I wasn’t sure how things would pan out with my very lucky ‘almost drowned’ ‘Teabag’ Pipistrelle bat. She’d started to accept food, but she was reticent and inactive and just remained curled up in a corner – it was almost as if she was still in shock from her watery nightmare. She needed encouragement to move around, and unfortunately, my old, small mosquito tent (that could be erected indoors and out) had sadly broken. I’d recently purchased a two-person mosquito net tent; however, this was large and for outdoors; I needed something smaller so that I could closely monitor her movements.
Thankfully, a fellow bat carer had recently recommended a Puppy Playpen: I’d purchased one and was ready. The playpen is small enough to use inside or outside. And on a warm evening, I placed her inside it; and sat outside with her. Slowly but surely, the night air stirred her, and my little shocked and rigid Pip bat flew. It is only a tiny area, but it was a joy to see. Ideally, the next step would have been to fly her in an outside bat flight; this is where she would manoeuvre properly, catch insects, and build up strength.
Sadly, my old outdoor bat flight also rotted away a couple of years ago, so the best I can do for my bats at present is to fly them in an old pigeon loft that we’ve renovated and converted into a bat gym. We flew my little bat in the gym for two nights, and once she got going, there was no stopping her. It was a fantastic transformation.
With the weather looking suitable for a few nights ahead, I finally released my lucky little Teabag bat at the property where she’d been found. Fly safe and free, my ‘little one’.