Strange bat behavior, was this real? (1 Viewer)

More than a month ago I had a strange experience and had hard time figuring out if it was actually real or just a dream. I woke up at 4 am and saw something on the ground. When I raised my head, I realized it was a bat, and just at that moment it attacked my hand (although I can't recall feeling any pain) and flew out directly through a half-opened window. I was sleepy and it took me a while to realize what happened, I'm not sure if I woke up at that time or not. After that I just went back to sleep. Even when this course of action seems pretty unlikely, how much it seemed real (the windows were opened as I left them, and I rarely open them; I woke up from the same position as I went to sleep and even the amount of sunlight in my room was the same as when I woke up) makes me quite worried. When I woke up the second time, there was only one ’fresh’ wound right next to my nail which looked like a hangnail wound, and it could easily be there before. There are a lot of bats flying around our house at night, so I'm not sure if I should get vaccinated because of this event or not, therefore I'm asking for your advice.

Caschlen

Relevant might be to ask about your behaviour (not being judgemental) ...

Alcohol etc, watching late night vampire movies ...

Sounds a bit odd otherwise. If more than a month ago think too late to get vaccinated (thought incubation time for rabies shorter?) Anything else would be an unknown, so you can't get vaccinated for anyway?


btw where is Graz, presume you don't have actual Vampire Bats in your area?

dantheman said:

Relevant might be to ask about your behaviour (not being judgemental) ...

Alcohol etc, watching late night vampire movies ...

Click to expand...

Drinking less than 6 times a year, never smoked, never tried drugs, cant recall seeing a vampire movie during last few years if it helps you...

dantheman said:

Sounds a bit odd otherwise. If more than a month ago think too late to get vaccinated (thought incubation time for rabies shorter?)

Click to expand...

Incubation period for rabies can take up to two years

dantheman said:

btw where is Graz, presume you don't have actual Vampire Bats in your area?

Click to expand...

Every kind of bats can transmit a rabies virus and these are found all over the world, not only vampire bats.

Helping with whether a dream or not ... unless it was a waking dream or you were ill, really hard to say/help, but thanks.

Rabies - don't think we have it in UK, so not up to speed on it - didn't quite realise but presume that is your main worry? (And bat behaviour - normally wouldn't bite (hence my vampire bat question)- but rabies will make it more likely I believe?)


Welcome to BF btw, hopefully you'll get some more knowledgable answers to help you out.

Thanks,

I know it’s hard to tell, but I was just curious if someone could figure it out from a bat behavior, because as far as I know they usually circle around the room before eventually flying out and usually hardly take off from the ground.

As far as I know UK is probably the only bat rabies-free country in the world, but I'm from Austria, so it doesn't ease my mind much, and yeah, that's my main worry.

It's right that bats usually don't bite, even when they are rabid, but there were people who contracted rabies from them, because for some unknown reasons, they actually bit them.

Better safe than sorry, especially when rabies is a potential.
One of my neighbors in Connecticut lost a daughter to rabies from a bat bite she did not even feel.
Please talk to a doctor and get the rabies shots.

Rabies is definitely present in UK bats. Almost all positive tests have been from Daubenton's Bats and Serotines. A few years ago there was a fatal case of rabies in a bat worker who had caught it from handling a Daubenton's Bat.

This is probably the case you’re referring to KE : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/2509375.stm

Just get yourself vaccinated, the risk is not worth it.