CA, US & World
Virginia Woman Wakes to Bat Trying to Get Into Her Mouth
A Richmond, Virginia, doctor's bizarre nightmare became a real-life scare when she woke up to a bat trying to get into her mouth.
Dr. Krista Edelman, a gastroenterologist, said she was asleep in her nearly 100-year-old Richmond home when she began dreaming about a small field mouse trying to crawl into her mouth.
But when she reached toward her face, she realized the animal was very real — and it was a bat.
"I screamed," Edelman told WTVR. "There's a bat in my mouth. The bat is trying to get in my mouth."
Edelman said the bat was attempting to burrow between her lips. She quickly threw it across the room before waking her husband.
Because bats can carry rabies and their bites can be extremely difficult to detect, Edelman researched what to do next. She and her husband were able to capture the bat in a bucket so it could be tested.
An infectious disease specialist urged Edelman to seek treatment immediately. She went to the emergency department at St. Mary's Hospital, where she works, and received preventive rabies treatment.
The good news: The bat later tested negative for rabies.
Virginia's public health veterinarian, Dr. Julia Murphy, told WTVR that bat submissions for rabies testing are up this year compared with previous years, although the number of bats testing positive has not increased. She recommends trapping a bat when possible and contacting the local health department for guidance.
The situation is particularly concerning when someone wakes up in a room with a bat because a bite may go unnoticed. WTVR's medical expert said bat teeth are so small that people may not realize they have been bitten.
Virginia health officials have also issued recent reminders to avoid contact with bats and other wild animals. The Richmond City Health District reported a rabies-positive fox in July, while Henrico County reported a rabies-positive bat earlier this year.
Edelman said she shared her experience as a warning to others after realizing she wasn't completely sure what to do when confronted with the unusual situation.
Her bizarre encounter quickly went viral, with her original Instagram post receiving tens of thousands of shares and likes.
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By: NBC Palm Springs
August 26, 2026
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