Found a Bat in Your House? What Not to Do
If you find a bat in your house in Southern NH, stay calm, keep people and pets away, and do not handle the bat barehanded.
A bat inside living space is different from many other wildlife issues because rabies-exposure questions may be involved. BTNE can help with bat inspection, exclusion, and wildlife-control guidance, but medical exposure decisions belong with medical professionals, public-health authorities, animal control, or your veterinarian.
Do not touch the bat barehanded
Never pick up a bat with bare hands. Do not let children, pets, or other people approach it. If anyone was bitten, scratched, or had direct contact with the bat, wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical advice immediately. Bat bites can be very small and may not be obvious.
Do not release the bat if exposure may be possible
Do not release the bat if it was found:
- in a room where someone was sleeping
- near a young child
- near an impaired, intoxicated, or mentally impaired person
- near a pet
- after possible direct contact with a person or animal
In those situations, the bat may need to be captured and tested for rabies. Contact medical/public-health authorities, animal control, or a qualified wildlife professional for direction.
Do not hit, crush, or shoot the bat
Do not hit the bat with a broom, racket, shoe, or other object. Do not shoot it. Rabies testing requires the bat’s brain to remain intact. Damaging the head can interfere with testing and may create additional exposure concerns for people or pets.
Do not assume one bat means the problem is over
A single bat in living space may be accidental. It may also be a sign that bats are entering from an attic, wall, chimney area, roofline, siding gap, vent, or other opening. If you have seen more than one bat, found droppings, noticed staining near entry points, heard movement in walls, or seen bats exiting at dusk, the house should be inspected for a possible roost or colony.
Bat exclusion has timing limits
Bat work is not simply sealing a hole. In spring and summer, young bats may be present. If openings are sealed at the wrong time, flightless young can be trapped inside, leading to odor, animal distress, and additional problems. Winter can also create issues because some bats may hibernate in buildings. Sealing at the wrong time can trap bats inside walls, insulation, or living spaces. That is why bat exclusion should be planned carefully and performed at the right time.
Do not seal suspected bat openings on your own
Do not seal gaps, vents, siding openings, chimney areas, attic openings, or roofline gaps until the situation is understood. Bats can use small openings, and sealing the wrong area can push them into living space or trap them inside the structure. A proper bat inspection looks for entry points, staining, droppings, exit activity, and structural conditions before exclusion work begins.
What BTNE can help with
BTNE can help inspect for bat entry points, attic or structure activity, possible roosting areas, and exclusion needs. We can also explain whether the issue appears to be a single bat, a recurring entry problem, or a larger bat-colony concern. BTNE does not make medical exposure decisions. If contact, bite, sleeping-room exposure, child exposure, impaired-person exposure, or pet exposure is possible, contact the appropriate medical, public-health, animal-control, or veterinary authority.
When to call BTNE
Call BTNE if you have found a bat in the house, seen repeated bat activity, noticed droppings, found staining near possible entry points, heard movement in walls or attic areas, or suspect bats are using your home.
BTNE generally works within the Concord–Peterborough–Portsmouth triangle, with Manchester near the center of our service area. Start with our contact form:
If you have photos or video, email them separately to [email protected] with your name, town, and bat issue. You can also scan the QR code to save our contact card.
