bats - Page 2

LadyHawke · 11-20-03, 09:31 AM

i have hundreds of bats here...i can sit on the porch and watch them, they are amazing flyers. periodically tho, they like to sneak in and help themselves to the all-you-can-eat buffet of crickets in my reptile room. when you catch them they have such tough little acts trying to look so ferocious, when really they look even more cute. over the summer we have caught about 4 bats, but when we think about it we are not sure if its 4 different bats or the same one coming back

Dom · 11-20-03, 11:24 AM

At my work we kept a good 20 bats and all I can say is they eat way too much and **** SOOO OFTEN .. cleaning the cage everymorning was HORRIBLE.. I would never ever consider keping an animal with such a fast digestive system..

Steele · 11-20-03, 05:46 PM

I like the wolfe or is it fox bats they can get 3 foot wingspan that is cool

Linds · 11-20-03, 10:26 PM

Flying foxes get crazy big and look like puppies

nolagurl · 11-21-03, 02:32 AM

I'm rather fond of bats myself. I think herpers, particularly snakes lovers, just have a fondness for misunderstood animals.
I lived at the Grand Canyon over the summer and they were all over the place. Night hiking was great as they would fly within inches of your face.

Invictus · 11-21-03, 10:20 AM

I agree, nolagurl.. herpers have a penchant for the exotic. That's probably why almost any store that carries reptiles also has tarantulas, scorps, and other inverts.

I also would LOVE to have a bat, but good luck finding any CBB ones! With the risk of disease, that's the only way I'd ever buy one. But, you never know. Someday they might be commonplace in the pet trade.

Hamster of Borg · 11-21-03, 11:19 AM

Its not likely they'll ever become common place in the pet trade, not as long as health departments and the CDC consider them a public health risk nation wide in the US and Canada. The permits to be able to just rehab them legally are not easy to get. The hassle involved if you did get caught with one doesn't extend to just the health department freaking out - but it can easily end up with fines, or even potentially, criminal charges if they think that you put anyone else at risk.

The CDC actually almost lifted its control on the possession/importation exotic bat species a couple of years ago when they were redoing the laws and then suddenly realized what that would mean and decided to keep it under their belt.

Bat care isn't really much more involved than most herp care - just a different set of rules to go by.

Ham

Brodie · 11-21-03, 11:58 AM

Here in Australia Flying Foxes used to make the perfect pets..until it was discovered they carried a rabies like disease.... Also I volunteer at my local wildlife park..we keep ghosts bats and a few other species..they arent very demanding at all however it isnt nice cleaning up all the mouse guts that are spread throughout the enclosure every morning

Cheers

nolagurl · 11-21-03, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brodie
it isnt nice cleaning up all the mouse guts that are spread throughout the enclosure every morning
Cheers

Hence why I like snakes. Swallow em hole, poop once a week or once a month depending on the size.

I volunteer at my local zoo. I help maintain the birds of prey. One falcon in particular likes to skin her mice. She's very good at it too! She leaves a tidy little *mouse coat*.

nolagurl · 11-21-03, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Invictus
herpers have a penchant for the exotic. That's probably why almost any store that carries reptiles also has tarantulas, scorps, and other inverts.

I still think bugs are icky! lol I don't hate them anymore but I won't touch one. There's nothing nastier than having a bug fly into your eye, ear, or mouth. They are really interesting, amazing critters but I'd never keep one.