When baby bats are born, the pups are blind and helpless. Female bats gather in warm areas, such rafters and attics, to form maternal colonies. A baby bat clings to its mother fiercely at first, and the mother only leaves for short periods in the evening to hunt. As pups grow and develop, mothers slowly increase their hunting time to wean their offspring. Once the baby bats are about five weeks old, they begin to fly and hunt but may still nurse until they can feed on their own.