Here you can see a so-called "twisted wing" The metacarpal wing part lies above the elbow joint. This is very painful for the animals and they need immediate help. If no-one is on site who knows how to correct the wing, please give our vet a call (0157-30910222)! If after the correction the elbow joint is thick or the animal continues to show pain, please also give our vet a call immediately.
Twisted wings may cause pressure necrosis in the elbow and inflammations.
Please note that the animals might bite because they are in pain.
Bats that had a twisted wings, cannot be released soon, because first the elbow needs time for stabilization.
How does a bat get a twisted wing? Twisted wings may be a result of cleaning the wings by the bat him-/herself, when the bat has an injured shoulder or elbow. Bats with an injured shoulder / elbow joint may have difficulty in returning the wing back into the correct position. 

This wing is ok: 

In case of a foot injury you have to help bats with their fur care by brushing the fur carefully: 

A Nyctalus noctula with cystitis is currently in intensive medical treatment. Cystitis is in many cases fatal for bats. The situation is critical. 

Clogged gland must be treated by a veterinarian. 

Two days ago, a completely dry, emaciated pygmy bat came to us, motionless and almost dead. Skin folds pulled up on the back remained permanently, a sign of an acutely life-threatening exsiccosis (dehydration), which must be treated as quickly as possible.

After a slow infusion of lots of warm electrolyte solution, she gradually came back to herself and was able to swallow at least 2 drops of water. A while later she took 3 drops of puppy milk, digestible and liquid. Careful rehydration was continued every few hours, and her partially dried skins were gently massaged with ureasalve.

Also on the following day the infusion had to be repeated, but now she was already licking a little at expressed mealworms, and she was already hanging like a bat. Today, another improvement has been seen: urine heel and droppings work again, and expressed mealworms are still being taken slowly but gladly. Unfortunately, the two wing tips could not be saved, they were already dead. Fortunately, however, the other wing-parts and the tail tip are again supplied with blood. Since the wing tips have been lost symmetrically on both sides, this will hardly hinder her ability to fly later, and when she recovers, she will quickly learn how to handle it. She is still not completely out of danger and is still taken care of every few hours, but we are optimistic that she will continue to be on the mend. Keep your fingers crossed! 

Dehydration / Exsiccose: Wings treated with urosalbe 

Exsiccose: mummified wing tips 

This bat suffered chemical burns of unknown cause - it survived and could be reintroduced healthy. Please contact a veterinarian.

Note for Bat Rescue Stations:

Please always take a close look at the feet of bats. This serious injury was caused by sharp-edged ventilation slots in a box. We hope that the toes can still be saved. You can see that the blood vessel is congested and the foot is swollen because the blood can no longer drain normally.

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The stickers say that there is a bat in the box and that the box must be brought closed to our vet. Why? We hope it will never happen, but it can still happen that our response team is involved in a traffic accident. With the stickers, the rescue workers at the scene of the accident can rescue the bat and bring it to our vet. We recommend that everyone transporting an animal should think about what will help rescue workers do the right thing for the animal in case of an accident.  

Hello, my name is Missi. We have different sleeping places in the station. I have chosen a place between 2 pillows - I love this place! 

We recommend the book "The Rehabilitation and Captive Care of Insectivorous Bats" by Amanda Lollar. Here you can order the book.  

For medical treatment information about bats please contact Bat World Sanctuary.