A Moorpark man and his dog have been bitten by one of hundreds of bats who made themselves at home in the eaves of his roof.
Steve Spence says he was bitten by one as he was taking the trash containers to the street one night.
"I turned to come back to the house and a bat was crawling over my foot," said Spence. "I didn't feel the bite, but I saw a little, like a bee sting that wasn't there before. I ran in the house in a panic and called animal control."
They caught the bat, and it tested positive for rabies.
"I already got the vaccinations, Monday," said Spence. "Six needles. Three at the bite mark. So the top of the foot, two in one shoulder, one in another shoulder."
And still more shots will need to follow.
Spence's dog will have to endure the same shots and is now quarantined inside the house.
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And the couple has been ordered to get rid of the bats by the county health inspector and the city.
On Wednesday the city showed up to check on the work.
"The bats that are on the property must be contained on the property. They can't be allowed to leave," said John Brand, Moorpark City Manager Analyst.
Steve says he spent $1,000, and the bats are either dead or gone.
"My order was to trap and destroy," said Spence, "and I feel I've complied with it. No bats are leaving my house."
The City of Moorpark disagrees. They say they found fresh droppings.
But the homeowners wonder if this is a public health issue, why isn't the county stepping in to pay to irradiate the pests?
"We don't have the money. We're pretty much at the point where we have borrow money just to be able to pay for this expense," said Miriam Quintero, a homeowner.
The city says it will loan Steve and Miriam the money at a low or no interest loan if more work needs to be done.
Spence says the job is done, and the bats are gone.
