Griffin family forced to share apartment with batty roomates

GRIFFIN - Twynsia McDowell and her three small children thought they were the only ones living in their apartment -- then the bats showed up. <br> <br> Nearly two months after McDowell and her family moved into the Griffin Housing Authority property, dozens of black fruit bats appeared in her children&#39;s bedroom, in her bathroom drain and in her vents. <br> <br> She said that in the last couple of days 13 bats have been removed. <br> <br> She said, ``Three of them were up under the refrigerator. I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw that.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The bats are known to carry rabies, West Nile virus and histoplasmosis, but the animals are on the endangered species list and are protected by law. If a business kills the bats, the fine is $20,000; for an individual, the fine is $5,000. <br> <br> McDowell says since the bats started flying around her house, her children -- two-year-old Marcus, four-year-old Tyza and six-year-old Marquasha -- have broken out in painful bumps. Doctors are not sure what the children have, but have prescribed an antibiotic. <br> <br> The bats&#39; saliva or fecal matter, called guano, can trigger allergic reactions or respiratory problems. McDowell&#39;s daughter Tyza has asthma.