Maintenance and proper care of a bat at home

Many people get pets, focusing on their taste. Someone wants to have cats, dogs, hamsters, birds at home, and some prefer the exotic, for example, a bat. Few dare to keep this animal, which is practically not adapted for living at home.

What is a bat

These mice belong to the order Chiroptera. They live for about 30 years. They were called bats because the structure of their wings is rather unusual. The hind legs, sides of the body and toes of the front paws are interconnected elastic membrane.

In addition, the structure of the bat has the following:

• It is about the size of a small bird, like a sparrow or a titmouse, but at the same time it is very nimble.
• The head and body are covered with short fur, thick and soft.
• The head of this mammal is like that of an ordinary gray mouse.
• Sharp teeth reach 38 pieces.

The flight speed can reach 50 km/h. The bat is very well oriented in the dark, although it is practically blind, and all with excellent hearing. It lives mainly in caves and rock crevices.

House bat room

Keep these animals at home quite troublesome and difficult. In their natural habitat, they fly a lot. At home, they require a spacious enclosure in which the bats would move freely. The floor of the enclosure must always be kept clean, because these mammals defecate during the flight.

Bats have unstable body temperatures. These fluctuations directly depend on their physical activity. Therefore, the room temperature should be changed several times a day. In order for the digestive system of these animals to work well, the air temperature should be 30 degrees. At lower temperatures, the stomach of bats begins to perform its functions poorly, diseases occur and the animal dies. In addition, low temperatures have a bad effect on the sleep of mice, which also leads to various diseases.

To solve the problem with temperature, they make an aviary with several compartments, which are separated from each other by metal nets. The edges of the mesh must be well sealed so that the animal does not accidentally get hurt on them. Also between compartments it is necessary to make holes, allowing the bat to choose a temperature regime that is comfortable for her. Ignoring the correct temperature regime contributes to the occurrence of processes that significantly reduce the life of bats.

The aviary is supplied with drinking bowls in large quantities so that there is a lot of humidity that these animals love so much. They often hover over drinkers and begin to flap their wings very quickly, raising mist.

With the onset of winter, bats fall into a short hibernation that lasts a month and a half. Feeding is stopped a few days before and then they are moved to a compartment where there is a gradual decrease in temperature. If during hibernation the state of this mammal changes in any way, it should be moved to a warm compartment, interrupting hibernation. When a pet bat wakes up, it should be fed small meals at first.

Feeding the domestic bat

Feeding a bat kept at home is very difficult. Her diet is:

• Flour worms.
• Adult bugs.
• Pupae.
• Dairy mixtures.

To make the worms more nutritious, they are planted in special jars and feed heavily on foodcontaining protein and vitamins. Also, bats are given milk mixtures using a pipette. The mixture usually consists of milk, chicken yolk, brewer’s yeast or wheat bran, calcium glycerophosphate, honey, rosehip syrup and vitamin E. Regularly saturate the mixture with crushed multivitamin dragees.

The first time feeding is carried out in this way: the bat is held in hands in its natural position and bring a flour worm to the mouth. After that, the animals themselves must learn to eat the worms in the jar. They are very voracious. At one time, they are able to eat up to 60% of their mass, which can lead to indigestion and death of the animal. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly monitor the amount of food they consume.

Why you should not start a bat at home

This animal very quickly becomes tame, he loves affection and attention. However, those who want to have a pet bat need to know that:

• These mammals are nocturnal and stay awake from 23 p.m. to 7 a.m.and you need to communicate with them constantly. Without this, they can become depressed, ceasing to monitor and care for themselves. At night they fly, disturbing the sleep of their owner.
• Bats relieve themselves during the flight, so if the mouse lives in an apartment, feces will be on all pieces of furniture and curtains.
• They require a lot of insects, which must be obtained somewhere.

Therefore, the decision to have such a pet should be considered and approached with all responsibility.