Rescuing a flying-fox in a courtyard: this is Rozza
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ส.ค. 2022
- Rozza is an adult male Grey-Headed Flying-Fox who crash landed in a lightwell/courtyard area between two terrace houses.
This is the usual sort of rescue for this time of the year; usually adult males who are more adventurous looking for food in these times of scarcity. The rain has washed out most of the nectar and pollen from the blossom; the blossom is stimulated by the rain, but the food value is lost and finding food is harder for the bats still in the locality over winter.
I totally walked past him when I went into the courtyard, but the cleaner alerted me to where he was, hanging on the woodpile.
In care with the carer, he wasn't able to hang well on day 2; well, he pretended he was OK but after about 10 minutes when the carer went back to check on him, he was hanging very low and supporting himself in the corner of the cage with both thumbs. 4 point hanging means he's still quite dizzy and definitely not ready to fend for himself. Because the carer was running a course on the weekend, I went and collected him for another night's care, lounging around in the incubator.
By day 3 he looked a whole lot better, so I took him back to the carer's home to hang with the other bats (Quai, Derek, Tafia, Jenner, BJ and Sweden).
Jess was going to be along later to hang out the food for them, so I asked her to check on him and see how he was hanging. She said he was 4 point hanging, so I was going to come collect him however the carer drove home from the country course last night so he's with her still.
He hasn't "fallen over" (which is the term we use to describe how they look great at rescue and for the first 12 hours, then suddenly are really unwell and end up dying), so I expect he's a survivor, but taking a while to recover from his concussion. He'll be test hung every day to see how he's managing.
Since I don't normally do this aspect of care, I thought you'd like to see how despite them looking great sometimes, they really aren't well at all when you set them to hang. I thought Rozza was ready to hang, but by the time Jess got there half an hour later, he was 4 point hanging and hunched and huddled into a corner.
All this was lost in the fuss when one of the dogs got out and a search was made, not finding her, only to find she had been in the house the entire time and it was just that the gate blew open.
Rozza's name comes from the road, Roslyn Gardens.
It's an Aussie thing to turn Darren into Dazza, Sharon into Shazza, Ross into Rozza... (and apropos of nothing, any redhead gets called Bluey...)
They look so wide eyed at the whole thing, caught but not getting eaten and instead fed exotic and rare treats whilst having sweet comforting nothings directed at them... Baffling.
But oh so sweet lol.🖤🇨🇦
I wish Meg would find me lol ❤🙏🦇
I love how this wild creature closes his eyes when she rubs his head, like he clearly knows she is helping him.
What a good boy! He was so calm and accepting, I suspect it must be all those lovely pieces of yogurt covered fruit that won him over? He must think he’s won the fruit lottery! Such a handsome lad.
What a beautiful creature
It's so awesome, the amount of time you take with these sweet creatures to show them kindness and a bit of an easier life before they have to go back into the rough world again. You truly are an angel to them and such a caring person!
They're easy to care for, mostly; and it's satisfying
He was blending right in!
Yes, I was looking elsewhere for him though I would have found him eventually without help, since it was a limited space
I swear he was begging you with his beautiful eyes not to leave him.This pretty boy is a Heartbreakers. Thankyou Meg for always taking the time to share with us. 💜🐾❤️😎 USA
I saw the same around 20 minute or so🥺 In great hands/care💕
Thank you!
The cell phone on the left looks like you've left a TV in his cell for him to watch, giggle. We need bat TV!
😂 Same bat time...same bat channel! 🦇
@@eileenlester4342 😁👍Same thought!
@@eileenlester4342 exactly. I loved that part on batman
I thought just the same thing!
Yes, I quite liked that bit so I left it in.
Love those feet!!! 💜
2:18, MOP: "Bye friend" - I love that the MOP sees him as a friend! 🥰
Very handsome boy. Wishing him the best.
Yay!! He is a big one!
Not really - he's only 650g and his forearm is only 153mm, so he's not a big tall chunky boy by any means
@@Megabattie Oh, okay! I'm glad to see/hear he is doing well!
@@skyounkin He's still wonky and is using his sling because he's not hanging well and has rattled his brains significantly, but he hasn't died (and today is day 4) so he's most likely a survivor with significant concussion.
It always amazes me with FF's that a few hours in care and they just seem to 'know' you are trying to help them. I picked up a female who was about 10 or 12 weeks old about 30 years ago and I remember her screaming at me and only a few hours later accepting food off me and deciding I was an ok mum substitute. I had a little red boy in last year (got him off a barbed wire fence) and he accepted me within hours. Love these little characters.
I'm not sure Linda, but they are smart and they take your actions in context; they're smart and they can match your tone of voice with your actions and see they're not being hurt, so they give you a limited amount of trust.
Once you put them in with other bats, you are silently judged by the inverted meerkat jury who will hold your misdeeds against you.
They are passive alone, but they do hold their rebellion in their hearts and just allow you to be their slave without bonding with you.
Their actual carers get a limited parole, but interlopers (me) get the silent staring shunning treatment.
"Inverted meerkat jury" 🤣
“Why help myself, when I can be hand fed instead?” 😂
Thank you for everything that you do!
- Heather, USA
Hi Heather, he did help himself when I left him to it; he also ate everything last night when the carer left him in a hanging cage with a sling to support him.
Thank you Meg, for being there for are fuzzy friends, you and your ilk are so dedicated 💗 just thank you. 🌞🐘🍁🇨🇦🦇
There's something really satisfying about doing it, my Canadian Marion
Such a gorgeous big boy!!! 💜🦇💜
Rozza is certainly making the best of a “bad” situation; being hand fed bites of fruit and yogurt and lounging about. It amazes me how trusting and accepting they can be even as adults. To be fair if I was suddenly thrust into a room of strangers and they all began sniffing me aggressively, I expect I would also be quite hunched. I hope his head clears soon ❤️
I agree with you, I think I’d be a bit stressed in that social situation…at least they didn’t mob him.🖤🇨🇦
they did a bit
@@Megabattie It would have been enough for me.🖤🇨🇦
He's a master of camouflage!
Even fooled Meg!
😎🤭
Poor hungry bats searching desperately for food!
Yes, horrible years, these past 3 years or more; catastrophic for our beloved bats! One event after another! But they KOKO! Keep On Keeping On!
I love them so much!
Rozzy is a really handsome Flying-fox! Such a cute little muzzle, and his eyes are beautiful!
I loved his wonderful bigwings display that he gave our dear Meg! It was picture perfect! It still impresses me! Their wingspan is huge!
God bless, Brenda Reed!
Yes, that always makes me sad for them, it’s bad enough they are losing habitat daily, but the rains just make it harder. They take more chances when food is scarce, and more get hurt.🖤🇨🇦
Such a handsome boy. 🥰
Thank You For Saving These Wonderful Creatures
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
He's beautiful
Big wings, check. Reinforced glucose tube, also check.
The look on his face when you first gave him the grape is priceless!😇❤️🖤🦇🖤❤️
Lovely animals.
Rozzy is an especially handsome boy bat! His face and large eyes are gorgeous! What a fellow!
A “sky puppy!” 🥰
👋🏾🤗👍🏾
Soooo cute!
Rozza has the most expressive handsome face I’ve seen in a long time, and his fruit face is good too. He must have REALLY smacked his head, but he was trying SO hard to look normal when you put him to hang poor guy. I’m glad he is looking like a survivor, he is a darling.
The others were very well behaved, and didn’t rush him for sniffies. Derek made a dash for the door…still so cute, and Quai still reminds me of an Ookpic. Sweden didn’t look very happy in his corner, but they all seem pretty good. Thanks Meg.✨🖤🇨🇦
I still can't figure out why Sweden was so hunched, but he wasn't when the carer got home an hour later.
@@Megabattie I’m glad to hear that he is okay, maybe he was just tired of the crowd…or he was hiding something from them . Thanks for telling me.🖤🇨🇦
Rozza: Oh, you horrible creature! Big wings - B-GAK!!!
Meg, who knows her way around cranky, comforts him and gives him glucose.
Rozza: Oh, you are my most favorite horrible creature in the whole wide world!!!
What are you inflicting on me now - grapes? 😍😍😍
Hope he'll be a survivor 🤗
Lovely translation. I especially liked when his head disappeared into the blanket just after weighing…maybe if I don’t look it will all go away when I open my eyes again.🖤🇨🇦
@@tamarrajames3590 😁
Why feed myself when u have you too feed me 😂 bless him, he's adorable, i hope he'll be ok. all the best to all the Betty's that come in ❤❤
Rozza seems to really enjoy the "room service."
Hoping he continues to recover.
-Ali, Colorado
He's still wonky Ali, but he'll get there, having survived the first critical 48 hours.
What an awesome bedside manner you have, dear Meg! If only people could have such loving consideration in their time of being bed-bound!
Being cute and small helps enormously when care giving!
I love him! I hope and pray for Rozzy’s full recovery! God bless that bat!
God bless us, every one!
Hello dear friend, I was thinking just yesterday I hadn’t seen a comment from you in awhile, and I was hoping you were okay. You are so right about how much having a caregiver like Meg can help an I’ll person (or critter). He IS a very handsome guy, and I loved his wobbly big-wings. Bright Blessings Carolyn, it is good to know you are alright.🖤🇨🇦
@@tamarrajames3590 You are epic awesome sauce, dearly beloved! The bright light of this comment section.
The busyness is over for now, a breather before the next onslaught, thankfully!
God bless you abundantly always dearly beloved! God bless us, every one!
@@carolynnunes3922 Thank you so much dear one. I’m happy to know I was worried about nothing. It is lovely to see your shining light here again, enjoy the peace until the next rush.🖤🇨🇦
Rozza is so handsome!🤗Thank you for every single thing you do to help these beautiful Flying Foxes/Bats.They are so precious!!🦇💕
Thanks Tracy; you know I love to care for them.
Yes, Miss Meg, it shows how much you love caring for them by the way you handle each situation. Lovely little Batties, love them.
Such a silly good guy. He didn't scream much, only saying his complaints. Also like the reaction of "Oh no, the big wings didn't work, time to climb away!" ^^
Added: He is an extremely nice boy as well.
The "big wings" is actually a subliminal hug
not really, it's I'm big and scary and you should be terrified of me and stay well away.
"...and every time I was about to take a bite out of it , it put tasty fruit in my mouth , making me lose my train of thought ! Devilishly cunning these monsters are ! "
LOL! I looked away for a minute as I’m making coffee and when I looked back there was wee batty lying in bed with what I thought was a little batty television in the background! And then I realised it was a camera, filming 😂 Honestly, the level of loving care to these wee creatures is so great that even thinking he was tucked up with a television didn’t really surprise me :) x
I deliberately left that bit in because I liked it and that's what I thought it looked like. It entertained me that I had set him up in his own cabin with all the mod cons.
I love the mop " bye friend"s. * and every ginger cat ever in my family has been called bluey. every black cat was called snowy. * we take in old cats , so there have been several.
bron Victoria Australia.
exactly - anything red is blue, basically.
Hi Bron: I love Aussies. Meg
Lovely as you were giving him a wash, how he clung onto your hand, totally trusting & knowing you were helping him. Beautiful!🥰
Nah - he was clinging on because he couldn't be sure I wasn't going to let him go and wanted to make sure he was secure. He was a quite tense for that bit but he needed a bum wash.
@@Megabattie You are a lovely human and I thank you so much for your care & compassion!🤗
C'est tellement bon ce que vous faites pour ces petits êtres ❤️
I love his chipmunk cheeks!!! Adorableness!🦇💚
I loved this longer video. I really hope he feels better soon. Cheers from Silvana 🇺🇾
For a moment I thought Rozzer was using your mobile phone as a TV…all cozy in his little room 😆🦇😘🦇💖 what a sweetheart 💜❤️💕🦇🦇🦇
I was trying to get sideways footage of him when I fed him but I couldn't get the angle right.
You're so wonderful 💗 this boy knows a good thing when he finds it! I've been watching you for years, you never cease to amaze me.
He's still wonky and is in a cage with a sling now I think, and is using the sling
8:52 it is as if Rozza is like "oh my god you are so nice to me? why? I dont have to suffer or be afraid? everything will all be okay? I can eat & rest?" so cute you took such great care of him :)
Bat is beautifull but Megabattie is fantastic 😘🦇❤
Aw...he really really liked those head scratches
The way he opened his wings was like saying finally ! Now let's get outta here!!! I love how they always want to peek out of the blanket
I heard that he was able to hang in the cage yesterday for feeding, and after the night back in his sling, he'll probably be full-time in the cage with the others from today
There’s such a cute little expression on these guys’ faces while they are waiting to break through the skin of the grape!
“Working on it, working on it… this is gonna be so-mmmmmm. Yup, yum. *bat nomming sounds* O, an’ub eh? Ahmmmmm.”
Awwwww🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇❤love ur videos meg.I broke my foot.an I'm in pain.so I'm here watchin Bat videos
😊His chewing sounds are so adorable.❤
Poor you. I hope they give you enough medication to control the pain. If you were one of my bats you'd be suitably medicated, however you'd probably be euthanased, so on balance it's probably better you aren't in my care.
Delve into my files; check out all the playlists. I need views and more money to support me at the moment. Views are down and the US government is taxing me 24% because I can't fill out their form. I now have a US tax agent and a fixer in Australia whom I'm paying to sort this out.
18:30 he is so grateful, when you pet his head he calmly blinks saying "thank you" the amount of trust you build with them (to help them relax & heal) when you both know you are strangers is wonderful
Rozza has super expressive eyes
He's Lovely
Hello Meg grand merci pour votre humour et vos bons soins envers ces tous petits qui se disent pince moi je rêve je suis au paradis !.. Ah leurs regards confiants !.. Bon dimanche et prenez bien soin de vous !..
Hi Marie, Merci pour votre commentaire.
@@Megabattie Oh de rien Meg
He’s got a nice, big belly!
Fingers crossed Rozza keeps on improving and turns out to be a survivor.
He's still wonky but if he was going to die from his head smack he would be dead by now.
I've been watching this wonderful channel for a while and I've got to say Rozza is by far my favorite 🦇🦇🦇
What a sweet good boy ❤️
Fingers crossed for Rozza!!!!
At least it looks like we've got a survivor!
Yep, he's a survivor who has lasted since rescue early Thursday last week (he's day 5 today)
He was doing some fantastic chipmunk cheeks in the incubator. 🥰 Never ceases to amaze me how quickly they put it together that the giant that captured them is not going to hurt them; even when they probably have a great whacking headache from knocking themselves into next week. And he has got a devilishly handsome face! Keeping my fingers crossed for his recovery, though I imagine he is not likely going to be a hard release candidate unless he improves a lot very rapidly. ❤
~Firefury - California
THEY DON'T ECHO LOCATE!!??? NEED MORE NEAT STUFF LIKE THAT!! NO FRUIT BATS IN THE USA -- LOVE YOUR STUFF MEG!❤
They navigate by sight; they have large eyes which see well in the daytime and relatively well at night; they have reflectors (tapeta) in their eyes like nocturnal animals.
0:49 wow hes ready for help!!! he just opens up his wings 'help me Meg, lets do this!' :D aaaah off the logs now
11:05+ lol Rozza is tripping on 'feeling okay' hahahah :D
That area is nice
Awww good luck to you darlin boy! 🦇💙💙🦇
🥰🥰🥰😘😘😘😘😍😍😍😍
Also need to 3d print a tilt fruit feeder ... need the dimensions :)
That is a cool idea.🖤🇨🇦
Wow Meg you were right there are so many of these courtyard wells there, makes sense, I grew up in Thailand & we had similar architectural designs also as a way to live in the climate & be comfortable as opposed to in the elements or bright sun all the time
His story when he gets back to the colony:
“I was abducted by aliens! She fed me nom- noms til I passed out!”
That's his story and he'll stick to it.
oh im back watching Meg saving these cuties who look at her like "oh this human is actually sweet voice and gives me such good food and juices oh i love it, im staying" . And I missed this channel, now i have my internet back and im starting and resume my Megabattie channel 💗💗💗💗💗💗
That's good. Glad to have you back
So many shots and IV's...I know it's necessary part of the recovery process, but ouch! Lol! They get such great care though, food, TLC, cleaned, health analysis etc. Certainly a lot goes into these rehabs ‼💕 These Flying Fox are ADORABLE too ‼🦇
No IVs unless it's at the vet; I can put an IV into them but I'd need to sedate them first to get it in without them struggling.
The analgesia doesn't hurt and the needle is so fine they rarely notice it. The subcut fluids - some are unhappy about it but most seem to just deal with it.
I love how Rozza is in the company of the others & they are smelling him but he keeps look at you & making eye contact with you that is so interesting
Rozza has no idea why I brought him to this cage of bats or what I'm going to do with him while he's in there.
@@Megabattie yes... I could see that too, amazing, & it is always worth repeating each one is as unique as a person its quite the life lesson.
Hoping Rozza makes a full recovery, once he trusted you, he was more relaxed, but I suspect he was still dizzy 🦇💜Tobey from Phoenix 🌵🌞
Yes, he was still dizzy and I was helping him, which he needed, so he gave me the benefit of the doubt.
He's still wonky and not hanging yet but he's eating everything he's given
@@Megabattie oh good , takes time 🌞🌵
@@francesfarmer736 yep
Dont reckon they make batty aspins for that big head ache from the crash . Poor little batty get well soon.
But Meg has an injection that seems to do the trick. He might have been dizzy and sore, but he still had a good appetite.🖤🇨🇦
Bats can have aspirin, but when they're a head smack we don't want them to have aspirin in case they have bleeding in their brain.
Aspirin which is in many meds can cause multiple types of internal bleeding like Meg said. I can't even take it because of this
Plus she gave him pain med which is way stronger and better . Like morphine ish !
@@4spurta We don't use anti-inflammatories for the first few days regardless because they need to be well hydrated otherwise their kidneys are compromised by the drugs.
About 12ish years ago we used to use aspirin for netting entanglement injuries; it seemed to help with preventing some of the membrane damage by making the blood less "sticky" so the blood supply to the area flowed more freely. I'm not exactly sure why we stopped but I suspect it was because it also has an effect on their kidneys, and by giving them large amounts of fluids we seemed to get better results.
Fingers crossed Rozza is a survivor❤🤞 I love the set up in his penthouse incubator accomadation, drinks cabinet on one side, fruit tray with extra yoghurt on the other and a tv with possibly the video of Teddy and Sir W having an argument about sunlight😂 plus the incubator set for a nice warm soothing temperature to reach five star hotel standards😂🦇❤
The TV was because I was trying to get a different angle of him feeding.
That scuff by his eye looked painful! Poor guy. I didn't hear his weight (sorry, was multi-tasking in the kitchen) but he looks a bit tubby? He certainly enjoyed the hand-feeding - lol. It's such good news his wings are good! Now his brains just need to quit rattling.
I thought he might have been a pregnant girl because it looked like he had "handlebars" which is what we call the sideways bulging. He was around 650g, which isn't large for a boy.
Off topic question.
Do bats discipline their babies?
Kind of - they don't tolerate past a certain level.
It's usually a verbal warning, though I have seen one mum take a swipe at her big baby for getting between her face and food.
In general they are quite tolerant, even when the baby crawls across her face
What a cute little face :3
Aww what a big, cute boy. I didn't know what a bat yelp sounded like until now, but it's not too far from what I was expecting. I'm grateful for the people that call instead of just kicking them out or something
Also, what are the handlebars mentioned? I know some creatures have "grips" like that, but what's the difference between a male and female?
-Ian, FL USA
They can scream and scream - you obviously have yet to experience the bat who swears at me for the entire way home with language you won't believe.
th-cam.com/video/szuTsm6pDP4/w-d-xo.html
Handlebars are a girl thing at this time of the year because they're pregnant and the babies are getting bigger; they carry their babies transversely under their ribs as far forward in their abdomen as they can go, which is where they would end up when the mums are hanging in the colony: the uterus stretches and the weight of the baby will drag it down to under the ribs. When they're flying it's aerodynamically better for them to have the weight as far forward as possible.
Oh. Funny. I thought it was the tiny lump on the floor. 🤪
👍💕
Old mate will be a little chonk when he's done at aunty Meg's place
I bet he enjoyed being hand fed. Does a 153 mm forearm make a big or an average adult male?
Handsome boy, I hope he'll recover completely.
Small male. 155mm+ is small average. Big is over 165mm. Tall is 170+
@@Megabattie Thank you! His wingspan would be about 60-65 cm then? Trying to imagine the proportions.
@@dany.adelfinger No, nearly a metre probably. 800-900 mms.
I don't measure their wingspan, just the bone (radius) in their forearm which gives me an idea of how much they should weigh. He was doing fine (not skinny) and weighed above his minimum.
Oh! I tried calculating it but forgot to add the body width and the finger bones 😀. Now it makes sense.
Maybe one in corner needs a break from the mob?
I don't know; there was only Rozza 4 point hanging when the carer got home an hour later.
lol 3:57 hes just holding the grape in his mouth
Re-watching: 02/29/24 So very happy this litte Man Bat Rozza survived!!🩶🦇🤗💕💕 You're so awesome Meg!!🥂💕💕 The Aussie thing is calling a redhead bluey?🤔😂😂 I am American so I really don't know.🥰
Yes, redheads are often called Bluey, just because...
Interestingly my mother is now in the nursing home about 100 metres from this house.
@@Megabattie I hope your Mum💕 is doing well Meg and I hope you're doing well too.💕 I know you've been SUPER BUSY with Bat Rescues.🥺🦇💓
Mind your language, young man!
My first thought when you checked on him in the morning was he had a party and invited a few friends over that's why there was such a mess.
You ain't seen a partay until you've seen Tolga Bat Hospital when the bats break into the food prep area overnight because someone left a banana out and they want it.
th-cam.com/video/obzGp0KvP14/w-d-xo.html
I often play a guessing game with myself as to what suburb , street or whatever gave you the name. I was off , I thought Rosedale. Very rarely do I get one, after all only Meg knows megs brain, but it’s fun trying.😁
You can't know the exact location and clearly you can't be in Meg's brain.
But the location was Roslyn Gardens in Elizabeth Bay/Rushcutters Bay.
I don't always use the suburb or street - sometimes it's a feature of the bat itself, or something I was thinking about on the way, or some brain skip association.
I called a bat Jethro from Gibbs St - because of the TV program NCIS character.
It can be anything, but I need an association in my brain
@@Megabattie well, yes. I remember one year of various themes. I can’t remember exactly now, but possibly queen songs, maybe some Shakespeare or even Harry Potter, or maybe I’m just potty😳
@@julianneboys4062 Queen, definitely. Bohemian Rhapsody was the actual theme. Once people started suggesting names I moved onto my next idea. I also had a French theme with Eiffel, Triomphe, Frere Jacques, Sonnet les Matin, Dormez vous, Inky Pinky and Parlez vous, Louli , Déjà Vu
and Je ne sais quoi, and the rest. Then Quidditch, Quaffle and the Golden Snitch. I had Wookie and Chewbacca from Star Wars. And don't forget I had some Jabberwocky poem characters.
I have a list, and Maggie and I mull over it sometimes when we get a baby who doesn't fit any of the names we think of...
And sometimes an epiphany occurs out of the blue.
@@Megabattie I love your ingenuity and look forward to future names. 😉
@21:17 the bat hunched in the corner . . . Would you take him home just like Rozza ? because he’s doing the same thing as Rozza.
I think he's just pretending he isn't there so I don't look at him or touch him. I asked Jess to check on him as well and told the carer about it, and she said he shouldn't be doing that and doesn't normally do it. When she got home only Rozza was 4 point hanging.
@@Megabattie Thank you for your reply
Why do you give yoghurt? I would have thought dairy would be bad for fruit eaters. Thanks for helping Razza and the others.
It's high in protein and bats aren't (in general) lactose intolerant.
When they're babies they're milk fed by their mums; bat milk is quite close in proportions of nutrients as cow's milk and goat's milk.
We can't supply the rainforest and native fruits which are higher in protein and when they're not well they often won't eat hard fruits because chewing exacerbates their headache, so yoghurt is a good substitute and they get a lot of nutrition for a small volume of nutrient.
Is a rozza or a rozzer a policeman?
Brenda, “Rozza” is Aussie slang for “Ross.”
I learned that from reading the description box. It’s located below the video. I read the description box while I let the advertisements play through, and don’t skip them-Unless they’re more than 10 minutes...
Our beloved Meg is not only wise and witty; she’s also funny! I have learned a lot from her through the past 4 years or so...
See you in the next video comment section! God bless you!
@@carolynnunes3922 I do the same thing…reading the description while the ads play. I must say, I’m confused as to how redheads became Blueys .🖤🇨🇦
@@tamarrajames3590 This is what I found:
The nickname Bluey originated in the 1890s and was used as a nickname throughout World War One to refer to red-haired soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force, especially from New South Wales. During the Second World War, nearly every redhead was nicknamed Bluey, and it spread to civilian life.
The name is ironic, and it seems red-haired men didn't mind it, compared to the usual ginger or red nicknames that are often derogatory.
(I've not confirmed it, but it's been said it may have come from blue meaning fight, based on the belief red-haired Irishmen were prone to fighting, and the phrase, "There goes a blue", when an potential fight walks past.)
Newspapers
The Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW), Saturday 30 March 1940:
It is hard to understand why New South Wales pals in the A.I.F. always named red-headed fellows "Bluey." That nickname of "Bluey" stack to copper headed diggers throughout the war, and it has been carried on in civilian life until this one.
In the Bendigo Advertiser (Vic), Saturday 23 November 1918, "'Nuggutt' in the London "Daily Express" writes about "Army Nicknames" and asks, without answer, "Why is a Red-Headed Man Called Bluey":
I have absolutely nothing to say against the unalterable military law that all Murphies in the army are "Spuds" and that all Clarkes must be "Nobbies". True, I don't know what "Nobbies" are, but I am satisfied that even young and tender Clarkes can qualify for the job. What I want to know is: Why do the Australians call a red-headed man "Bluey?"
Bluey! It seems so silly. Why Bluey? You see a red-headed Australian and you sing out, "Got, a match, Bluey?" and he smiles and gives you one. He doesn't knock you down; he smiles, and answers to the astonishing inexactitude with the cheerful alacrity of a dug-outful of kamerads responding, to a Mills grenade. It is very strange.
I have tried to follow ihis "Bluey" to its lair, but army nicknames have no certuinable parents. They are like Topsy, and they seem to accompany their owners, often their unhappy owners-as a sort of aura.
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.), Saturday 6 January 1940 says it wasn't an insulting nickname:
Strange, but while with his copper-coloured hair he responds cheerfully to the nickname of "Bluey," call him "Red" and he sees that colour vividly.
But the nickname goes back further, and can be found in the Australian Town and Country Journal (NSW), Saturday 22 October 1898, writing about "The Sydney Newsboys' Day Out":
Quite a number made a little god of Mr. "Johnny" Coleman, who was entertained with songs by lads of the high-toned nicknames of "Jinks," "Chops," "Nipper," "Big Tommy, "Bluey," &c., each of whom he rewarded with a silver coin.
I think "rozzer" is or was London UK slang for policeman. I thought Aussies called blue-tongue skinks blueys. I like the idea of calling redheads blueys - it's so delightfully non-descriptive, or anti-descriptive.
Yes, in the UK the cops can be called Rozzers.
He has a cute little fat belly.
I really needed this vid after we learned of the fbi search on trump’s resort. Your little battles bring peaceful respite…
Oh I know, like who cares re:Trump🙄 The Bats/Flying Foxes I ALWAYS care🥺
Megabattie pretends there are no Trumps in the world, and the world is a better place.