Sudden Cold Temperatures Shock Big Brown Bats

The following story about big brown bats was shared with us by Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke.

During this winter we received many adult big brown bats that had gotten cold-stunned during sudden dips in temperature. Many arrived with lower weights and lethargy but otherwise were clinically healthy.

The bats came from all over southwestern Virginia. For the most impacted and debilitated bats, we started them on EmerAid IC Carnivore before transitioning them to a diet of insects.

Thankfully, we were able to release nearly every single bat back into the wild once the temperatures warmed up! The photo show one of the first bats we released in Danville, Virginia (admitted at 11 grams or about 0.4 ounces, released at 14 grams or about 0.5 ounces).