Last week while I was working nights I got a text from Mrs. Pal, our bedroom door would be closed because of a bat in the house. I got home later and was able to remove said bat. Last night at about two I awoke to the sound of wings in the bedroom. I was able to contain the intruder in the bathroom, or batroom,(sorry, couldn't pass it up) and got him out the window this morning. Mrs.Pal is not amused.

I think they are entering the house through a vent fan/light in the bathroom. I know I have to seal the entry point but I would also like to get them out of the attic, any ideas? As always, thanks in advance.

Jim

I saw the thread title and thought that you were posting about Sheila Jackson Lee.

Anyone who was asleep at any point in which there was a live bat in the room MUST go to their physician.

Bat bites can be extremely difficult to identify on the "victim" and rabies is too prevalent in bats to not seek appropriate medical attention.

From the CDC
"Rabid bats have been documented in all 49 continental states. Hawaii is rabies-free. Bats are increasingly implicated as important wildlife reservoirs for variants of rabies virus transmitted to humans.

Recent data suggest that transmission of rabies virus can occur from minor, seemingly unimportant, or unrecognized bites from bats. Human and domestic animal contact with bats should be minimized, and bats should never be handled by untrained and unvaccinated persons or be kept as pets.

In all instances of potential human exposures involving bats, the bat in question should be safely collected, if possible, and submitted for rabies diagnosis. Rabies postexposure prophylaxis is recommended for all persons with bite, scratch, or mucous membrane exposure to a bat, unless the bat is available for testing and is negative for evidence of rabies.Postexposure prophylaxis can be considered for persons who were in the same room as a bat and who might be unaware that a bite or direct contact had occurred (e.g., a sleeping person awakens to find a bat in the room or an adult witnesses a bat in the room with a previously unattended child, mentally disabled person, or intoxicated person) and rabies cannot be ruled out by testing the bat.

You also have to worry about the bat droppings since they can carry Histoplasmosis.

Maybe moth balls in the attic would force them out.

Call a professional for an estimate. In addition to the information above, Rabies is 100% fatal.

They could be in the attic or a number of other places and if they have been there you will also need to clean up guano after them. Bat flaps on the end vents and permanent screens after complete removal are the way you get and keep them out.

They eat a lot of mosquitoes and are a protected species.

Fwiw, http://batsintheattic.org/

However, it might be covered by your home insurance. Suggest you contact them first.

quote:

Originally posted by ChuckFinley:
Anyone who was asleep at any point in which there was a live bat in the room MUST go to their physician.

Bat bites can be extremely difficult to identify on the "victim" and rabies is too prevalent in bats to not seek appropriate medical attention.

Whole family had to go through rabies vaccination and dog was on 30day quarantine cause of this. Here the health department doesn't handle the vaccine, the local ERs do. Even with good health insurance we were out of pocket over $2k for four ER visits for a family of 5.

I went through this recently - not inside the house but some bats had taken up residence in a soffit where some roll down screens were housed on my porch.

It's a job for a professional. They sealed off the soffit, leaving only a small one way valve so that bats could get out but not back in. Then after a few weeks to be sure all the bats had left, they installed a guard to seal off the soffit but still allow the screens to move freely. They also sealed all possible entry points to the house larger than .5" using steel mesh. My house is now bat proof.

They also had to sanitize the area where the bats were. You'll definitely need that if they are in your attic.

In Florida, it is illegal to kill bats and also against the law to remove them from mid-April through Mid-August which is when Bats rear their young. The babies cannot leave the roost, so if their parents are excluded, the young will die of starvation or dehydration. Check local laws.

Things like this beat the socks off me as to why they are a protected species!

A bat came down the chimney into my dining room a couple of years ago. Since I've got speakers in there, I thought about playing some music to jamb his sonar. I picked Paganini's 1st Violin Caprice since I remembered that it had a lot of high frequency sounds in it. It apparently worked and he landed on the floor. I threw an old sheet over him, took him outside and released him. I threw the sheet away. This may not be a good general bat removal solution but it worked for me.

I am veteran of many "bat in residence" calls. Removal often consisted of watching the varmint until the hooks on it wings got caught on something, usually furniture or curtains. Snatch up the winged rodent and toss him outside. Without being bitten, of course. Then lots of hand sanitizer, since they (among other things) carry salmonella.
After the capture, I would asked how it got in the house. Answer: "I don't know". Then I had the exterminator / emergency room conversation. The situation then changed from slightly scary and amusing to $$$$ very quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG 229R:
Things like this beat the socks off me as to why they are a protected species!

Do you enjoy hanging out with your friendly neighborhood mosquito population? Get rid of bats and see how many there are...

quote:

Originally posted by SIG 229R:
Things like this beat the socks off me as to why they are a protected species!

They eat boatloads of mosquitos and other bugs, and some species pollinate plants.

They are generally beneficial, if you keep them out of your house. We have them here, and they dip into the neighbor's swimming pool in the evenings for water around dusk.

Daughter did nuisance wildlife. Bats were part of the job. She'd go through the attire closing every hole with one way traps. Bats would leave and not be able to return. The team would then go back to the attic and hand catch any bats that remained. Then it was clean and disinfect.

quote:

Originally posted by ChicagoSigMan:
I went through this recently - not inside the house but some bats had taken up residence in a soffit where some roll down screens were housed on my porch.

It's a job for a professional. They sealed off the soffit, leaving only a small one way valve so that bats could get out but not back in. Then after a few weeks to be sure all the bats had left, they installed a guard to seal off the soffit but still allow the screens to move freely. They also sealed all possible entry points to the house larger than .5" using steel mesh. My house is now bat proof.

They also had to sanitize the area where the bats were. You'll definitely need that if they are in your attic.

This... exactly our situation and remedy here in Connecticut.

We do miss the little guys at dusk though...they put on quite a show feeding on insects.