Who should I call to get a bat(s) out of my house?
ODFW is unable to respond to homeowner requests for bat removal. If you have roosting (nesting) bats living in your attic or other areas of your house, you should call a wildlife control operator (WCO). These people and organizations are hired by local counties to deal with nuisance animal concerns. Here's a list of wildlife control operators in Oregon.
If a bat has flown in an open door or window by accident, you can help the bat find its own way out. Chances are it wants to leave as much as you want it to leave.
- First, try to confine the bat to one room with a door or window to the outside.
- Open the door/window and turn off the inside lights.
- Turn on any outside lights and wait for the bat to leave through the open door/window.
Avoid shouting or trying to shoo the bat outside with a broom, stick or tennis racket. The bat already is scared enough and chasing it will only stress the bat (and you) even more.
This short video from Idaho Fish and Game showing demonstrates how to safely remove a bat from your home.
What are bats looking for when they come into my house?
Many houses in Oregon are near great natural bat habitat so it's likely that neighborhood bats may visit your home occasionally.
Bats are most likely looking for a dark, secluded, warm and safe place to roost. They might use spaces in your home, such as an attic, to raise their young during the maternity season.
How can I keep bats from roosting in my house?
A wildlife control operator or local contractor can help you bat-proof your home. However, state law prohibits the eviction or exclusion of bats in June, July and August to protect immobile pups (baby bats) that may be present. So, plan ahead and have your home inspected in early spring or fall.
You can bat-proof your home yourself by finding all possible entrances (as small as 1/4 inch) and closing them up. Double (and triple) check that you aren't trapping any bats inside the building.
You might also deter bats from using your home as roosting habitat by installing bat boxes in your yard or surrounding area as an alternative. Bats can be a welcome addition to your yard or garden by helping control insect populations.
ODFW can help you find the best places to put a bat box.
Remember baby bat time – June, July and August
Under Oregon law (ORS 635-425-0010) you can’t remove or exclude bats during June, July and August, to protect immobile pups (baby bats) that may be present.
Unless it can be shown that the bats are not raising young at the roost and an exception is provided by ODFW, WCOs will not be able to help during this sensitive biological time period.
Bats inside buildings that are NOT roosting, hibernating or tending nurseries can be captured year-round. Just be sure you release them immediately outside or take them to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Unless it can be shown that the bats are not raising young at the roost and an exception is provided by ODFW, WCOs will not be able to help during this sensitive biological time period.
Bats inside buildings that are NOT roosting, hibernating or tending nurseries can be captured year-round. Just be sure you release them immediately outside or take them to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
When should I call ODFW about bats in my home?
Call ODFW if you find several dead or injured bats in one place, or if you find a bat in the winter that has a white substance on its face or wings. Both could be signs of an infectious disease that could affect bat populations. These diseases are not (or are rarely) harmful to humans.
If the bat is on the ground, don't assume it's sick and needs to be moved. It's not unusual for bats to be on the ground trying to stay cool during extreme summer heat or smoke, even during the day.
If you don't know whether you should call ODFW about a dead bat or one behaving irregularly, please submit your observation online.
Who should I call about rabies exposure from bats?
Less than 1/10 of 1 percent of all bats are believed to carry rabies. Infected bats are rarely aggressive and soon die of the disease.
Call a medical professional or your local health department if you or your pet has been bitten or scratched by a bat and you're concerned about rabies. You can find the number for your county health department here.
ODFW cannot offer medical advice and will not typically test a bat for rabies or other diseases. Rabies is known to exist at low levels in bat populations and is not a population-level threat for bats in Oregon that ODFW manages.
Are there other ways I can be a better bat neighbor?
- Consider installing bat boxes on your property to give bats shelter and safe places to roost and hibernate.
- Avoid disturbing bats during their winter hibernation. Bats can lose significant energy reserves when awakened, and that can put them at risk of starvation the following spring,
- Never touch or pick up a bat. It may bite out of self-defense. Instead, leave it alone to recover on its own.
- Advocate for the protection of wetlands and marshes and forest snags – both provide critical resources for bats.
Oregon's native bats
Oregon is home to 15 species of bats. The three you're most likely to encounter are:
- The little brown bats (Myotis spp.)
- Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)
- Brazillian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)
Other Oregon natives include hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans), pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus), Townsend's big-eared bat (Plecotus townsendii), canyon bat (Pipistrellus hesperus) and spotted bat (Euderma maculatum).
Bats are in decline
Not only are bats the only mammals that can fly but they are good for the good for the critical components of a healthy environment. They pollinate plants and control pests such as mosquitoes!
But more than half of North American bats are at risk mostly due to climate change, habitat loss, disease, pollution, and development. Eight out of 15 of Oregon's bat species are listed as State Sensitive. And with recent documentation of white-nose syndrome near the border of Oregon, it is possible that we could see our bat populations plunge further.
Bat research has been a high priority for ODFW and we've been supporting the Northwest Bat Hub to collect data needed to successfully manage the species in partnership with other state and federal agencies throughout the region. However, funding is needed to continue research on bats and to implement best management practices to protect them.
And it's not just in Oregon that bat species are in decline. In North America, scientists estimate 53 percent of bat species are at moderate to very high risk of extinction within 15 years.
Source: The Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
10 fun facts about Oregon bats
- Oregon's bats eat only insects. An adult bat eats about 1,000 insects every hour! They actually chase insects in the air, not just bump into them.
- Bats hang upside down because it gives them an ideal position for take-off.
- Bats sleep during the day and rest during the night in roosts.
- Bats can fly 20 to 30 miles an hour and travel more than 100 miles a night.
- A baby bat is called a pup. Young bats start flying between two and five weeks old.
- Bats are the only flying mammal. Like all mammals, bats have warm blood and hair. They bear live young and nurse them with milk.
- Wings make bats look bigger than they really are. The biggest bat in Oregon is the hoary bat, which weighs about an ounce, or about the same as five quarters.
- Most of Oregon's bats hibernate during the winter in caves, abandoned mines, buildings and hollow trees.
- Bats have few natural enemies (owls are one) and may live as long as 30 years. You may not realize bats are naturally abundant mammals, because you rarely see them.
- Bats have small, movable thumbs on the top of their wings for grasping and climbing. Their back feet are used for hanging.
Header image: Pregnant little brown bats huddle together in "maternity colonies" to conserve warmth, as they are unable to regulate their body temperature. Photo courtesty of the National Park Service.
