Good timing; an hour after receiving my new order of milk powder, I received my first pup rescue call of the year. I will attempt to reunite the pup with mum tonight, but in the meantime, it’s crucial to feed him throughout the day and keep him warm until this evening. I hope it isn’t raining later.

Update: Thankfully, it wasn’t raining, but sadly the Pipistrelle mum did not collect her pup. The pup, now named Brucie called non-stop for her; he worked so hard to attract her attention. Other bats flew down to see him, but his mum didn’t show up. Brucie will now stay with us until he can look after himself and fly free. He will be fed milky drinks every few hours for a few weeks, then solid foods, along with his milk until he is released.

The photo shows the set-up I use to encourage bat mums to come down and collect their pups. The pups are young and small enough to latch on to their mum as she returns to the safety of the roost. 

I place a heat mat beneath the towel to keep the pup warm, and the towel is positioned so that should the pup fall he will land inside the cupped area of the soft towel beneath. We watch to ensure the pup stays safe, and, as in this case, often we also have the bat finder and family as company. 

It is important to keep a distance and relatively quiet so that the bats feel safe to fly down to collect their pup. Each time you hope that this one is Mum, but more often than not, it’s just fellow bats from the roost curious to see who the ‘Little One’ is. The equipment all looks a bit Heath-Robinson, but it works.

If you feel you can help please visit: Su’s Bats Donation Page