Pipistrelle bats come in from the cold

14.07.11

Five common pipistrelle bats, which are only a few weeks old and weigh just a few grams each, are being hand-reared at our West Hatch Wildlife Centre near Taunton, Somerset.

Two of the bats were found separately after they crawled from their roosts to seek warmth during a spell of cold weather. Two fell down a chimney and the last was found alone in an abandoned roost.

Tiny but perfectly formed

Farm workers Anya Kean and Kristina Marck, both from New Zealand, discovered one of the bats at their cottage on Hill Farm, Stawly, Somerset on Saturday, 18 June. The bat was just a few days old and weighed just two grams.

Anya said: 

I noticed her lying on the floor and thought it was a plastic toy at first, then I realised it was a real bat. It was tiny, only about three or four centimetres. I picked it up and it was very cold so I wrapped it in a sock to warm it.

Our Inspector, Amanda Swift, who collected the bat and took it to West Hatch Wildlife Centre, said:

I’ve never come across such a young bat before. When I got there they handed me this sock and I couldn’t even see the bat, it was so small.  It was hiding right in the toe of the sock. It was the tiniest thing I’ve ever seen – no bigger than a 10p piece, but perfectly formed.

Hand-rearing pipistrelle bats

Wildlife assistant Michelle Reeves is now hand-rearing two of the bats, one of which was found next to an Aga oven in a West Sussex home.

One of the bats was in a real mess; you could see his little ribs. He only weighed one point six grams and he was very emaciated and covered in mites. I put him on three-hourly feeds and he really took to it. He now weighs three point one grams.

 

All of the bats are doing well and will soon be ready to start practising flying in the bat flight area at West Hatch, where staff will monitor their progress.

Once all the bats are fledged and healthy they will be released near to a known roost, where there is plenty of food available for them.

Pipistrelle bats seeking warmth and comfort

Pipistrelle bats often roost inside properties, in chimneys or roof spaces. It’s at this time of year they’re most likely to be found by members of the public when they crawl from the roost to seek warmth, usually because they have been orphaned.

Peter Venn, manager of West Hatch Wildlife Centre, said:

Bats that crawl from the roost will always look for somewhere dark and quiet but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s secure – if they get under a cushion or a doormat they can quite easily be crushed.

Anyone who finds a baby bat away from its roost should call our national cruelty and advice line on 0300 1234 999 or the Bat Conservation Trust on 0845 1300 228 for advice.

Get more advice on what to do with orphaned wild animals.

Pipistrelle bat facts

• Pipistrelles are the smallest and most common British bats. 
• There are two species of pipistrelle: the common pipistrelle and the soprano pipistrelle, which has a higher frequency echolocation call, used to hunt for prey.
• A single pipistrelle can eat 3,000 insects in just one night!
• An adult pipistrelle weighs on average just five grams – about the same as a 20p piece.
• In the summer they tend to roost in buildings, bat boxes and trees. In the winter they also use trees and buildings, as well as large churches and cellars. 
• Babies are born in June and July.
   

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