If you have bats roosting in your attic or inside your walls, you are always at risk of a bat flying into your home by accident. Our Maryland bat removal specialists had to come out on numerous occasions to capture and remove nuisance bats in Anne Arundel County and many other households throughout Maryland. If you ever have a close encounter with a bat, be sure to follow these tips on how to handle it.
Why Bats Can Be Dangerous
We have covered this extensively in one of our previous articles, but here is what you need to know: bats can carry rabies. And rabies can be a deadly disease if not treated immediately. Not all bats carry rabies, and of those that do not all are likely to transmit it. However, if a bat flies into your bedroom in the middle of the day, there is a good chance it is disoriented and is infected with rabies. An infected bat can bite a human, even though local Maryland bats primarily feed on insects. The majority of bites happen overnight when people are too tired to notice the pain or tend to dismiss it as something else. Your pets are also in danger if they haven’t received their rabies shots.
If You Encounter a Bat Inside Your Home
If you wake up in the morning or come home from work and find a bat in your home, follow these steps:
- Avoid your initial instinct to let the bat out. If it’s captured, it can be tested for rabies. If it’s released, you will have to undergo a precautionary rabies treatment even if you weren’t bitten.
- If a bat is in a location where you can easily catch it, simply cover it with a cardboard box. Be sure to wear gloves if you need to come close to it.
- If a bat is flying around, isolate it in an enclosed room and call your local Maryland wildlife control technicians to remove the bat and send it for testing.
- Get your home inspected and bat-proofed to make sure more bats aren’t roosting in your attic.
If You’re Bitten by a Bat
Don’t dismiss any unusual pains or bruises, as they can be a sign of a bat bite. Bats have tiny teeth, so their bites don’t leave that big of an impression. They look like two tiny puncture wounds next to each other. They don’t bleed much, but may appear red, and even bruised. If you find a bat in a room with a young child, be sure to examine the child carefully in case a contact has occurred. If you notice a bat bite, wash it off with soap and water, and then take the above steps to isolate the bat and get it removed. If no bat is found, seek medical attention right away. You may have to go through a 30-day injection course against rabies to be on the safe side.
Bat-Proofing Your Home
Bats entered your home because they found an easy passage. This can be anything from an unscreened window to a missing chimney cap. Bats don’t need that much space to get in—about a quarter of an inch is generally enough. Check and close off (with caulking or screens) the following areas:
- Gable vents
- Roof overhangs
- Fascia boards and cornices
- Gaps underneath the doors
- Flashing around chimneys and vent pipes
- Crawl spaces
Be absolutely sure that all bats are gone before sealing any of the above openings. The last thing you want is to trap the poor animals inside your attic with no way out. This may lead to death by starvation, a stinky mess, and extensive cleanup. Contact us today if you need help evicting bats from your property. Our Maryland bat control specialists are just a phone call away!