Be sure to visit our page on what to do if you encounter bats for important health precautions, how to rescue bats, what to do if you are bitten, and other information.
REMEMBER: Do not handle bats with bare hands. It is illegal to harm or kill any bat species in Alberta.
I want to help bats. Do you have any suggestions?
Bats need three things to survive: food, water and shelter. They won’t occupy an area unless all three are available. But they can fly several kilometers, so chances are they have access to these resources somewhere. Creating healthy environments with native trees and shrubs and access to wetlands is a great way to attract bats. Shelter belts and other treed corridors can help link these different habitat components. Bats also need safe environments free of hazards like outdoor cats, uncovered rain barrels and chimneys with improper caps. In some cases, it may also be worthwhile to install a bat house. For more information, download our free guide on Building Bat Friendly Communities (.pdf).
I want to install a bat house. Do you have any advice?
See our bat house page and the Alberta Bat House Guidelines for detailed information on bat houses.
Most bat houses sold at hardware stores or greenhouses are too small to support bat maternity colonies. We recommend only large multi-chambered bat houses be installed. Whether the bat house will be used will depend greatly on where it is installed and the quality of the surrounding habitat. We suggest installing multiple bat houses, with at least one in a sunny location and at least one in a relatively shaded location. That way bats can move around depending on weather conditions (a black bat house in full sunlight can easily exceed 40C!). Unlike birds, mother bats can carry their pups from site to site. Read our Alberta Bat House Guidelines for more information on bat house design and installation.
The cheapest option is to build your own bat house. The 4-chambered nursery house design from Bat Conservation International is a good option for Alberta bats (be sure to include vents). You can find this design in the Bat House Builders Handbook, which we have linked to on our website. We do not recommend single-chambered bat houses because they are prone to over-heating.
I was bitten or potentially bitten by a bat. What do I do?
Call Health Link at 8-1-1 for assessment, or contact your public health care provider, if you have been bitten by a bat or cannot rule out the possibility (such as if it was in an area people were sleeping). If they believe there is a risk, they will most likely provide a referral for post-exposure rabies prophylaxis as a precaution. Most bats don’t have rabies. But this virus is fatal once symptoms develop, so it’s important to be treated when a potential exposure has occurred. Issues with rabies are usually easy to avoid by not handling bats with bare hands. There has not been a person contracting rabies from a bat in Alberta for over 10 years (and we want to keep it that way!). Note that bats often do not leave visible bite marks.
A bat landed on me (or brushed against my skin) when it was flying around. What do I do?
This is a rare occurrence for a bat and is a potential sign that the bat is unwell (such as with rabies). Call Health Link at 8-1-1 for assessment, or contact your public health care provider. You should do this soon after exposure, because rabies can only be treated before you know you have it.
Do bats actually have lots of diseases that threaten people?
It’s important to take basic precautions when approaching or entering the space of any wild animal (so keep reading). However, it’s not common for people to get serious diseases from bats. Bats are among the most common animals in our communities and many live very close to people. Despite this, contracting diseases from bats is exceptionally rare.
There has not been a case of a person contracting rabies from a bat in Alberta in over 10 years and this disease is easily avoided—by not touching bats! Nonetheless, rabies does occur in bats in Alberta and has very serious consequences if exposure is left untreated. If you are bitten by a bat (or are unsure if you were bitten) call Health Link at 8-1-1 for assessment. You cannot get rabies from bat poop (guano).
Contrary to media reports, most bats don’t have rabies. Well under 1% of free-flying bats in Alberta have this virus. But those laying on the ground, acting erratically, or exhibiting other abnormal behaviours are much more likely to be sick. Avoiding these bats is the best option. But if a bat MUST be moved, make sure to wear a pair of durable leather gloves. And you can often gently move the bat with another object to further reduce the risk of being bitten. Most bats found around people’s yard do not have rabies, so should be left alone.
Another potential concern with bats is a fungus that causes histoplasmosis (read the next question: “Is bat guano safe” for more information).
For a more comprehensive overview of these topics, including prevention, be sure to read the pamphlets from the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative on both Rabies and Histoplasmosis: http://www.cwhc-rcsf.ca/bat_health_resources.php#bat-human-health
Merlin Tuttle’s commentary on exaggerated disease risks in bats also offers a thorough discussion of how public perceptions of bats results in unbalanced coverage of this topic in the media.
Is bat guano safe?
Bat guano carries similar risks to the feces of other wild animals. The perception of bat guano as a major vector for serious viruses, as often portrayed in movies, is exaggerated. Many bats live in buildings and hundreds of thousands of people annually watch bats flying around them, at places like caves and bridges. Despite this, there are very few cases of people getting diseases from bats. For example, at the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas, over a million bats fly around thousands of people nightly, and never has a person contracted serious disease from these bats. Nonetheless, you should take basic precautions to avoid unnecessary risk, as you should with the feces of any wild animal.
The primary concern from bat guano is a fungus that can cause Histoplasmosis in people and pets. The fungus is known to occur in Alberta, and cases have been reported, but we do not know if it is common. This fungus grows in soil rich in nitrogen from bird or bat droppings. People who inhale dust from contaminated soil have a risk of contracting this disease. Most of the time this is from people cleaning (or agitating) major guano deposits or contaminated soil, especially in confined areas like attics — not from sweeping up the occasional dropping on a deck. Nonetheless, appropriate respiratory protection and other precautions are recommended if you are disturbing bat guano. Major cleaning operations may require assistance by a professional for it to be done safely.
You cannot get rabies from bat guano.
For a more comprehensive overview of Histoplasmosis, including prevention, be sure to read the pamphlets from the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative: http://www.cwhc-rcsf.ca/bat_health_resources.php#bat-human-health
There is a bat flying around my room and I’m freaking out!
Don’t panic! Fear about bats is based on misconceptions (and scary movies!). Bats are no more dangerous than other animals, and like with other animals, you just need to take some simple precautions to keep you and the bats safe. Bats do not seek out and attack people but will readily bite in self defense if touched. Never touch a bat with bare hands. There is a risk (albeit typically small) of contracting rabies from a bat, but that risk is easily avoided by not touching bats with bare skin (you need to be bitten or scratched to get rabies). See the previous question regarding bat bites.
For instructions on removing bats from the human occupied spaces of a home, see: https://batworld.org/what-to-do-if-youve-found-a-bat/. Keep in mind that bats don’t like to be in the open. They may hide in narrow cracks and crevices, tucked between folds of a curtain, or crawl under furniture. It may take some effort to figure out exactly where it went.
I have bats living in my home and I think I need to do something about it. What do I do?
Not all bats need to be excluded from buildings. But sometimes issues need to be addressed. Proper timing is critical to avoid harm to bats. It’s important to avoid disturbing bats during the pup rearing season (June to August in Alberta); excluding bats at this time of year will very likely cause harm to the bat colony and may create issues with bats getting into human living quarters. Most bats in Alberta will leave on their own by October and will return by April or May. Completing repairs during the off-season will help avoid harm to bats. However, June to July is an excellent time to observe bats to figure out what they are doing and how they are accessing the building. Watch bats for an hour, starting at sunset, and see how they are accessing the building. Count bats as they exit so you know how many you are dealing with. You may want to do this at least twice, because bats can move around from night to night.
One species (Big Brown Bats) sometimes hibernate in buildings, but this is rarely reported. If you suspect this species is present, then the best option may be to exclude them using one-way exits during the spring (May) or fall (September).
Regardless of the time of year, ensure bats cannot access the inner portions of the home where people live. Contact a bat-friendly pest control professional if you require assistance.
We have two free guides with comprehensive information on managing bats:
Beneficial Management Practices for Pest Control Operators (.pdf)
There is a bat (or bats) on the outside of my home or outbuilding and I want it gone. What do I do?
Bats sometimes roost on the outside of buildings, especially male bats or bats resting during fall migration (July 15 to September). Sometimes these bats return to the same location night after night. They will most likely drop their body temperature (i.e., torpor), which can make them appear dead. But they might still be healthy and can fly once they rewarm their body. Unless there is an unmanageable risk of people or animals contacting the bat, it should be left alone! Rarely are these bats causing harm to the building. If the bat dies while roosting, it may remain in place for several weeks. If it hasn’t moved for days, fails to leave after sunset, and can’t move even a small amount, then it’s probably dead. Dead bats can be removed, but be sure to wear leather gloves to protect against bites or scratches.
If the location of the bat is unacceptable, then one potential solution is to wait until the bat leaves on its own and then attach a piece of smooth plastic (like plexiglass) to the location it was roosting. It won’t be able to grip the plastic, so will need to move elsewhere. The bat might just move elsewhere on the same building, but sometimes that is far enough away to resolve the issue. Issues with mess can sometimes be solved by strategically placing a plant pot below the bat’s roosting location. Remember: do not accidentally block roost exits if there is a chance of bats being inside.
My pet caught a bat. What do I do?
Contact your veterinarian for treatment advice and to make sure your pet’s vaccinations are up-to-date. All mammals, including cats and dogs, can get rabies. Bats captured on the ground are most likely to be sick. Keep your cats indoors to prevent them from capturing bats
I think a bat needs to be rescued. What do I do?
It is usually best to avoid disturbing bats, unless they are trapped and cannot leave on their own. Bats often don’t fare better in captivity, and they might just be resting anyways.
Sometimes bats become trapped and need rescuing. This can occur, for example, if they get into the living quarters of a home, fall down a chimney, or fall into a rail barrel. Instructions for safely moving a bat can be found HERE. Make sure to wear durable (leather) gloves if moving a bat. Bats should never be handled with bare skin.
In some cases a wildlife rehabilitation centre may be able to help. See www.albertabats.ca/foundabat for a list of facilities accepting bats. Be sure to call the centre first to make sure it’s appropriate to bring the bat in. Always wear leather gloves if handling a bat. If the bat is placed into a box or cloth bag, make sure it can breath and that the bat cannot escape once it becomes active.
Keep in mind that bats often go into ‘torpor’ during the day. This involves a controlled lowering of their body temperature to save energy. They are slow and cannot fly while in torpor, which might make them appear unwell. However, once disturbed, bats will start shivering to warm up their body. After about 10 minutes the bat will likely be able to fly.
I found a dead bat. What is going on?
There are several reasons why bats may die. Many become trapped in rain barrels, chimneys, ducts, or other areas and eventually die. Sometimes they call for help from their roost mates, which also become trapped and die. Bats lying dead on the ground are very often killed by cats. Sometimes cats kill a few bats each night, resulting in recurring observations of dead bats. Bats may also die of sickness, like any animal. Do not handle living or dead bats with bare hands. Thick gloves are required if handing bats is necessary.
Should I submit my bats for testing?
We encourage people to submit dead bats observed during the winter and early spring (December to May 31) to a Fish and Wildlife Office; a listing can be found here: https://www.alberta.ca/fish-and-wildlife-contacts.aspx. These bats may be tested for white-nose syndrome; a disease that only affects bats. Testing of bats during other times of year is typically low priority unless there has been a bite or potential bite to a person. Talk with your health care provider if this is the case.
I love bats and want to learn and do more!
There are many great conservation organizations and stewards that support bats, either by promoting bat conservation directly, or by protecting habitats that bats need to thrive (e.g., land trusts, nature conservancies, and parks). Consider volunteering for one of these organizations, or donating to support their efforts. Contact government representatives to demand better protections and increased funding for wildlife conservation.
We have numerous resources on our webpage, including guides, brochures, posters, and an activity book. These can be found at www.albertabats.ca/resources. And you can continuously learn more about bats and join a growing community of bat enthusiasts by following us on social media (@albertabats). Our Facebook page is a great place to learn about events around Alberta that involve bats. Links to our social media accounts can be found on the front page of our website: www.albertabats.ca.
Donations are also greatly appreciated. You can donate at https://www.albertabats.ca/donate/. The Alberta Community Bat Program is a project of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, a registered Canadian charity.