I know it's here because it looked me in the eye last night! What do I do?? I haven't seen it today, but I know it's probably sleeping somewhere. Is it possible that the bat could have found the same spot where it got in and just let himself out again? This seems so unlikely, but like I say, I haven't seen him since last night.
I don't know if this will help, but we've got a 2-story 1930 home and the attic is finished. There's a vent in the little space above the finished attic, and now that I look, there's a tiny, tiny crack between the ceiling drywall and the chimney. I'd say it's about 1/2 inch wide. Could a bat fit in there??
(My husb. caught him, but he got away before they were outside.)
2007-09-04 05:10:19 · 14 answers · asked by JK 3 in Environment ➔ Other - Environment
PS: My neighbor suggests freezing the bat once we catch it so the state can run tests on it. This seems inhumane to me. Evidently if you call the fire dept. here, they'll freeze the bat with a fire extinguisher. I kind of just want to let it go!!
2007-09-04 05:11:37 · update #1
Definitely take safety measures when catching the bat so you are not bitten. Try to find out where it perches during the day, but if you can't, wait for it to become active again, then throw a towel or blanket over it -- have one person shoo it with a broom toward you -- and bundle it up and carry it outside. Then make sure you only have the one and seal the place up tight so you don't get another visitor.
If the bat is moving about it's probably healthy. You can contact your local health agency to find out the rate of infection for rabies if you think you should.
Good luck! This brings back memories!!
2007-09-04 08:49:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bat's can fit through very small cracks, so I would guess the spot you found could be the one. I was going to suggest a tennis racket to kill the bat, its an excellent method, but I see you are trying to not harm it, so yes, wait until after dark when the bat is out hunting insects (I like bats because they eat mosquitos) and plug up all the holes you found when you were up there during the day looking for daylight showing in the attic. if your attic is not going to be able to be sealed, then turn on all the lights in the top floor of the house and go into the attic at night and look for light coming in from the house and plug all those holes too.
Good luck!
p.s. Bats and skunks can get rabies pretty easily so I don't recommend any kind of live trapping effort. either kill it with the tennis racket or plug up the holes after dark when its outside hunting.
2007-09-04 05:18:52 · answer #2 · answered by John M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the testing is done for your safety, in case the bat has rabies(not likely but it is a precaution). Because if it does and you guys got it, unless you had treatment, once rabies sets in, there is a very low percentage of cure rate for humans. Animals too. So they treat rabies as soon as possible, before symptoms show.
I would look your home over to find that bat. Especially if your husband handled it in any way. Bats are cool and I really like them, but safety first. Good Luck!
P.s. rabies can be passed through saliva or body fluids, it does not need to be passed in a "bite"
2007-09-04 05:19:13 · answer #3 · answered by yowhatsup2day 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good for you for not wanting to kill the bat. Bats are very useful creatures. Insect eating bats do much to control the insect population. Some of their favorites are mosquitoes and gnats. Fruit eating bats spread the seeds of the fruits they eat. Very beneficial indeed.
According to some of the responses, killing the bat is the first solution. I will never understand why so many humans when confronted with Nature's creatures feel the need to destroy them.
Anyway, a simple way of getting rid of your unwanted house guest is to put a mothball or two in any hole or crack where you think the bat is gaining entry. I do this in my own house and it works very well and it lasts for years.
2007-09-04 10:07:41 · answer #4 · answered by uboherb 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get the yellow pages and get an exterminator to dispose of the animal. While having it tested seems inhumane (and I am not for the inhumane treatment of animals) bats are common carriers of rabies. Rabies is the single deadliest disease, with a higher mortality rate that Ebola once contracted and untreated.
What not many people know is that you do not necessarily have to be bitten to be infected, contact with any and all bodily fluids is often enough, there are plenty of documented cases.
If you are uninformed about rabies you should read the following page of the Centers of Disease Control:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/
2007-09-04 05:21:55 · answer #5 · answered by acydskull 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Two words... Tennis Racket..
I use to live in Ohio and had an old 1918 house , I loved the house but every now and then we would get bats inside.. we started out trying to catch them with a net and then after awhile we used a tennis racket and didn't care if they lived or died. We never did find where they were coming from. But I still remember being in bed and a bat flying through the bedroom.. I live in Florida now where we have no creepy things. LOL... ; )
2007-09-04 05:15:45 · answer #6 · answered by slim 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You should let bats come naturally to the bat house. I have no knowelege of them being sold...
2016-05-21 01:48:51 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Warning if you live in the UK you must do absolutely nothing. You must not disturb it nor its habitat in any way BATS ARE PROTECTED UNDER THE LAW.
See info on Bat Conservation Trust Below
http://www.bats.org.uk/batlaw/batlaw_in_detail.asp
2007-09-04 17:51:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Invite over Ozzy Ozborne
2007-09-04 05:15:53 · answer #9 · answered by Special Ed(die) 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
call an exterminator he will know the most humane way to get rid of it and be able to tell you where the bat got in at
2007-09-04 05:15:48 · answer #10 · answered by KayKay 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋