What To Do If A Bat Is Flying Around In Your House?

Bats seem to terrify most people, but they are really very fascinating creatures. They hold the honour of being the only mammal that can truly fly, but they appear to fly erratically, which often heightens people’s fears when they find a bat in their house. Bats are protected species, so if you discover a bat flying around in your house, you should contact professionals who are specifically trained in humane bat removal Niagara. While you wait for the experts, there are steps you can take to keep you, your family and the bat safe.

Stay Calm!

Bats hibernate in the winter, but when spring rolls around, they begin stirring and leave their roosts in search of sustenance and sometimes a new place to hang. In the process of seeking out food or shelter, it isn’t unusual for a bat to accidentally end up inside the living area of your house. Many homeowners don’t realize they have a colony of bats living in their attic until one accidentally ends up in their living quarters. However, just because you have a single bat flying around your house doesn’t mean you have a colony in your attic! Either way, your priority is to take care of the one bat in your living space. When you see a bat, the most important thing you can do is stay calm! Your fear — and any erratic, aggressive actions you take as a result — only serves to scare the bat and may lead it to act aggressively to defend itself.

Prepare To Take Action

Bats are one of the most prevalent carriers of rabies. Though the incidents of infection are extremely low, there is still a risk. Handling the bat is not recommended, and you do not want your kids or pets around the bat either. Move any young children and animals into a separate room, close the door and place a towel underneath to close off the gap. Once that is done, quietly take the following steps:

• Determine a room where you can corral the bat.
• Open the windows in the room to any exterior doors.
• Turn off exterior lights on that side of the house.
• If the A/C unit is near the open windows or door, shut it off.
• Turn off the lights inside the room.
• Close the doors to all other rooms in the house.

Corral the Bat

Once you’ve prepared everything, your next goal is to guide the bat to the room you’ve chosen. If you can do this, the bat will most likely leave through one of the openings, as it really has as little desire to hang out with you as you do to have a bat houseguest! Throughout this next process, it is still important to remain calm. Hold up a sheet to shrink the area the bat has to fly. Keep moving in the direction of the designated room until the bat has no other option but to enter the room. Once there, it should detect an escape route through the open windows or door. If you see the bat leave, go ahead and shut the windows and door and turn on the lights. If you aren’t certain, just close the door to the room, stuff a towel in the gap at the bottom, and then go call the experts.

Call the Experts

Whether the bat leaves your home or not, it may be a good idea to call in professionals who can determine if you have a bat colony in your house and safely remove any bats found. Bat removal requires specialized training to ensure everyone's safety. Skedaddle bat removal Niagara technicians understand bat biology and behaviour, and they have the skills to humanely remove and relocate bats, including pups. Contact us for more information about our processes or to schedule services.