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 would move out.😳 I would be terrified of rabies and would not touch one or go near one

@VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji love your user name, and yes they are good to have around. I just wish they would sort themselves out and stay in their quarters !

I'm another jealous one. We have them in the garden in the summer.

As a PP said, get in touch with the Bat Conservation Trust for advice.

They are protected and you could be committing a criminal offence if you intentionally disturb their roost or block an access.

https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/bats-and-the-law

@BlasphemousRumours I do get anxious about that, even though I know it would be extremely extremely rare to get rabies via a bat in this country . It has happened to a bat worker who didn't realise he got bitten.

There was a poster on here a while ago who had a bat fly into her eye while she was bringing her washing in and she had to go for rabies injections

@primprimoseyellow contact the bat conservation Trust. They will be able to put you in touch with a local bat licenced ecologist, which is what you need for short and long term fixes. There are solutions out there for your situation, but I don't have enough information to advise further.

In the meantime, do not catch bats, that's dangerous to you and them, and illegal. Open a window at dusk and they will leave. More bats will not fly in an open window.

This is my field of expertise but I doubt we are nearby. Feel free to message me privately if you want.

Ok whereabouts are you? I can put you in touch with a bat specialist ecologist who will come and survey and find where the roost is. There will be someone else he can recommend local to you.

you can move them, it's not impossible. You just can't go round killing them etc. Has to be done properly and the bats resited somewhere appropriate.

DM me if you want!

You are very, very unlikely to get rabies. Don't worry about that.

Chances are they're in the roof. Hopefully you can sort it so you and the bats are happy.

It'll slightly depend on which species of bat you have as to what has to happen but you need a bat survey first.

@Bovrilla @AllTheLaundry thank you I really appreciate your replies.

I have been in touch with one organisation and they have said the same about getting someone out, so I think we will do that. No of course we would never kill one, same as we would never kill a spider or beetle. I have killed clothes moths I admit, but feel I had no choice 😬

The problem with leaving windows open is that more would come in, in previous summers we have seen this. Im pretty sure we are allowed to catch and release bats we find in the house, we are careful to wait and release them at dusk in a suitable place. I really hope we can anyway as the idea of opening windows and hoping they get out without their friends coming in is not something I can deal with.

@Bovrilla meant to add I know you are right about rabies, it is my own anxiety that is at play there.

I think we actually sent some dead bats off for testing at the request of some organisation a few years ago.

This was after my nephew woke up to find a bat crawling up his leg. This is another reason why when people say oh they wont come near you etc etc I still get anxious about having them in bedrooms and picking things up and they are just there, sometimes dead and sometimes alive.

@prprimoseyellow I'm afraid catching bats, even in your own home is illegal. And dangerous for both you and the bat. The word in the law is "take".

www.bats.org.uk/advice/bats-and-the-law

At this time of year, they're unlikely to come in the house and even less likely to stay if a window is opened at dusk for a short time.

Contacting a bat licenced ecologist (licenced to work with bats by Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, NatureScot or Northern Irish Environment Agency that is) is the right step and they will get you sorted, legally, mortally, ethically etc

https://www.bats.org.uk/advice/help-ive-found-a-bat/bats-in-need-of-rescue/contain-the-bat. @AllTheLaundry I thought I was doing the right thing by following the advice on this website that tells you how to catch and release the bat? How confusing this whole bat issue is !!

I will definitely take your advice and contact a licensed ecologist , they will probably find we have some sort of super bat😂

I think it would obviously be illegal if someone deliberately set off to find and take a bat, though lord knows why anyone would want to do that!
In the same way that its illegal to take birds egg etc

Crawling up his leg!!! Oh my god. That’s absolutely horrific.

I lived with a large roost of Pipistrelle at one end of my house and a smaller roost of Horseshoe at the other end, for 10+ years.

Whilst I think they are beautiful in flight and have great respect for them, finding them in the bedroom at night or the bathroom used to upset me.

In my case I am sure they came via an open window or through the chimney. The ones in the bedroom often appeared to be babies so probably confused about how to get into their roost.

My solution was a mesh to fit over the open window, this for the chimney https://www.chimneysheep.co.uk/ and a small fishing net & cardboard to catch them without handling them. I didn”t attempt to catch them in flight, just waited for them to land, popped the net over them and gently edged the cardboard under the net a little at a time.

For those saying to block the entrance hole at the end of the season, I was told by the Bat Conservation Officer (who came to examine my roof when I needed to do some woodworm treatment) that you are not allowed to do it. I am sure many people do, but she did also point out that their roosting instincts are strong and if they have decided on your roof they will look for other crevices to get in.

Thelondonone · 02/05/2023 16:48
You are a better woman than I. Their shit attracts flies like nobodies business. I’d do bad things to get rid.”

They're protected, aren’t they? For a reason, presumably.

We lived in an ancient property, kept cats and the local Batman came and took some away (they had come out of hibernation too early and were clinging to our front door). We weren’t even allowed to touch them.

@Swedishwood I will definitely look at the chimney thing thank you.