There's a bat in my house

[charlieloulou]

Hello,

I've recently bought my first home and it appears to have come with a live in bat!
My daughter came to my bedroom last week when I was putting the baby to sleep around 9 and said there's a bird flying around the bathroom. I said don't be silly it's just a moth. Well it wasn't a moth. Or a bird. Definitely a bat! I did the normal and close the bathroom door and waited in another closed bedroom until the hubby came home.
So hubby opens door and sees 'Jeffy' (yes my daughter has named her) from bathroom ceiling. He opened window and closed the door again. We waited a couple of hours before throughly checking and she was gone so closed the window. However an hour later I go into the bathroom to see her flying around again! By next morning no sign of her. Daughter was very sad so my mum posted her a soft toy bat with a note from 'Jeffy' asking her to be her best friend.

At 6 this morning though I'm feeding the baby propped in bed and can see something flying around the landing! Wake up hubby and yup Jeffy has returned, or maybe she never left??

Mumsnetters what do I do!! It's a very cute looking bat all dark brown and fluffy but it freaks me out to honest we only have one loo and it's very off putting when there's a bat hanging upside down staring at you!

Call a wildlife conservationist or rescue.

I don't know about your area, but in mine bats are well looked after by groups of conservationists and amateur rescuers.

I adore bats. They're the puppies of the sky!

You need the batty conservation folks. Google for your local ones.

Thank you both have found the number and will give them a call next time we spot him.

Catch him Derry, catch him.

Anyone else mentally singing this There's a bat in me house what am I gonna do

I hope that works

I'm so jealous! I love bats! misses point of thread

@OneThreadOnly0101 - that's hilarious - needs sound though.

It's like something out of Father Ted! "Maureen will you stop looking in the door".

That can't be real. It's a comedy set up surely?

Don't try and catch it yourself. I think you need a licence to handle bats.

@Flyingpompom he's making a mockery out of you.

I've seen this before but thanks for that - absolute comedy gold

At home in rural N.C.its reckoned that a substantial percentage of bats (cant remember the % off hand,but its high) carry rabies, and we have the bat catcher on speed dial. I was over with the family a few years ago and certainly the bat catcher was out with us, in full protective gear, in a short space of time. No need tho, my bro had done the Derry trick with a tea towel

The laws around bats are quite strict. Try the bat conservation trust to start with, I think it's illegal to disrupt a roost site.

And yes 'theres a bat in my kitchen what am I gonna do' will be my ear worm for the next half hour

I read about the rabies too which is why I was scared to try catch it.

I think she lives behind our bath, previous vendors fitted the bathroom themselves and put a 'v' shape curved bath snug along one side so at the bottom left is a gap with a torch you can see into the walls/floorboards. We've only seen her twice but the first time I shut the bathroom door and she disappeared in there, we searched everywhere except the hole. (Window was closed all day) but why have we only seen her twice? Are bats scared of noise is she only coming out when we sleep? Both times I saw her the house was silent as all in bed.
I don't want to block the hole in case she's in there, but I'm guessing the 'bat catches' won't come out until she's actually spotted. Is there a way to entice them out?