What to do if you find bats in your house
Jul 11, 2022, 3:13 PM | Updated: 3:14 pm
FILE: Bats are the leading cause of rabies deaths in people in the United States. Rabid bats have been found in all 49 continental states. Only Hawaii is rabies-free. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
SALT LAKE CITY — During the summer months, it’s not uncommon to see more bats, but what do you do if you encounter one in your house?
According to the Division of Wildlife Resources, there are currently 18 confirmed bat species in Utah. While commonly associated with Halloween, bats are more frequently sighted in the summer because baby bats are learning to fly and leaving their roosts for the first time.
“This timeframe is the hardest time of year for dealing with bat nuisance issues,” DWR Mammal Conservation Coordinator, Kimberly Hersey said. “Since the young can’t fly yet and are reliant on their mother’s milk, preventing the mothers from returning to their roosting spot will kill the babies. Because bats are a protected wildlife species, it’s illegal to kill them.”
Here’s what they suggest.
How to deal with bats in the home:
Because bats can carry of rabies, you should never handle a bat with your bare hands. If you do have physical contact with a bat, contact your local health department for guidance. If you find a bat inside the living area of your home, open a door or window, turn off the lights inside your house and turn on a porch light outside. Leave the room and allow the bat to leave on its own.
If the bat does not make its way outside on its own, you can carefully remove it. Here are tips for removing bats from your home:
- Wearing heavy leather gloves, place a small box or can over the bat.
- To create a lid, slide a piece of cardboard between the can and the surface where the bat was located (usually a wall or curtain), enclosing the bat inside the container.
- Then, take the bat outside and release it on a tree or other high object.
