• iheartneopetsEnglish
    48·
    11 months ago

    Hey, bats are very cute and I love them, but be sure not to handle them without gloves :)

    They are carriers of rabies.

    • PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.worldEnglish
      27·
      11 months ago

      Carriers of rabies is putting it lightly. If you’re able to touch a bat, it’s only because they want you to. They’re incredibly nimble flyers and won’t accidentally run into you unless they’re sick. Since they navigate by echolocation, it’s not like you’re going to just surprise them when they didn’t see you. You can walk through a swarm of healthy bats and not even feel a wing flap.

      It’s basically confirmation bias at work; if a bat runs into you, the odds are already stacked against you.

    • Bebo@literature.cafeEnglish
      4·
      11 months ago

      Or you can get infected by nipah virus if it’s a fruit bat. (It’s deadly but thankfully not common).

  • tygerprints@kbin.social
    29·
    11 months ago

    Careful about picking up bats, they often are carriers of rabies and other diseases, even if they aren’t sick themselves. And rabies can be transmitted just by touching them, even if the bat is dead when you pick it up. At least wear gloves for protection, but it’s best to just not handle them at all.

    • Retrograde@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      11 months ago

      I’m already terrified of rabies but now you’re telling me it can transfer thru simple contact?

      • tygerprints@kbin.social
        2·
        11 months ago

        But to be clear, the majority of bats don’t carry rabies, it’s like 1 out of 200. Still you can get rabies if the saliva of a bat gets on your hands at all. And often, people get bitten don’t even realize it because bats teeth are very small. So, best practice is not to touch a living bat and not to handle dead bats without gloves, just to be safe.

      • tygerprints@kbin.social
        1·
        11 months ago

        Yes. Here in Utah we have public service announcements telling people not to pick up dead bats with their bare hands, or ever handle live ones. Rabies are often transmitted just by touch alone, and the symptoms may not even show up for 2 to 3 months.

  • Vilian@lemmy.caEnglish
    8·
    11 months ago

    it’s definitely work for my girlfriend lol, but idk where i can find a palm sized bat :(

  • gigachad@feddit.deEnglish
    61·
    11 months ago

    For sure, but also our little friend could transmit Covid 3 so I’d be careful…