Bats are sometimes found inside a residence or outside on the ground. As with any wild animal, a bat should not be touched with bare hands.

Quietly approach the bat and using a towel, thick gloves, or something similar, gently gather the bat up and place it into a box or other container with a lid. Alternately, you can simply place a box, waste can, coffee can, or similar objet over the bat where it has landed. Then take a piece of cardboard and gently slide it between the box and the surface the bat is on (i.e., floor, wall, or ceiling). Keeping the cardboard in place, gently turn the container right side up. Make sure the lid is secure and that the bat will have adequate air.

Contact a wildlife rehabilitator in your area. A state by state list of bat workers is located at www.batworld.org (click on Local Rescue). If you are unable to access that list please call Bat World Sanctuary at 940-325-3404 for help in locating a Bat World rescue center or a bat rehabilitator.


Line a box with an old t-shirt so the bat has something to hang upside down on. Create several pleats in the shirt so the bat can hide in the folds if it wants to. (Make sure any tape that is used is secured well so the bat won't get stuck.) Put some water in a very shallow container such as a baby food jar lid. Place the lid on the floor of the box next to a wall so the bat can hang over it to drink. Make sure a top is secured to the box; some bats can squeeze through a crack as thin as ¼"! If you must handle the bat please remember to wear thick gloves (even though rabies in bats is rare, if you are bitten the bat will need to be tested). Keep the box in a room where the bat won't get too warm or too cold and make sure the room is closed off from children and pets.

Please note: Like most mammals, bats can catch rabies. However, less than one half of one percent of bats actually contract the disease. According to the Center for Disease Control, it is not necessary to test a bat for rabies unless it has had physical contact with a human or a domestic pet. However, a bat will need to be tested if it is found in a room with a person who cannot reliably rule out physical contact, for example, a sleeping person, a child, a mentally disabled person or an intoxicated person. If contact has occurred or is suspected, please call your physician or local health department immediately.

My own note: Bats are shy and private creatures. Although less than one half of one percent of bats has rabies, the fact is that those were counted by random samplings in large bat communities. If you find a bat laying somewhere, SOMETHING is wrong with it. I personally think those rabies statistics take a big up-dive. Don't freak out, but DO realize that there is an illness or injury involved.

Tags: bats
Mood: restless
Background Noise: Angel, Season 5, Underneath