couchtripper

NIPOMO, Calif. (AP) - Sheila Kearns had a Christmas tree delivered to her home on Sunday. She says she thought she'd been pricked by pine needles when she reached into the tree while decorating it. But the next morning, she found a bat hanging upside down in her home.

It turns out that the Christmas tree farm Kearns bought from keeps bats around for pest control and that one unwittingly hitched a ride to her home.

Animal control officials picked up the bat, which tested negative for rabies.

Kearns got a tetanus shot and some antibiotics, but says she's not fazed. She says she'll keep buying her trees from the same farm.

I'm sure Bat's been found in stranger places than that before!

That would freak me right out..... I'm terrified of bats (unless it's George Clooney dressed in a costume).

faceless wrote:I'm sure Bat's been found in stranger places than that before!

I would imagine!

awww...

I lub bats (no not faceless's bro', but he's alright...)

Shame they had to test it for rabies (if you don't know how they do it, google it) poor thing.

I know for sure it would have become a pet in our house...

6ULDV8 wrote: Shame they had to test it for rabies (if you don't know how they do it, google it) poor thing.

Hmmmm..... I hadn't realized.... thought it was a blood test.

We sometimes get bat bite calls on our health line and have to refer people to public health. Often if people wake up with a bat in their bedroom, we will refer them for rabies testing, since you can often get bitten by a bat and not feel or see it.

I still find them freaky things!!!

I have had to have rabies shots, not pleasant at all, even the new stuff used now...
Specialy if you have a bad reaction to the stuff as I did, but certainly needed.

Bats don't carry rabies as much as talked about tho'...
Certainly the blood drinking ones can & do, but regular bats are not a risk as much as their non flying rodent / pest types or even cats n' dogs (lets not forget foxes & badgers).

I have seen rabid animals & they are not pleasant & humans who are rabid are not too pretty either (poor buggers).

6ULDV8 wrote:I have had to have rabies shots, not pleasant at all, even the new stuff used now...
Specialy if you have a bad reaction to the stuff as I did, but certainly needed.

Bats don't carry rabies as much as talked about tho'...
Certainly the blood drinking ones can & do, but regular bats are not a risk as much as their non flying rodent / pest types or even cats n' dogs (lets not forget foxes & badgers).

I have seen rabid animals & they are not pleasant & humans who are rabid are not too pretty either (poor buggers).

I've never seen a rabid animal before....well other than seeing Cujo, but of course that was only a film.

Was that true to life the way they had Cujo? ... and does it effect people the same way as it effects animals?

Even bats need a little Christmas !!!

Bats don't carry rabies as much as talked about tho'...
Certainly the blood drinking ones can & do, but regular bats are not a risk as much as their non flying rodent / pest types or even cats n' dogs (lets not forget foxes & badgers).
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You're right.... it's not as "popular" as most people think. We get lots of calls about it at work but it's really only the stray or really wild animals that are at risk... or domesticated animals with a known risk.

And long gone are the days where you get the rabies shots in the stomach. So things are a lot better in that respect, too.

I had a pet Bat years ago. His name was "Batty" and I kept him in a large bird cage. He flew onto my enclosed back porch injured. I nursed him back to health and then released him. GOD I MISS BATTY !!!!!!

I would love a pet fruit bat... like the one in the old TV ads... errr fruit pastels I think?
I'd call him Eric... Eric the fruit bat...
(ohh so monty python)

The wife is more oldschool goth/punk & wouldn't mind a more sinister looking bat...

The kids... well if I asked em they'd want one so I won't concern myself with that...

Have to say tho' amongst other things bats depicted in all manner of things outside of the 'batman' logo is a common binding agent between the wife & myself, but then so was both of us having an unusual coffee table for years before we knew eachother.... (we both had glass topped coffins as coffee tables for years before we knew eachother, with that in mind... bats kinda' follow suit).

Animal control officials picked up the bat, which tested negative for rabies.


Thank god they didn't do a drug test on me

Bat wrote:Animal control officials picked up the bat, which tested negative for rabies.


Thank god they didn't do a drug test on me

So that's where you've been hiding!!!

Happy Holidays!

Bat wrote:Animal control officials picked up the bat, which tested negative for rabies.


Thank god they didn't do a drug test on me

Glad that you got away then Bat! Glad to see you!