How to get rid of a
Bat Inside The House
How to Remove a Bat from your Home
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you found a bat in your home what do you
do now
you
your first step is to make sure that no
one in your household
woke up to discover the bat in the room
then you need to determine that no one
has been scratched or bitten by the bat
if you're not sure you must capture the
bat and notify your local public health
district about having the bat tested for
rabies if you are certain no one was
exposed to the bat you may be able to
encourage it to leave on its own so the
next step is to isolate the bat by
making sure doors to other rooms are
closed next turn off the lights inside
then shine a flashlight out an open door
or window the bat may disappear into the
night if this doesn't work or if you
need to catch the bat for testing the
next step is to safely capture the bat
however never touch a bat with your bare
hands you will need leather work gloves
a small box be sure to first punch holes
in the box so that the bat can breathe a
piece of stiff thin cardboard stock that
completely covers the opening of the box
sturdy tape and a clean soft t-shirt but
no terrycloth wait until the bat lands
approach it slowly and calmly
then lightly place the box over the bat
carefully so you don't harm the bat
take the piece of cardboard and gently
slide it under the box to trap the bat
inside use the tape to secure the
cardboard to the container making sure
that the adhesive side of the tape does
not come into contact with the bat if
the bat has been captured at night you
can release it outdoors right away bring
your flashlight and gloves with you in
case the bat has problems flying away
bats are not able to just fly out of a
box find an elevated area like a deck
and lift the box over your head tilt the
box slightly so the bat can fly out
use your flashlight to watch it leave
yes if the bat does not fly away it may
be injured sick or dehydrated or it may
be just a juvenile bat that has lost its
way in this case use gloves to place the
bat back in the closed container and put
it in a safe place away from children
and pets
then call your local wildlife
rehabilitator I found a bat if you
captured the bat in the daytime remember
to call your wildlife rehabilitator
right away never try to care for a bat
on your own
the silver-haired bat featured in this
video was found by a concerned homeowner
the bat had apparently been attacked by
another animal leaving a large hole in
her tail membrane that took weeks to
heal because the concerned citizen did
everything right by not handling the bat
and by calling for help immediately this
bat was successfully rehabilitated and
released back into the wild
you
