sadly we couldn't get her back so she is with us now.
Saturday and first bat was from the property in Ashwater that is having issues with bats coming in. We know the property and thought things were sorted there but the previous owners have sold it and not informed the new owners that they have a maternaty roost. We think the bats are coming in from gaps between the ceiling and beams. The new owners are slowly blocking the gaps so hopefully it will stop this from happening again. Anyway the little pip was all good and after a little feed it went back into the roost.
Just after getting this one back home another call for a baby bat in Yelverton.This had been out for two nights first night before being discovered and the second when the finders after being given advice to leave it out on a hot water bottle for an hour decided to leave it out all night.Mark asked if they could meet halfway but they wanted to try leaving it out for a third night. Mark told them that the pip needed proper care and feeding and they said they would meet.The finders had tryed feeding the pup with honey water and when Mark collected it the little pup was very bloated.He's looking better now and his stomach has gone down.
Sunday morning and a call from castle vets in Launceston.They had a bat in that was caught on flypaper.It is a juvenile pip that was probably just out learning before getting stuck.Afer a good soaking in olive oil and then some baby shampoo he is all good again but is a bit scruffy now 😄
Sunday afternoon and with alot of chatter on WhatsApp about three bats basicly being left outside for a number of days Mark couldn't leave them to suffer and went to collect them.They were at different stages but all were very much in need of help.After taking it slow over night with them they have turned a corner and are doing well now.