Parasites

The treatment of external parasites in bats with the following method is very gentle and very safe with Beaphar pest atomizer (not spray !!!). Sometimes at Fressnapf or Dehner and always available on the Internet, 100ml about 7 €. Apply 3 sprays on a soft, thin cloth (not on the animal!) And thoroughly rub the entire bat with it, even the opened wings and ears are pulled through the cloth several times. The active ingredient is Naturpyrethrum, a contact insecticide, which in contrast to the artificial has only a half-life of 1/2 hour in the light, that does not poison the animal. Only the nose should always remain free during the procedure, the solvent is alcohol! Any mite that comes in contact with it dies soon, only in bat flies and ticks the effect is greatly delayed, which is better pulled with the tweezers. If you then wrap the bat in the cloth for a few minutes, leave your head free and feed it, it will not be long until most of the bat flies appear on the head and can be collected.

Due to the alcoholic solvent, the preparation burns on wounds, so it must not be used there.

The treatment of the flies requires special care and exercise, so that the delicate bones and joints are not injured or pulled in the wrong direction - always towards the ventral side!

The treatment should be repeated after 1 week.

Since a large part of the parasites resides in the environment of the animal, at the same time the quarantine box with soapy water is thoroughly wash out, with wooden boxes can be a treatment of the empty box with the hot air blower, and freezing of the empty box for several days is effective. Towels arrive in the washing machine. 

Small white knots are often found at the wing rims. These are mites sitting in the skin, which deposit their eggs there. On the first microscope photo is such a clutch, on the 2nd microscope photo is a young mite which just eclosed. 

The treatment is to dab Beaphar vermin spray (for small rodents) with a cotton swab on the wing rim - repeat the treatment about 3-4 days later again, in order to kill also the later eclosing nymphs.

Mite with a clutch under the bat skin.

Mit with a clutch in the wing skin of a bat.

mites clutch under microscope 

eclosed nymph 

Mite with clutch

Trombiculid mite

With only 3.1 g, a half-starved and thirsty bat was freed from a biscuit box kept in the storage room, full of biscuit crumbs in the fur - they could be easily brushed out, but the more than 20 ticks, which had already almost sucked the little guy, sat more firmly. In the meantime the bat has recovered well and has already gained 50% weight in 5 days. 

All eggs have to be collected individually or brushed out only in undamaged places, afterwards with an aqueous disinfectant. B. Braunol diluted 1: 5 with water. Carefully work with magnifying glass and pay attention to already hatched larvae, which also penetrate into body openings and wounds. Whole body control necessarily in the next 2 days on larvae! 

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.