The Wayne Family: A Bat Adventure

So, I know bats are actually pretty cute in photos and maybe even occasionally is real life. HOWEVER, they are not cute when they take large winding flights around your living room in the middle of the night - especially when you didn't know they were there.

It all started the first Sunday after move-in. I was laying in bed, prepping for the first day of classes the next day. Then I heard a bump in the living room and some quick feet running past my door. So, naturally, I went to investigate what was going on. When I cracked my door I heard my roommate whisper my name followed by a very concerning sentence. "There is a bat in the living room."

It took all four of us, a lot of screaming, a failed attempt at capture, and a wide open front door before our little friend flew outside. We did a little research and convinced ourselves that the bat must've been just a lost pup, and that our problem was over. We were greatly mistaken.

We made it a couple of weeks before the second appearance. On that night we went straight to the open door process, but our little friend refused to leave. We began calling this one Bruce. Well, after about an hour of screaming and attempting to get Bruce to leave, we gave up and decided to close all the doors and hide in our rooms until daylight broke. The next morning, Bruce was nowhere to be seen.

Flash forward to later that same week. I entered the kitchen looking for a snack because that is what college students do, and stumbled upon a snoozing Bruce on top of our cabinets. This time one of my roommates (with a lot of emotional support from a safe distance) got little Bruce all cozied up in a box for relocation. After dropping Bruce off in the middle of nowhere, we went back to the house - once again assuming that we would be bat free. Once again, very mistaken.

I went back into the kitchen on a second exploration for snacks. I got very close to opening the fridge, and was greeted by what we assume to be Bruce's brother - we called him Robin. This time we ended up calling critter control services to have someone come get the bat because we were tired, concerned, and honestly very over it. When the person arrived, he had to euthanize Robin so he could be sent in for testing. Turns out our little nest of bats was rabies free. During all of this we were completely terrified that our leasing company would do nothing about our problem, but our property manager actually got someone out to the house the next day to seal up and of the entrances the Wayne family had been using to enter.

Other than some scratching in the walls the first few nights after getting sealed out, we haven't had another visitor from the Wayne family. We all sleep a little better now, but we also live in semi-constant fear that there will be a grand return to avenge the death of their fallen brother Robin.