Bats in house

[primoseyellow]

Can someone please offer any advice on why I have bats coming into my house so much. So far this year in the last ten days there have been 6 bats I have found.

Just now I was in bathroom happened to glance into shower and there was one in the corner of shower tray.

I really dislike them, they make me extremely anxious in the same way that rats and mice do to some people.

I do not understand how they are getting in, windows and doors shut all the time unless we open a door to walk in and close it behind us. Mesh up on my bedroom window and it is cracked open in morning for a bit. But I keep my door shut and they keep appearing so I know its nowhere in my room.

I have contacted bat conservation trust and they were helpful but could not offer anything we hadn't done . Has anyone ever had this issue? can bats get in via the chimney?

I hate the little bastards.

I think to answer your question OP, that they can actually get into the house down our chimney, or through an air vent which is behind the fireplace. However, they're so quick that you only have to open a window or door briefly when it's almost dark, and they're in like a flash, you won't even see them. When we were renovating our house, one part of the place was open to the elements, and we also had family to stay, we were outside one evening doing a BBQ, and my granddaughters were in and out to the toilet, when suddenly we heard shrieking and laughter all at once, they'd spotted several bats around the house! They'd never seen one before and didn't know whether to be scared or fascinated. Being 'townies', they had quite an education on that first holiday here, they also spotted a slug behind one of the curtains! I don't know how the little buggers get in, but they do, and we always know when there's one or more in the house by the slimy trail they leave across the carpets. Caught one about 3 1/2" long the other evening. YUK!!

@Treesoutsidemywindow I hadn't considered air vents either so I will definitely have a look and hopefully we are allowed to put some sort of cover over fireplace so that might help.

I have the same issue. Adult Bats can squeeze through a tiny space, less than an inch. So windows ajar, chimneys, air vents etc. mine are often down the chimneys or if I leave a windo open. Babies just need millimetres,

I also dislike them and do not understand people who think they are cute. I hear them scratching in the walls at night as they come back and forward from their roost. Used to it now, but I didn’t like it at first.

just be careful though, if one gets trapped and dies the smell will be in your house for a very long time.

ours is a permanent roost, so we have several hundred. It’s babies we usually find outside as they fall off their mums tummy when she flies out at night, or they crawl away and get lost and come down a chimney or whatever into thr house. They they go and find someplace dark to hide. For us the adults rarely come in via a chimney or whatever and mainly come in if someone leaves a window open and they get confused and it’s dusk.

if it’s an adult who has got confused , they swoop all over in a panic , so open the windows, shut the door and put the room light out they soon go. Babies just gently place outside high up and the mum can hear them and comes and gets them, or a predator obviously will

you have my sympathies.

Any chance you have a belfry you could encourage them to live in?

@Backtothegym I didn't realise the babies clung to the mums like that. Im beginning to think we must have a permanent roost as well.

If Im on my own and one comes in I will try the door shut and lights out, window open obviously!

@youveturnedupwelldone I wish!!

@waterlego
Arrrgghhh! Yes, that’s exactly it! They’re such sweet little things really but just…
...and I believe they carry rabies too

I had two experiences. In England my new-ish house has a trendy batbox built in, but I got real lucky 🤔and had a hornets nest in it. It got sprayed with stuff and now nothing lives there - the remnants of the nest block most of the hole. And in my house abroad we had a bat come indoors where we have 4 metre ceilings, large rooms and no protection laws. I'm afraid I sucked it up into the vacuum cleaner.

Not alive I hope. That would be horribly cruel.
I despair at all the people on here saying they hate them, are scared of them, find them “yuck” and would happily do “bad things” to get rid of them. Thank god they’re legally protected so that at least some people hesitate to do that.

Lying awake as a bat Is flying around hallway outside my bedroom. Dog woke me up to take her out, somehow managed to get us both downstairs and back into bed.
Its basically been a bat a day for the past two weeks 😬🦇

What a vile thing to do!

the are beautiful and amazing! but they do carry rabies, so fears are not irrational and unfounded, they evolved for a reason

I work in bat conservation and Ecology, every county has a bat group so find the contact details for your bat group give them a call and ask them to come and do a roost visit, tell them the problems your having and that you aren’t sure where the roost is but they should come out if they have enough volunteers and help you!

Bats are protected and are actually an indicator species so are really important part of our ecosystem! It sounds like you have our common bat flying around called a pipistrelle so you will either have a hibernation roost or maternity colony both of which sadly can’t be moved but you can learn to live with them!

Dont worry about rabies, it’s found in a different bat that hunts, lives in and around water courses but as with all bats if you handle then you have to wear gloves

@Ineedwinenow thank you, yes definitely have a big roost, which we are happy about and for the first few years it was a rare occurrence that they came in the house.

But now it has literally been one bat a day/night for the last ten days that comes inside!

I also dont like to think about them trapped in the house and dying, (we find dead ones too). I think we are in such a good location, undisturbed woods near by and several quiet ponds plus very old building, that we are basically infested with them and they are struggling for space. Or maybe they are getting sick and construed and coming inside and dying??
I really dont know!

We had this at a previous house - bats were living in the roof. It wasn't too troublesome as we aren't scared of them and there weren't too many.

I left the window open one night in Italy and there were bats in my bedroom. They flew out thankfully. But it's the thought of them flying in your face that gets me. So totally understand your situation

I do understand your phobia, but I'm envious that you have bats in the roof. They are of course entirely harmless to humans and do a great job getting rid of biting insects.

Oh my, I would lose my shit if I had Bats in my house! WTF? 🫣

You can get mesh hats to cover chimney openings.

I feel the same. I have them in the garden and get the bat detector out and spend hours watching them dancing.

I know you won’t feel it, but to me, your incredibly lucky and thank you for wanting to do right by them.

😂

Hopefully this will cheer you up OP

Bats can crawl through a ten pence piece hole.
Id check all the roof including at the eaves.

@bellabasset yes thats it, fabric like wings fluttering across your face😨. Im going to need a lie down I think!

@moomoolandie 😂😂😂😂 its a bit worrying how quickly it is seeming to be the new normal. Now when I see one I still have an internal freak out, but I talk myself down and try to keep my shit together😂

@Hazelnuttella Just watched this 3 times, thank you it has!