Anyone ever have a 'bat' problem at their house??

[ClusterFreak]

I do at mine....scared the crap out of me just now! I went upstairs to my bedroom (actually an unfinished, attic type of room), and before I had a chance to turn on the light I heard rustling above my head....**shudder**....and so I quickly turned on the light, and voila...a freaky black bat flying above me!! I took off downstairs and closed the door behind me, so it's trapped up there. This is just wonderful, lovely. Anyway...anyone got any possible home-made remedies, at least to capture this guy safely and let him outside? I dread the idea of an exterminator, especially if there's more of them at roost. I've never heard any noises behind the wall, where there's a crawl space adjacent to the outside gutters. I hope to God this was only one wayward bat. This is so creepy....ugh.

[Robb]

1. It's tough to think of if you're creeped out, but bats are pretty cool.

Y'know, rabies aside and what-not. They're the next part of the mosquito-eating chain after swallows and other little darting birdies.

Mice with wings? :shrug:

Remember, he's not trapped up there. He got in, he knows how to get out. Plus he's probably not alone.

Best bet to be rid of them, if you really want to, is to put lots of light up there for a spell, with windows open. They'll figure it out.

[ClusterFreak]

2. Actually both the ceiling light is on and the t.v.!!!

...window isn't though....it's got an air conditioner stuck in it!!

I'm a grown man and I can't get rid of the goosebumps just thinking about this.....I'm a weeny.

[gulfcoastliberal]

3. Oddly enough, I'm re-caulking a tub enclosure and while researching caulk

backers, this bat-esclusion website came up. Hope it is useful.

http://www.batcon.org/binb/doityourself.html

[ClusterFreak]

4. thanks I'll check it out!

[gulfcoastliberal]

9. You're welcome -

I think it has all the info you'll need to keep them from roosting in your place. Very informative (even though I was looking for caulk backing rods).

[Poiuyt]

5. Do you live in a castle or something?

:)
Actually, bats can enter a house through an extremely small opening, like about 3/4" square.

Once my mother called me in the middle of the night because there was a bat in her house. I had to get out of bed, drive over there and catch the poor thing. He was clinging to some curtains, so I just took a towel, grabed him, and let him outside.

[Kali]

6. Harmless, for the most part

It was probably panicked worse than you. Leave light on and open a window if you can. Calmly look around and see if you can tell how it got in (may have even come from another part of the house if doors were open?) It will leave then block whatever you find in the way of access points. They can be a little messy and smelly, but really you are lucky to have them around. Some people try for years to attract them to homemade "bathouses".

[vajraroshana]

7. I was playing darts in my garage as a kid once....

and the dart bart would wiggle and make a squeaky sound. We threw a few darts and saw this and then decided to take a look. And right behind the dartboard was a bat hanging upside down. It was tiny like a mouse. Freaked us out! We pulled the dartboard off and stood back and the bat just stayed there. We opened the garage door and left it alone. It eventually flew off.

What a weird place for a bat to try to take a nap!

[Kali]

8. Lots of info

and a good organization here: http://www.batcon.org/

[ClusterFreak]

11. thanks...I just checked out the do-it-yourself exclusion part....

I'm guessing it got in through some hole under the eavestrough, and crawled into the crawl space. We have stuff stored away in this crawl space, and there's a little wooden door which leads to it from the bedroom. Unfortunately, it was a little ajar....I never concerned myself with closing it....never, ever had bats before....big mistake, huh?

[barackmyworld]

10. we had a bee problem

There were HUNDREDS in one room in my house, they were living in one of the windows. We finally got them exterminated after 3 weeks of living quite peacefully alongside the nest :)

[Elidor]

12. You are far more dangerous to the bat than he is to you.

Bats are extremely delicate creatures, and generally are not likely to attack you. You could kill him with the flick of a wrist. He would be hard-put to hurt you in any way. I've been around hundreds of them, even flying in the air around me. The worst you have to fear from most of them is that they will crap on you.

Just open your doors and windows and encourage him to find his way out. Don't freak if he flies close to you. He has great control over his flight.

[ClusterFreak]

13. I believe all that you say....

...but I can't get rid of my freaking goosebumps!!! For the last week I've been battling spiders in my Jeep too!! Not kidding!!! A week ago I took some brush I cut from an evergreen tree in my back yard (don't laugh....I know it sounds like Dubbya!), put it in the Jeep to take to the dump...but the dump was closed, and I had to leave it the Jeep overnight. Big mistake. Spiders galore. I've power-vacked, twice, and cleaned it out the best I could, but they return by the next day. Eggs I guess. So today I finally sprayed the interior with Raid. Stinks real bad, but what can I do?? Man, I need a drink!

[Kali]

14. I'm sorry to laugh

because I have an irrational fear that I reveal to NO ONE, but spiders and bats - such ordinary everyday critters for me, you made my evening. Insecticides don't do much for spiders unless you get it right on them, and then you might as well just use a kleenex or a shoe. Vaccuum a few more times and don't leave the windows open (so they can't find food from insects getting IN) and they should be gone soon.

You will need to find out if there are more bats getting into that crawl space from outside and block it or they will crap all over your stuff. Some bats are more solitary than others but you sure don't want a colony near your stuff. They can attract other pests as well (fleas and such) but otherwise they are pretty cool. I

[barackmyworld]

22. I thought some bats could transmit diseases

I've always been told not to touch them for this reason.

[Elidor]

24. Yes, handling them is a bad idea

And some of them are rabid.

[Borgnine]

15. Sure do.

I used to be afraid of them, but now I embrace them as a symbol to strike fear into my enemies.

They keep shitting on my damn head though. Alfred really needs to put up some tarps in this fucking cave.

[bluedeminredstate]

16. I'll say it -

Bats scare me, gross me out and I have a fear they'll get caught in my hair. I feel for you. I wouldn't go near that thing and would be considering a hotel about now.
We had a couple dozen flying squirrels in our attic that returned for years. They pulled insulation from the walls, made nests everywhere, shit all over the place, and threw what sounded like keg parties every night.
They are endangered in Virginia so we had an exterminator come and live trap them. That works once or twice before they catch on. After paying for no results for about 4 years my husband took matters into his own hands. They left for a couple years, but last winter I walked into my bathroom in barefeet and the little bastard walked across my foot! It was the first time one had ever breached the squirrel-free zone we live in. I hate to sound cruel, but my loyal and trusty beagle was home and ready to report for duty. He deserves a medal for saving me from uncontrollable hysteria.

:scared:

[oneighty]

17. Yesterday in the heat of a sunny day

a bat clutched the outside window sill with his mouse like hands, his 'wings' stretched wide displaying the slight transparency of the membrane there.

My first thought was "Dracula, no no I will not invite you in." I ran from the room and by the time I returned with the garlic and cross he was gone. I thought it strange because I understood 'Vampires' melted in sunlight.

Google then told me to be especially wary of sunshine bats as they might be ill.

A friend of mine was told to leave the home she rented because of bat infestation. The county health department then condemned the building.

Once in South Carolina I was picking sweet ripe delicious figs from a tree in Sonny Morrison's back yard when one of the sweet delicious figs wiggled in my hand, I had picked a fruit bat.

180

[pitohui]

18. bats are all but extinct in my area

all i can do is root for you to find a safe way to let him free

[trof]

19. My daughter did.

She called an exterminator and they "bat-proofed" the house.
Screened chimney cap, screens on attic vents, etc.
Rabies could be a concern.

[NV Whino]

20. A word on bat-proofing your house

This works for mice, squirells and chipmonks as well--

After removing bats (that website is great for that info), seal the holes with a combination of copper mesh and expanding foam. It has to be the combination. They will chew through foam alone or pull out the copper mesh alone. Used together it works great--never had it fail yet and I've dealt with a LOT of bats and mice.

If the access point(s) are limited, you can use Brillo Pads. If you have many access points, you can order the stuff in 4" x 100' rolls. Sorry I don't have a link, the page I had bookmarked is no longer available. But do a search for copper mesh. (Why copper? Because it doesn't rust.)

[ClusterFreak]

21. I've just done a 'bat check' up in the room.....didn't find anything.

Tonight at dusk I'm going to go outside and watch the area under the eaves where I think the bat (hopefully not plural) got in. If I see evidence - via another bat or whatever - I'm going to follow advice I've seen here, and elsewhere at a bat website. Thanks for your advice....and to everyone who posted here. Wish me luck!!

[SmokingJacket]

23. Most human rabies cases are caused by bats.

If you ever find a bat in a room with a child or baby, you must capture the bat and have it tested. If you come in contact with a bat you should also have it tested.

If a bat is out in the day, or flopping around unable to fly, it's likely rabid.

I think bats are creepy and gross!!

It's great they eat mosquitoes, but if they'd kindly stay away from me...

[WMliberal]

25. garlic, crucifixes, sunlight.