Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 41

Thread: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Posts
    599

    This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Ok, this came out of the blue and now won't leave my mind. I've always been creeped out by rabies, but never worried I would be exposed as I live in the UK and it's extremely rare over here. The only recent case was a man who handled bats frequently.

    Last week, I was in a rush to use the bathroom having drank way too much water. So I hastily sat down on the toilet seat and felt a sudden sharp sting on my eh... posterior. It genuinely felt like a sharp bite on my left cheek. I shrugged it off, flushed the toilet and went on with my day. Then I started worrying because the "bite" was still aching and throbbing. I asked my boyfriend to take a look and he said he couldn't see anything but it looked slightly red in one area. I started freaking out a bit.

    I then started to worry that a bat had been hiding under the toilet seat. Yes, crazy I know. But the bathroom has an air vent directly over the toilet. That air vent leads to the front of the house where I regularly see bats swooping around for insects. In fact I had seen one a couple of days before. What if it crawled in for shelter and found it's way into the bathroom? I read that they go looking for water when trapped in a house, so what if it crawled under the toilet lid (they can squish themselves into small spaces). I know they can end up in toilets. It even happened in my old house growing up when bats would frequently end up in bathrooms and bedrooms.

    I ran down to the bathroom to check under the lid and saw nothing. But what if I had flushed the bat away after it bit me? I didn't look when I did it, so it could have bitten me, then been quickly flushed away by the water as I washed my hands, completely unaware of its presence.

    Now I'm terrified I've had those one in a million encounters with a rabies carrying bat that bit me and got flushed away. I genuinely felt that sharp sting. It actually made me jump when it happened, so what on earth caused that if not something with teeth?

    I know I can't go to a doctor about this as I saw nothing and have a "what if" scenario going here. I'd be turned away for sure. I'm genuinely terrified something happened, and my lack of attention missed spotting the bat before flushing it away.

    I'm sure I'll get replies telling me I'm being really irrational (I really hope I am), or there's no rabies in the UK. Rabies is present in the UK, just rare, bats do get disorientated and end up in houses, the vent leading to the bathroom is right next to where they fly, and I felt something sharp when I sat down. I saw a bat two days before this. It should have been hibernating. Maybe it was just starting to get sick and confused. Lets say it was indeed a bat hiding under the toilet seat, why would it bite if NOT rabid, as they are generally very gentle and human shy?

    Anything to calm me own would be greatly appreciated because my boyfriend just looked at me like I was going slowly insane. I'm filled with a feeling of dread that this is some freak encounter and I'll die a horrible death and be some headline in a terrible red top paper.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    24,661

    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    DUDE! C'mon now!.....

    FMP
    __________________
    "Eat. Drink. Enjoy the work you do. Be thankful for the blessings God gives you in this life. Live, love and seek out the things that bring your heart joy. The rest is meaningless... Like chasing the wind." King Solomon

    The best help is the help you give yourself! http://cbt4panic.org/

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Posts
    8,333

    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    The UK has been rabies-free since the beginning of the 20th century, with the exception of rabies-like viruses in some wild bat species. The last recorded rabies case in the UK was in 2012. In that instance, the individual was bitten by a dog in South Asia.
    .
    __________________
    Emmz xx

    nolite te basstardes carborundorum





  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Posts
    599

    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Quote Originally Posted by venusbluejeans View Post
    .
    The Lyssavirus is still present in a common bat species here, which causes the same death as rabies. I'm worried that one of those bats made it's way into my house and bit me. Even the NHS guidelines say if a bat bites you in the UK you need post exposure treatment. Its confusing that the UK claims to be rabies free yet they still find it in bats. I know I'm really reaching here, but I just can't talk myself down from the possibility I was bitten.

    According to the Gov.uk site "The most recent case of rabies in a bat in Great Britain was in July 2020".

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Posts
    599

    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Quote Originally Posted by Fishmanpa View Post
    DUDE! C'mon now!.....

    FMP
    Can't quite get it out of my head. Bats are tiny over here, so I might not have seen it hiding.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Posts
    599

    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    According to public health England "Bat bites, especiallyin the UK, are often felt and not seen.They usually do not leave a mark and may not bleed" - wonderful. I'm doomed.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    , , United Kingdom.
    Posts
    46,959

    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Oh come on please.

    A bat hid under your toilet seat to bite you?

    No way.
    __________________
    Nicola

    “Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to live forever, you just have to live.” - Natalie Babbitt

    Please help keep NMP running and donate to the running costs: http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/donate




  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Posts
    599

    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Quote Originally Posted by nomorepanic View Post
    Oh come on please.

    A bat hid under your toilet seat to bite you?

    No way.
    Well, not intentionally no. Maybe it was trying to shelter there after getting trapped in the bathroom. I might have accidentally disturbed it. I just can't figure out what would cause a sudden stinging/piercing sensation in a very small area on my skin. Felt really like a bite. Theres a direct vent into the bathroom from outside and maybe it crawled through to stay warm due to the really cold snap we are having.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    , , United Kingdom.
    Posts
    46,959

    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    They would not be able to get through a bathroom vent.

    Probably a mosquito
    __________________
    Nicola

    “Don't be afraid of death; be afraid of an unlived life. You don't have to live forever, you just have to live.” - Natalie Babbitt

    Please help keep NMP running and donate to the running costs: http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/donate




  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Posts
    599

    Re: This is a new one. Bat under toilet seat?

    Quote Originally Posted by nomorepanic View Post
    They would not be able to get through a bathroom vent.

    Probably a mosquito
    The opening in the vents are probably the width of a finger. UK Bats can squeeze through that size as they're pretty tiny. Is there usually mesh behind those vents? I'm in a fairly modern house that was probably built in the last 12 years. I'm hoping there's some kind of mesh in between vent openings to prevent small mammals getting through. There's also an extractor fan, which I'm hoping has some kind of filter that stops animals getting through. That's what I'm trying to focus on to rationalise this whole situation.

Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Getting HIV or Hep C from period blood on a toilet seat?
    By UnhappyWorrier in forum Health Anxiety
    Replies: 55
    Last Post: 14-03-19, 00:26
  2. Blood on the front of toilet seat
    By Limeslime in forum Symptoms
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 14-09-18, 10:51
  3. Public toilet seat! help!
    By GirlAfraid23 in forum Health Anxiety
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 06-02-13, 21:51
  4. Bright red blood on toilet seat
    By phil06 in forum Health Anxiety
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 08-04-12, 19:03
  5. HIV from blood on toilet seat
    By SH2727 in forum Health Anxiety
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 02-04-12, 14:19

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •