Bat Milk Replacer

Milk substitute for orphaned microbat (insectivorous bat) pups.

Key Features

  • Like Mother’s Milk –  formulated to match the composition of microbat milk
  • High in Energy – elevated fat content required for bat pups.
  • Protein for Growth –  to cater for the rapid development of microbat pups.

Ingredients

Whole milk solids, whey protein, casein, vegetable oils, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, taurine, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, C, D3, E, K, biotin, choline, inositol, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, iodine, selenium.

 Typical Analysis

Protein 34%
Fat 43%
Ash 5%
Moisture 3%
Energy (ME) 25 MJ/kg

Pack Size

165g (makes 500mL)

Use Bat Milk Replacer for orphaned microbat (insectivorous bat) pups. Newborns that did not receive colostrum from the mother may benefit from Impact Colostrum Supplement. 

Making up Milk

To make 20mL of milk: Add 1 level scoop of powder (6.5g) with 15ml of warm water.

To make 100mL of milk: Add 33g of powder (5 scoops) with 70ml of warm water.

Add half the water to the powder first and mix to a paste. Then add the remaining water and mix thoroughly. Pre-boil the water to ensure that it is sterilised. If the water is too hot it can cause the milk to curdle. If it is too cold then it will be difficult to disperse the powder. Milk can be stored in the fridge for a day or can be frozen for up to two weeks. It is useful to make up milk in larger quantities and store it frozen in small portions (e.g. ice cube trays), so that the required daily feed volumes can be easily thawed out. Once thawed out, discard any unused milk, and wash feeding utensils thoroughly.

Feeding Guide

Pups should be warmed by hand before feeding. Warm milk to about 35°C and feed from an eye dropper or catheter & syringe. Feed every 2 hours for the first 3 days, reducing this to every 3 hours by week one and every 4 hours by week two. Stimulate young pups to defecate and urinate after each feed. To avoid dehydration during periods of hot weather provide drinks of pre-boiled water between feeds. Always offer drinking water once bat pups become mobile. Consult your veterinarian or specialist wildlife carer for particular advice about caring for microbat pups.

Growth

Different species of bats have different growth rates.  Refer to the growth chart for Gould's Wattled Bat, which may also be used as a guideline for other similar-sized species of microbat. It is important to weigh pups regularly on an accurate set of scales (to nearest 0.1g) to verify weight gains and determine the daily feed volume. Overfeeding milk can cause diarrhoea so feed the suggested volumes in our tables.

Weaning

When pups are about 3-4 weeks old (fully-furred) they should begin to show interest in solid food. To entice them to eat solids offer small mealworms or fly pupae with the heads removed. Once they start to eat solid food continue to increase the solids and reduce the milk in their diet until they are fully weaned at about 6-8 weeks (depending on species). Bats may be encouraged to eat Small Carnivore Food, made up as a moist crumble, supplemented with live insects. Feeder Insects can be supplemented Insect Booster to improve their nutritional quality.

 

 
 

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