Many people come across young, injured or grounded bats, and wonder
what to do with them. Care and caution should be exercised and such
cases should be referred to the nearest bat interest group or animal
rehabilitation organisation.
It must be stressed that bats should not be
handled by the general public!
Do not kill the bat - it may be last one of
his species!
WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU
FIND A BAT INDOORS
A bat that is found indoors is most likely to be a crevice-dwelling
species. These bats are often lost youngsters or babies that cannot fly
or migrating bats that do not know how to find their way outdoors. They
may be roosting somewhere in a small part of your home, most likely up
high, like a crawl space, attic or perhaps between the crawl space roof.
Should you be lucky enough to have a bat
stop by your house for a visit, be kind to this honoured guest.
Follow
these steps to help your guest find it's way outdoors:
- Close any doors you can to contain the bat in a single room or
space.
- Open all the doors and windows as wide as you can in that room or
area.
- Turn any outside lights on, e.g. the porch lights.
- Turn the lights in the room off or down.
- Stay in the room, sit down, relax, and watch the bat. If you
don't, you will not know if it actually left or has landed and is
resting somewhere.
- DO NOT TRY TO GUIDE THE
BAT WITH A BROOM, TENNIS RACKET, ETC. You do not need to
cover your head, it does NOT
want to get in your hair.
- The bat, if allowed to, will navigate it's way out using the light
outside and the draft created by the open window/door. This may take
20 minutes or so
Grounded
Bats
If it has landed somewhere, it may be captured and released outside after sunset. It might be
found behind curtains/drapes, pictures or upholstered furniture, on
hanging cloths, or on house plants, to name a few places. Approach your
visitor very slowly and quietly. NEVER
TOUCH THE BAT with your bare hands. Gently place a small can
or box over the bat, slide cardboard underneath, and release your
visitor out of doors at dusk, placing it on a high surface where it will
be able to take off.
If the bat does not fly away, or attempts to fly but seems unable to,
it is likely that it has an injury or illness. It may be a baby unable
to fly, a disoriented juvenile, or it may be dehydrated or starved from
being trapped indoors. If this is the case, keep the bat in a closed box
or container (never a jar) and put it in a safe place that is free of
children, pets, fire ants and other hazards. Injured
bats may be taken to Free
Me or contact us for advice.
Returning
Baby Bats to their Mothers
Baby bats found near a roost can simply be placed back in the roost
otherwise, keep the bat warm until dusk when it should be placed outside
on a high, flat area, e.g. the garage roof. The babies emit a
distress call that the mother will respond to if she is within hearing
distance and will come and collect her baby. Should the mother not
return after about two hours, the baby would need to be taken to a
rehabilitation centre where it can be hand raised.
Releasing
Bats
Bats that are in good health should be released as soon as possible
(during dusk) and as close to their area in which they were found as
possible. If a bat has simply fallen out of its roost after being
disturbed, it can be placed straight back into the roost. Bats can’t
take off directly from the floor but need to be able to drop down for a
distance before beginning to fly. If a bat is found inside a
house, pick it up and place it in a warm, dark box for the day. At
dusk, take the bat outside and place it on a high, flat surface, e.g. a
garage roof. Within an hour or two the bat should take off and
rejoin the other members of its family.
Bats found during hibernation should not be not be woken as waking
requires a huge amount of energy which may be more than the bat can
afford to survive.
For More advice regarding bat problems, follow these links:
