Bats in house

coffeeman · Aug 15, 2005

Hi all

While posting a message I noticed some movement and there it circled, a bat. I haven't had one in house for a few years. In the last week my daughter and two people at work got bats in their house. What's the best way to get them back out? I tried opening doors and windows to let it fly out. Every other time that used to work. It would circle a few times and shoot out the door. This time took about 1/2 hour and had to hit with a broom.

Can bats hurt us? My daughter was afraid a rabid bat could bite baby and they wouldn't know baby bit. She got all this bad info off the net. They didn't save bat to test it since they didn't kill it. They let it go, now she's worried.

Cheers.......Coffeeman

Bird · Aug 16, 2005

The only time I ever heard of a bat in a house was about 12 years ago when my wife was visiting friends in Pennsylvania and said there was one in her bedroom; gave her a good scare. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif And the guy used a tennis racket on it.

boustany · Aug 16, 2005

I have a funny 'bat in house' story.

Just after we had our first kid, we came home and the wife asked me to go to the store and pick up milk. (Why they can decide we need milk before you park the car I'll never know).
Anyway so off I went.
When I can back I noticed all the light were off. I got in and turned on the light and saw my wife cowering in the corner hugging the baby. I walked right up to here and she wispered "ttthhhheeeerrrreeeessss a bbbbbbaaaaattttt in the house!".
I said "cool" and went in search of the bat. (I like bats).
I finally spotted and captured the creature with a doily and oven mitts. Showed it to the wife (who was thouroughly unimpressed) and released it outside.
It seems the bat had had quite a time of it, and had repeatedly flown into the walls, leaving a whole bunch of 'bat man' symbols in faint outline! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

TonyV · Aug 16, 2005

( Can bats hurt us? )

The short answer is 'Yes, they can', but not in the way that you might expect. Being bitten by a bat is a rare occurence in this country for humans, and its true that bats can carry rabies, but contracting rabies from a bat would be an even rarer occurence. The more prevalant problem would be with bat droppings. Its not so much the droppings themselves, but a fungus that grows on the droppings. The fungus spores can become airborne and then breathed in, which in turn causes flu-like symptoms to occur. In extreme cases, usually involving the very young, the very old, or folks with otherwise depressed immune systems, this can become very serious. You need to determine if this bat was an isolated incident (flew through an open window, or door) or if its a more serious problem where they're perhaps getting in through your attic. A quick inspection of the attic area should tell the tale. If you see any bat droppings up there, then you may have a more serious problem. You'll need to determine how they're getting in and seal off those areas. If you do find that there's droppings in the attic area, this will also have to be cleaned up...by a professional, as safety equipment, such as respirators and safety garments are employed. Its not really a job that you'd want to tackle yourself because you need to ensure that you don't stir up the spores more than neccessary to get the job done. Hopefully, you won't have to go this route, and it was just an isolated incident.

...Tony

53gravely · Aug 16, 2005

( Hi all
What's the best way to get them back out?

TENNIS RACQUET

Supposedly 1 or 2 % are rabid.

Freds · Aug 17, 2005

Here in PA (not sure where you are located) they recommend that any bat found in a house be taken in for testing. I just received notice this morning that two bats found in Clarion County and one in Venago County tested positive for Rabies. They were all found in homes over the last few days and one was in a couple's bed.

Tennis raquet, srewdriver and a drive to your regional Dept of Ag office. They will get it to where it needs to be tested. Your local health dept may also, but I'm not sure of that.

Freds · Aug 17, 2005

Here's a link to some more info
Bat info

coffeeman · Aug 17, 2005

Hi Freds

Wow! Scary stuff. I'm out of Pa; Westmoreland County. When my daughter got bat in house she called poison center or something like that. They suggested that if bat was active shouldn't worry too much. Couldn't test bat since they let it go. They were worried about baby being bit. Poison center said to inspect baby for marks. The problem now is to just give shots to baby for a bite that most likely didn't happen might be worse than doing nothing. I killed my bat but threw it out this morning. I should have saved it.

coffeeman · Aug 17, 2005

Hi Freds

As you mention Pa suggests to have bats tested. I have a building about 4 miles from my house and have hundreds of bats living in an old high chimney. I called an exterminator, a couple years ago, and he said he wasn't allowed to touch bats. They are protected. I hear many encourge bats to stay in their yards by placing bat houses. Gee, if they are rabies carriers, I don't think they are so good to have around. I think I might want to get rid of these things. Why take chances.

Thanks for info.....Coffeeman

Freds · Aug 18, 2005

The PDF article suggests that a well made and placed bat house gives them better sleeping quarters than your house, especially the young ones looking for new roosting sites where it isn't so crowded. They sure can eat a lot of insects at night when they're feeding.
I've hardly spotted any around my area light this year /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif