What To Do When Bats Are In My Attic?

Bats are federally protected species, so removing them can be tricky. We highly suggest contacting your local wildlife management agency or nuisance animal company prior to attempting to remove them yourself.

What follows is a quick rundown on bat behavior and what to do if they've made their way into your home.

What to do if a single bat is in my house?

Sometimes a single bat can make its way into your home. There are ways to remove them yourself safely and legally. First, attempt to close it off to one room then open any doors and windows to try and let it out that way. If the bat does not leave overnight, contact a nuisance wildlife company.

If you attempt to catch it yourself - wear thick leather gloves, put a sturdy box over top of it and slide another piece of cardboard underneath to keep the bat inside. Afterwards, take the box outside and leave a small opening on top of the box and prop the box next to a tree (bats cannot take flight from the ground so it will need to climb the tree to fly away). If a bat enters your home in the winter, don't let them back out, as they will not survive. Call a nuisance wildlife company immediately.

What to do if there are multiple bats in my attic/eves?

Bats can get into your attic or eves of your roof through very tiny holes. How long they nest there depends on the circumstances of your home and the time of year. At times, they will only nest there overnight or a couple days if they are close to a food source and moving through the area. However, if they make their way into your home between May-August/September, they are typically going to stay for a while because they are raising young and their babies cannot fly, yet. Lastly, if it is in the fall/winter months, chances are they're going to stay due to their inability to survive the cold weather.

Installing one way valves on the outside of your home where the bats entered is your best bet to remove them. These valves allow the bats to get out and make it difficult or impossible to come back in. Leave the valves on the entrance holes for 7 days because not all bats will fly out at the same time. Once all the bats leave, remove the valves and repair the holes that they used to get in. If there is a large colony of bats, call a nuisance animal company immediately.

Lastly, install a bat house outside of your home. This may sound counterintuitive, but chances are they will use the bat house instead of your attic.

What if someone was bitten by a bat?

If someone is bitten by a bat, do NOT let the bat out of the house. Contact your local health department right away, as bats can transmit diseases. If an animal is bitten by a bat, take the animal to your local vet for rabies testing. If the bat is dead, take it to your health department or vet to have it tested for diseases.

Got bats? Call 248-729-6437