02/04/2025
We recently brought in ANOTHER bat patient. This big brown bat was caught in a sticky trap that is marketed as a way to control house pests such as mice. We see all kinds of animals in these traps, such as lizards, salamanders, frogs, birds, and bats - just to name a few. We appreciate that people bring in bycatch animals like this bat for treatment, but we strongly believe that NO animal should suffer in these glue traps. Keeping a house free of mice is important, but there are more humane alternatives. Prevention is the best medicine, and blocking off any potential entry points for mice will keep them from entering the home. Additionally, making sure not to leave food or nesting material out where it can be accessed will make your home a less inviting place for small rodents. If the problem persists, we recommend classic snap traps for mice. Snap traps are less likely to catch non-target animals like birds and bats, and they kill mice quickly by breaking their spine.
Unlike a snap trap, death by glue is a slow and agonizing way for an animal to die. In their struggle to get free they often pull out hair, feathers, or scales as they writhe around in the glue. If they can't escape, they are left to starve to death. Getting products like this banned is difficult due to the lobbying power of the pest control industry, so it is our job as consumers to become educated and avoid using these products.
To treat this bat, our dedicated staff members used oil to carefully extract the animal from the glue and gave it an enclosure to recuperate in. Since we are in the season where wild bats should already have a place to tuck in for winter, we will keep this little guy in our care until spring, when we will be releasing our entire horde of big brown bats. While big brown bats are not endangered, bats as a group have struggled severely in recent decades due to loss of habitat and diseases like white nose syndrome. It's more important than ever to take care of these little night flyers, who actually do a lot of pest control for us by eating thousands of insects per year.
INDIANIA WILDLIFE
