How can I safely capture a bat in my home?
Reproduced from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention website (Click
here to view).
If a bat is present in your home and you cannot
rule out the possibility of exposure, leave the bat alone and contact
an animal-control or public health agency for assistance. If professional
help is unavailable, use precautions to capture the bat safely,
as described below.
What you will need:
- leather work gloves (put them on)
- small box or coffee can
- piece of cardboard
- tape
When the bat lands, approach it slowly, while
wearing the gloves, and place the box or coffee can over it. Slide
the cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside. Tape the
cardboard to the container securely, and punch small holes in the
cardboard, allowing the bat to breathe. Contact your health department
or animal-control authority to make arrangements for rabies testing.
If you see a bat in your home and you are sure
no human or pet exposure has occurred, confine the bat to a room
by closing all doors and windows leading out of the room except
those to the outside. The bat will probably leave soon. If not,
it can be caught, as described, and released outdoors away from
people and pets.
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