What does it mean if a bat comes into your house?

If you are certain no people or pets have come in contact with the bat, confine the bat to a room by closing all doors and windows leading out of the room except those to the outside. The bat will probably leave soon. If the bat doesn’t leave, contact an animal control or public health agency for assistance. If help isn’t available, follow the steps to capture a bat.

If a bat is in your house and you have any question about whether the bat has been in contact with people or pets, you will want to have the bat captured and tested. Call animal control or a wildlife conservation agency for assistance. If professional assistance is not available, follow the steps to safely capture the bat and save it for testing.

Capturing a Bat That Has Come Into Your Home

1.Find a small container like a box or a large can, and a piece of cardboard large enough to cover the opening in the container. Punch small air holes in the cardboard.

2.Put on leather work gloves. When the bat lands, approach it slowly and place the container over it. Slide the cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside.

3.If you are certain there s been no contact between the bat and any people or pets, carefully hold the cardboard over the container and take the bat outdoors and release it away from people and pets.

4.If there’s any question about contact between the bat and people or pets, you want to save the bat for testing. Tape the cardboard to the container, securing the bat inside and then contact your health department to have the bat tested for rabies. Source

The Critter Team gets many different phone calls through out the day and sometimes in the middle of the night. Among many of those different calls, bat calls are always the funniest (in my opinion).

Rabies and Bats

rabies and batsHuman rabies is uncommon in the United States. Each year, just one or two human instances are reported. However, bats are the most prevalent cause of human rabies in the United States. From 1997 to 2006, 17 of the 19 spontaneously acquired instances of rabies in people in the United States were linked to bats. 14 of the patients have previously experienced bat interactions. Four people were awakened by a bat landing on them, and one person was awakened by a bat biting him. In both of these instances, the bat was found inside the house.

While departing his home, one person was apparently bitten by a bat from the outside. Six people have previously dealt with bats while removing them from their homes. After spotting a bat on the floor inside a building, one person got bitten by it while releasing it outside. One guy picked up a sick bat discovered on the ground and attempted to care for it. Three males, aged 20, 29, and 64, died of bat-associated rabies viruses despite having no documented contacts with bats. CDC – Learning about bats and rabies

Take yesterday for example. I received a call by a young man who was clearly afraid of something. He explained to me that a bat flew in the living room from the chimney. Now I know that a bat can come down a chimney, not necessarily fly down. He gave me the address to the house, because he wanted this thing gone! He was very scared that it had rabies. I explained that we can go and get it but obviously it would cost them. He started talking to his sister and telling her everything I told him and in the end he said he would call back….ummm okay.

A couple hours later, a woman called me about a bat that flew down the chimney and was in the living room. I knew exactly who this person was, because I already talked to her brother! But I went through the same process explaining to her the same thing I told her brother. Again she said she would call back. Well to say the least I never got a call back last night.

Now this morning I got a call, yes you guessed it, from the same woman. She now said it was in her garage and wanted us to come and do an inspection and  find the bat in the garage. She now has an appointment for our wildlife service operators to come out and resolve this bat problem!

So whatever your problem might be, we can solve it for you!