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Removing Bats from Your Home

Learn how to bat-proof your home, how to get bats out of your home, and what you do if you've been exposed or bitten by a bat.

Call your healthcare provider or Boston's health department (617-534-5611) if:

  • You've been exposed to rabies through an animal bite or scratch

  • You've had contact with or been bitten or scratched by a bat

  • Or a bat was present with a sleeping person, child, or person with cognitive impairment who couldn't report if they had contact with the bat

If a bat bit or scratched you, wash the wound immediately with soap and water for 10 minutes. Go to a healthcare provider as quickly as possible to get rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Seek veterinary care if a pet was bitten or scratched.

How to Keep Bats Out of Your Home

  • Examine your home for holes that might allow bats entry.
  • Use window screens, chimney caps, and draft guards beneath doors to attics.
  • Fill electrical and plumbing holes with stainless steel, wool, or caulking.
  • Ensure that all doors to the outside close tightly.
  • Observe where the bats exit at dusk and keep them from re-entering by loosely hanging clear plastic sheeting or bird netting over these areas (bats can leave but cannot re-enter). After the bats have stopped coming back, permanently seal the opening.
  • Avoid permanently sealing openings from May through August, as many young bats are unable to fly and may die trapped inside or make their way into living quarters. If you have a problem during these months, find a problem animal control agent, licensed by the state of Massachusetts, to remove wildlife by calling 978-772-2145.
  • Most bats leave to hibernate in fall or winter, so this is the best time to "bat-proof" your home.

How to Get a Bat Out of Your Home

It’s common for bats to end up in your house during the summer. Bats will look for a place to nest and raise their young. You can remove a bat without harming yourself or the animal.

  • When it's just one bat, open a window and seal off the room. You may want to put a towel under the door. The bat will circle the room a few times and then fly out. Don't worry — bats don't attack people, and it won't fly into your hair.
  • If the bat disappears, it’s probably hiding behind a curtain or in a small space. Take the same steps as above and turn off the lights. Once it's dark outside, the bat will feel comfortable and leave.
  • When a bat lands on a curtain or other vertical surface, you can catch it in a jar. Cover the bat with the jar, gently work it inside, then cover the jar. To safely pick up a bat from the floor, you can use a towel or leather gloves. Bats will usually make loud noises when you touch them. This is normal.
WHEN YOU SHOULDN'T RELEASE A BAT

In most cases, it's safe to catch and release a bat. There are a few situations where you shouldn't release it:

  • if you found the bat in the room with a sleeping person, young child, or person with cognitive impairment who couldn't report they had contact with the bar, or
  • if there are animals in the house, or
  • if someone in your house had direct contact with the bat.

In these cases, call Boston Animal Care and Control at 617-635-5348 so they can retrieve the bat and test it for rabies.

Boston Animal Care and Control will dispatch an officer to your house only if a bat comes in contact with humans or pets. They can refer you to an on-call agent if it is after business hours.

Related Resources

Related Resources
Wildlife problems and solutions
Rabies
Animal Bite Prevention
Infectious Diseases
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