Rabies fear: How to deal with it?

[NervousSubject]

To be fair to the OP they never mentioned a fear due to perceived exposure therefore saying it's impossible might be completely irrelevant. They may be fearing potential future exposures just as anyone who sees a mouse may think about Hantavirus or someone being triggered by a Daily Mail article.

The issue is the trigger.

OP - in the daytime it's very unlikely to be a bat. Butterflies aren't that large. Everything points to a bird.

It actually wasn't that large at all. Probably about the size of a monarch butterfly, but the thing that kind of tripped me out was that the wings didn't look like the usual butterflies I see over here.

The fact that it was flying low and sort of hovering around the plants does tell me that it was most likely a butterfly, but it just seemed like a very unusual looking one.

[NancyW]

Why not get to know bats better? They are fascinating little creatures.

2 weeks ago at an area summer camp there was one by a cabin. It was small, but absolutely, without a doubt, a bat... it did not sort of look like one, or sort of look like a butterfly. It was 100% a bat. So adorable minding his own business even though he had an audience.

They are much more interested in finding mosquitoes than bothering any of us.

[ErinKC]

It was almost certainly a humming bird. They are small, hover near flowers, are out during the day, and have wings that don't look like butterfly wings. Bats, on the other hand, are only out at night, do not hover near flowers, and are larger than a butterfly.

[shannonmegaw1]

Hey. No need to be worried. I have held bats before. You are safe trust me

[Shadowhawk]

Why not get to know bats better? They are fascinating little creatures.

2 weeks ago at an area summer camp there was one by a cabin. It was small, but absolutely, without a doubt, a bat... it did not sort of look like one, or sort of look like a butterfly. It was 100% a bat. So adorable minding his own business even though he had an audience.

They are much more interested in finding mosquitoes than bothering any of us.

They truly are amazing. I have been lucky enough to get to travel to Carlsbad caverns a few times, and staying for the nightly bat flight is just incredible. They tend to start off as a trickle, and then just pour out, all in search of a meal. The gentle rustling of the wings in the air is just mesmerizing.

[Fishmanpa]

Why not get to know bats better? They are fascinating little creatures.

2 weeks ago at an area summer camp there was one by a cabin. It was small, but absolutely, without a doubt, a bat... it did not sort of look like one, or sort of look like a butterfly. It was 100% a bat. So adorable minding his own business even though he had an audience.

They are much more interested in finding mosquitoes than bothering any of us.

When I was a kid my buddy and I used to catch them. We would take a pair of our mother's nylons (much to the anger of our mothers), put a rock in the toe and throw them in the air when the bats came out where we lived. The bat would grab the the nylons, get tangled up and the rock in the toe would bring them down. We would check them out, untangle them and let them go. Never got bit or anything. They're really cool creatures

Positive thoughts

[MyNameIsTerry]

It actually wasn't that large at all. Probably about the size of a monarch butterfly, but the thing that kind of tripped me out was that the wings didn't look like the usual butterflies I see over here.

The fact that it was flying low and sort of hovering around the plants does tell me that it was most likely a butterfly, but it just seemed like a very unusual looking one.

Yes, a bat wouldn't be hovering around plants. Bats fly very differently to birds and butterflies flutter which is again completely different.

It could even have been a moth. There are many colourful varieties. Thinking about them I'm pretty sure I've seen ones with very different types of wings. Perhaps the same is the case for butterflies?

[NervousSubject]

For context...this is how it started this month. I was mowing my lawn to mulch in leaves a little more than a week ago, and I saw this thing flying low to the ground...I can't really tell what it was, it didn't appear to be a bird...It was fluttering kind of like a butterfly, but I'm not sure...I didn't get a good enough look at it. It flew to my left and I lost sight of it and never saw it again. God, almost ten days later, this is hitting me so hard. The scariest part is not knowing for sure what the hell that thing flying near me was. I can only somewhat mentally picture it in my head...It looked like it was white, but also maybe a little brown-ish. It was fluttering, kinda like how you'd expect a butterfly would, but it didn't look like it had black wings.. I dont think it touched me, I was wearing long sweatpants and a sweater.

Normally, I'd think it might have been a leaf fluttering in the wind, but it seemed like it was alive.

I know that this sounds crazy, but I can't shake the thought that it was a sick and confused rabid bat that was out during the daytime and in November because it was sick.

[WhyIsItAllSoSpooky]

You'll be fine. It was at the most likely a big moth. Bats don't flutter, they act more like birds. They swoop by fast. Hell, here in New England we get big moths out in the daytime sometimes until late November, and because of Climate Change and all that, we got some in mid December!

I completely understand your fear though. I'm going through the same thing.

[Elen]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.

Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.

It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.

Elen