Dear Mary:

I have worked with Molossus bats and I encourage the flight putting them at the top of the fabric and then moving it gently.  Another strategy: I hold the bat in my hand and then I let it loose, putting a mattress or a towel to soften a possible fall.  You can try putting flies or wasps into a big enclosure to stimulate them to catch the insects during the flight.  I use these different techniques beginning with the fabric (moving it), then using the fall over a mattress, and the last is the big enclosure with insects.  I hope you will success in your attempt to rehabilitate these bats.

Dear Claudia,

Thank you for your suggestions. I have just been with the bats attempting flying practice before feeding them.

I have been trying to let loose the bat that I don't think has ever flown, but she lands on a suspended safety blanket after jumping down rather than flying. However, I have not tried putting her on a piece of fabric and moving it. I'll try that tomorrow.

Pipistrelle bats eat very small flies - like midges - but could try her in the larger mesh enclosure again if I was able to catch some. I'd possibly have to get her used to them / recognise them first, but it's a good idea - thanks.

The bat that flies short distances probably just needs lots of practice - which I'm trying to give her. 

Thanks again for your suggestions - much appreciated.

Dear Uwe,

Thank you so much for your advice. We are usually able to release our grounded bats, after we have made sure that they are able to fly competently, and we always release them to their 'home' area.

I agree - I am not able to teach the non-flying bat in the way that other bats could. I think that it might be the right thing to do, to ask whether the person who we know, who does have flying bats, would take both of these bats, either very shortly or after they have hibernated. This person came to teach our bat group earlier this year, and we were most impressed by the pictures of her flight cage.

However, I did like your idea of tying a mealworm to a thread and moving it in front of the one who has (probably) never flown. I do their flying practice every evening, before I feed them, and they are always hungry when I put them back into their tanks! I'll definitely try that tonight. I could also try this to encourage the other bat, who always flies down, to aim upwards.

Thanks again for your suggestions - much appreciated.

Dear Mary,

Uwe's sounds your best option, just in case you can't find anyone:

if flying insects are plentiful in the area where is the very large aviary, I would place your bats in there for one warm night and an insect attracting light on top-center of the aviary. Watch them during the night.

Dear Francesco,

Thank you for your help. Unfortunately, I don't know of an aviary in my area, but it would  be a really interesting option if I was able to access one.

At night, they tend to climb within their tanks, especially up the suspended material, and run around on the floor. As I mentioned in my explanation following my question; there does not seem to be a lot of wing stretching; the larger mesh enclosure that the bat who cannot fly did not encourage her to do anything more. However, there was not the temptation of flying insects.

I did try Uwe's novelty idea of a worm on the end of a thin string, but neither of the bats were interested. One appeared to see if she could smell it when I dangled it very close to her, but the other one who only flies downwards, flew underneath it, when I was trying to encourage her to fly upwards. I think they assumed that their little piles of worms would be left in their tanks as usual - easy pickings!

We are going to contact the person who has the flight cage to see what she thinks. She is very experienced in bat care.

Thanks very much for your answer - an interesting thought.

Dear Mary,

Excuse me but I am a bit confused now. You started saying that you don't know of any aviary in your area and you end saying that you are going to contact the person who has the flight cage...I think that as long as the bats are in too small enclosures they will not eat on flight. By the way, where are your located? Is approaching autumn to be considered before releasing them?

Cheers!

Dear Francesco,

I am sorry! I think it's just my understanding of the term. I interpreted 'aviary' as being linked with birds in captivity. The flight cage I mentioned is owned by someone who does bat work, and only puts bats in it.

I can quite see that in small spaced the bats won't fly. However, we create a safe area in our house; one of these two bats has flown there, but only downwards. Several times it has been the length of our staircase and hall, but always downwards. The other has never attempted to fly when out of her tank.

I'm located in East Yorkshire, UK. So it is coming up to hibernation time, but the autumn is mild and sunny at the moment.

In my reply to Uwe, I mentioned that if I take them to the person with a flight cage it might be before hibernation or afterwards. We'll be guided by the owner of the cage; she is much more knowledgeable about such things. 

We have successfully looked after a hibernating bat in the past.

Thanks again for advising me.

Thank you all for taking an interest in my bats. Today we took them to the person in the West Riding of Yorkshire who has a flight cage and is an expert in bats.

She has temporarily kept our bat who always descended in flight, to practice with the other bats in her flight cage. She collects small insects in a butterfly net to add to her flight cage. She wondered whether this bat was not using one wing as fully as the other so is going to see how she gets on.

She agreed with us about the other bat not having flown, and also suspected she had never learnt to fly. We had thought that this bat had strange jerky movements, and she wondered whether this was due to some form of head injury or inner ear damage, as her balance seems abnormal, although there is nothing visible. She did not feel that flying was an option, so advised us to take her home, but continue to look after her, and obtain the necessary license for care for over 6 months duration. We have - in the past - used this bat as an 'educational bat', and she seemed quite happy to sit in my hand and have people look at her, after a talk that we gave.   

As both this bat and another bat that we have at home (who will never be able to live in the wild), have been with us for long enough for us to be confident that they are infection free, she advised us to put them together in a large net enclosure. This we did this evening (see attached pictures - although it's not easy to take pictures that actually demonstrate this). She advised us to monitor their interaction together, though.

Thanks again for your answers,

Mary 

Dear Mary:

Thanks for the update and good luck with your bats.

Thank you Mary and best wishes