What to Do If You Find a Bat in the House or on the Ground

Photo John MacGregor (Land Between the Lakes KY/TN) (opens in a new tab), Public domain (opens in a new tab)

If a bat is in a room with people

Do not touch it bare-handed. If anyone was bitten, scratched or may have had direct contact, contact a healthcare professional or public-health authority promptly. CDC also advises consultation when a bat is found in a room with someone who may not reliably know whether contact occurred, such as a sleeping person, very young child or impaired adult.

If there was clearly no possible exposure

Close interior doors, keep people and pets out and give the bat a route toward the outdoors if appropriate. If capture is needed, follow public-health or wildlife guidance. Do not swat at the bat or try to catch it in flight with bare hands.

A grounded bat needs caution

A bat on the ground may be exhausted, injured, ill or simply unable to launch from that surface. Do not test whether it can fly by tossing it into the air. Contact a qualified rehabilitator for species-appropriate instructions.

What to do

• —Keep pets away from the bat.
• —Use gloves and a container only if a rehabilitator or a doctor has advised capture.
• —Do not release a bat after a possible human exposure until a doctor has advised on it — whether the bat can be tested changes what the person needs.
• —For a colony, use one-way exclusion and seal entry points only during an appropriate season.
• —If the bat is injured or grounded, call a permitted wildlife rehabilitator rather than improvising care.

> Safety note: Possible bat contact can be a rabies exposure even when a bite mark is not obvious. Seek medical/public-health advice promptly rather than relying on visual inspection.

A bat encounter is a perfect example of coexistence with boundaries. Protect the bat from panic-driven harm, protect people from unnecessary exposure, and let professionals guide the small number of cases that need intervention.