Don’t freak out, don’t freak out, don’t freak out! That is what I kept telling myself when I woke up to a bat in my house just last month! My first instinct was to open the door and swat it outside – good riddance! But then I remembered my training as a Public Health Sanitarian at the Clinton County Health Department. Since I was sleeping and didn’t see the bat enter my house I knew I needed to capture it so it could be tested for rabies. Rabies is a fatal viral infection that can be spread to people and pets if they are bitten by an infected animal, such as a bat.
Bats have small, sharp teeth which may not leave a visible bite mark and a bite from a bat during the night may not awaken a sleeping person (creepy, I know). Bats should be captured and tested if they are found in a room where a person is sleeping, with an unattended child, someone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol or someone with a mental disability. So my next step was to capture this thing…but how?! I pulled up this video for a quick refresher and outlined the steps for you:
- Close doors, windows and closet doors to keep the bat in the room.
- Turn on the lights if the room is dark.
- Wear gloves (heavy, preferably pliable thick leather) and wait for the bat to land. It is important to not damage the bat’s head.
- Cover the bat with a coffee can or similar container with a lid.
- Slide a piece of cardboard under the can, trapping the bat.
- While firmly holding the cardboard in place against the top of the can, turn the can right side up.
- Replace the cardboard with the lid (if no lid, tape the cardboard tightly to the can).
- If you live in Clinton County, call the Clinton County Health Department at 518-565-4870. If you live in a different county, call your local health department.
If I would have seen
the bat enter my house I could have opened the windows or door so the
bat could have escaped. But there I was, with a bat in a cool whip container. Lucky
me.
You may be asking yourself, “What if I couldn’t catch the bat and it
got away?”
If we (Clinton County Health Department)
are unable to test the bat for rabies and there is a chance you (or your
family) were exposed we are going to recommend postexposure
prophylaxis (PEP).
Most bats leave in the fall or winter to hibernate, so guess what I will be doing? Bat-proofing my home! Here are some things I will be looking for/doing:
- Look for holes that might allow bats to enter and seal any openings larger than a quarter-inch by a half-inch.
- Use window screens, chimney caps, and draft-guards beneath doors to attics.
- Ensure that all doors to the outside close tightly.
In addition to my fall bat-proofing, I just checked my
two pup’s vaccinations to make sure they are up-to-date (phew!). If your furry
friends need their rabies vaccinations check out our FREE rabies clinic
schedule.
Remember, you cannot tell if a bat has rabies by looking at it or by the way it acts. The only way to know if an animal has rabies is to send it for testing. Curious about the rabies program at the CCHD? Check out this blog.
Karissa
LaBonte
Public
Health Sanitarian
Division
of Environmental Health and Safety
