How To Get a Bat Out of Your House

Forests and wooded areas are the natural habitats of bats. However, these amazing creatures sometimes find their way into homes. So, how do you get a bat out of your house? Are there techniques available to get rid of this animal without hurting it? Read on to find out how to get a bat out of your home. Also, learn about the different types of damage they can do inside a home and the typical ways they get in.

How Do You Know There’s a Bat in the House?

Of course, actually seeing one is the easiest way to know you have a visitor! A bat inside a house wants to remain as high off the ground as possible. So, they are commonly seen flying in attics or near the rafters in a home with high ceilings.

Droppings are another telltale sign that one is in the house. Bat droppings look a lot like mouse droppings. They are similar in appearance to dark grains of rice. However, bat droppings are slightly larger than mouse droppings.

If you have this little animal in the house, you’re likely to hear it making sounds. For instance, if you have one in the attic, you may hear fluttering wings or high-pitched squeaking noises. Naturally, you’re going to hear more noise at night than during the day.

You might be wondering how bats can get inside your house. One way is through a chimney, which provides a direct access point from the outdoors into your home. Another way that bats can get into your house is through a piece of loose siding. Most bats are very small and can wiggle through a space that’s just a few inches wide.

What Damage Can a Bat Cause?

Though these animals are small, they can cause a certain amount of damage to a house. For one, a bat has claws that can scrape the siding on a house as it tries to get in through a hole or gap in the structure.

Bats leave behind droppings that can harbor the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, which can cause the respiratory disease histoplasmosis if spores are inhaled. This requires a special type of cleanup to safely remove them from an attic, garage, etc.

Will a Bat Leave on Its Own?

The bat can escape from a house the same way it got in. If the bat climbs into a home through a gap beneath an eave, it may go out the same way. However, most of the time, a bat that gets into a home becomes disoriented and needs help finding its way out.

How Do You Get a Bat Out of Your House?

A bat that can’t find its way back out of a house could injure itself or eventually die. The animal doesn’t have access to food or water in a home and may severely injure itself flying into walls looking for an escape. Therefore, it’s important that it is removed from the house as soon as possible.

Though it takes a little bit of patience, it’s fairly easy to get a bat out of a house without hurting it. The main thing to remember is that these animals use echolocation to navigate their environment. Knowing this about bats can help you to get one out of your house without hurting it.

First, put your dogs and cats in another room. The presence of barking dogs and other large pets is going to make the little animal anxious. Also, use a calm, quiet voice so the bat doesn’t become agitated. Yelling and trying to chase the bat is going to make it more difficult to accomplish the goal of getting it out of the house.

Next, turn off the lights and close the doors to contain the animal in one room. Open one window in the room so the animal has an escape route. The airflow from the window is likely to prompt it to fly outside. If this removal tactic isn’t working, you can help direct it towards the window.

Get two bedsheets and another person to help you. Ask the other person to hold up the bedsheet on one side of the window while you do the same on the other side. This creates a tunnel for the bat to move through in order to escape through the window. The animal will use its echolocation to determine the shape of your homemade tunnel, which will help it to understand how to get out.

How Do You Get a Bat Out of the House at Night?

It’s a little easier to get a bat out of the house at night than during the day. This is because bats are more active at night.

If the bat in your home doesn’t leave through an open window, and the bedsheet method doesn’t work, then it’s necessary to capture it. For this removal method, you need a cardboard box or a plastic bin. Also, find a flat piece of cardboard that fits over the open end of the box or bin.

It’s a good idea to wear protective goggles, a hat, long sleeves, and heavy gloves. Though you probably won’t come in physical contact with the bat, it’s important to note that bats can carry diseases transmissible to humans, such as rabies and histoplasmosis. Therefore, wearing protective gear is recommended when handling a bat.

Slowly approach the animal and place the box or bin over it. Then, slide the flat piece of cardboard over the open end of the container. This allows you to carry the bat outdoors, place the box near a tree, remove the cover, and release it. The animal is going to be disoriented, and it will probably take a few minutes to leave the box. Be sure no dogs or cats are in the area, so the bat is not at risk of injury.

As a note, it’s best to capture this animal when it’s at rest on a surface. Trying to capture a bat while it’s in flight can cause it serious injury.

How Do I Get a Sleeping Bat Out of the House?

Trying to get rid of one during the day is tricky because it requires waking a sleeping bat. When a sleeping bat is disturbed, it’s likely to become confused and maybe even aggressive.

You can try to put a box or container over the animal and take it outside after nightfall. Or, if you don’t feel comfortable trying to capture the bat, there are wildlife experts who specialize in bat removal. They know how to remove a bat without hurting it. Plus, wildlife experts can advise you on how the bat got in and what to do to prevent another winged visitor.

Does One Bat in the House Indicate More?

The presence of one bat in a house doesn’t necessarily indicate more. It depends on the situation. Sometimes females enter houses to have babies in an attic or garage. In other instances, an individual bat may simply unintentionally enter a home through a chimney or an open window.

The number of bats in an attic or other area depends on how appealing the environment is to the animal. A dark space where bats can come and go easily is going to be an attractive place to take up residence.

How to Keep Bats Out of Your House?

One way to keep them from flying into your home through your chimney is to install a screen at the top. This prevents many other animals, such as birds, squirrels, and chipmunks, from gaining access.

Check the condition of the siding around your home. This allows you to repair gaps and holes, so bats don’t have a way in.

You can discourage these animals from coming near your home by keeping tree branches trimmed so they don’t grow close to the walls of your home.