Bats in the House (or yard)?
Found a bat? First, here’s what NOT to do!
- Do not touch a bat with your bare hands. Bats are wild animals and should be treated with great care . . and yes, they may carry disease. Bats that CAN be picked up are more likely to be young and unable to fly, injured, OR they may be sick.
- Do not attempt to feed, treat, or wash an injured bat.
- Do not attempt to rehabilitate a bat on your own. This is to protect you as well as the bat.
And now, here’s what you SHOULD do!
If you find a bat hanging from a wall or a tree and think it might be injured:
If you find a bat hanging from a wall or a tree and think it might be injured:
- Wait until evening and see if it leaves on its own. Sometimes bats look sick or hurt but are actually just sleeping!
- If the bat doesn’t leave by the next morning, call Native Animal Rescue at 831-462-0726, the Bat Conservancy of Coastal California at 408-506-7167, or the Pacific Wildlife Care Hotline at 805.543.9453.
If you find a bat in your home:
- Open all doors and windows that lead outside.
- Close off the rest of the house, leaving a path from the bat’s location to the outdoors.
- Turn out the lights.
- Leave the bat for a few hours to see if it leaves on its own.
- If it does not leave, call:
- In Monterey County: Native Animal Rescue at 831.462.0726 or the Bat Conservancy of Coastal California at 408.506.7167
- In Santa Barbara County: Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network Helpline at 805.681.1080
- In San Luis Obispo County: the Pacific Wildlife Care Hotline at 805.543.9453 (WILD)
If you find a bat on the ground:
- Find a box you can spare (e.g., a ventilated shoe box). Put a soft cloth into the box; that will give the bat something to cling to.
- Without touching the bat, use a cloth (e.g., bath towel) or a small tool (e.g., a garden trowel) to gently scoop the animal into the box. Make sure the container is ventilated!
- Cover the ventilated container and put it somewhere that children and pets can’t disturb it and where it won’t get either too hot or too cold.
- You can now do either of these:
- If the bat appears healthy:
- Wait until nightfall
- Remove all pets from the outdoor release area
- Move the box outdoors to the release area and nestle it snug against a tree
- Open the box and make sure the cloth you’ve placed in the box makes contact with the tree so that the bat can climb out if possible
- Move away from the box and let the bat climb onto the tree, which it should be able to climb and from which it can launch itself into flight.
- Check the box in an hour or so. If the bat is gone HOORAY, YOU’VE SAVED A BAT!
- If the bat has not moved, close the box (with the towel enclosed), return it to a safe location and follow the instructions in #2, below.
- If you’re sure the bat is sick or injured and after you’ve got the bat secured, call:
- In Monterey County: Native Animal Rescue at 831.462.0726 or the Bat Conservancy of Coastal California at 408.506.7167
- B. In Santa Barbara County: Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network Helpline at 805.681.1080
- C. In San Luis Obispo County: the Pacific Wildlife Care Hotline at 805.543.9453
- If the bat appears healthy: