I got a bat house!

A month or so ago, I went to a senior citizen craft fair.  They had some really nice things for sale.  There was a man who was selling bird houses and (you guessed it ) bat houses!  I've wanted one for years, but have balked at the prices on eBay and such.  We haven't put it up yet, but I have been researching the subject online.  I also got a bluebird house and bought another one from the same vendor at a craft show yesterday.  I don't worry too much about attracting bluebirds...we have a lot of luck with them...but I do worry that the bats might be picky little somebodies. 

Congratulations! To be honest, I've never heard of a bat house. They seem to like the loft in our garage and our back balcony (where Jamie has caught some). It'll be interesting to see if they accept the house.

I've never heard of a bat house.

Have you considered a barn owl house?
 

I want a bat house but I don't really have a good place to put it (high up, south-facing, etc.). I might look into a barn owl house, though. That would be cool.

jcat said:

Congratulations! To be honest, I've never heard of a bat house. They seem to like the loft in our garage and our back balcony (where Jamie has caught some). It'll be interesting to see if they accept the house.

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Thanks!  They look a lot like a big birdhouse with a slot for an entrance.  The babies grip to the rough wood inside (hopefully). 

Natalie_ca said:

I've never heard of a bat house.

Have you considered a barn owl house?
 

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I would love an owl house.  I used to see three owls on a neighbor's roof early every morning.  I always wondered if the neighbors knew they knew the owls were there. 

Way cool! Bats are wonderful creatures and they do a lot of good. There's a disease that's really decimating bat populations, so anything we can do to help them is a very good thing.

We have a butterfly house in the back garden (that's never gotten so much as one butterfly). We've been thinking about a couple bat houses for the side yard.

An owl house????? Wow! That would be cool, too!

I would love to have a bat house.  I believe it is called white nose disease that is killing off many bats.  IMO bats are one of the most misunderstood creatures. 

I think you have to buy some guano to attract them to the new house.
 

This is kind of what my bat house looks like.  Mine isn't quite this fancy, though.  These are double chambered, so I guess they would hold quite a few bats.  Thanks for the tip on the guano.  I bet they sell it on eBay.

That's pretty cool! I actually think we have one that the previous owners built, hanging in the woods along the house.

I am now shopping for a book about bats.  I think I've found a new hobby...

check out   batconservation.com

it provides insight on bat houses and such

Draco said:

check out   batconservation.com

it provides insight on bat houses and such

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Ah, thank you!  We are not planning to put our bat house up until the first hint of Spring, but I want to be prepared.  (Haven't even got the first one up and was trying to convince DH we needed a second at the next craft show we attended.  The man was selling them for $8.00...I thought that was an amazing deal.  It probably cost that much in lumber, not to mention the time and effort to build it.)

I love all creatures...bats too.  But rabies in bats is common in our area.  My daughters have both had bats get into their houses and they had to be sent away to be tested for rabies...the bats not the girls! lol

IMO, I would go for bird houses before I would encourage bats to be hanging around my home.  As I said, I love them, but rabies is deadly. 

So, did the bats they sent off have rabies? My bet is the answer is no.

Austin, TX, has a large bat population, concentrated under one large bridge over the lake. I think they are Mexican Freetail bats. I went across a bridge on I35 by Round Rock from which a mass of bats were leaving, right at sunset.

No they didn't.  But the protocol is if a bat is discovered in a house, the health deptartment in this county has to send it for testing.  It could have bitten someone while sleeping and that has to be addressed.

We do have bats here, they must travel a ways from their nesting area.  I am not a fanatic.  I will go outside while they are flying about catching bugs.  But I just would not encourage them to live near me.