VeggieBoards banner

Bat in our attic - ideas for capture?

1K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  vegkid 
#1 ·
My husband went to put his suitcase back in the attic and discovered a bat flying around. It's a decent sized bat - brown and black with a wingspan of maybe 8-10". We have a good wildlife rehabilitation resource in the area and I will call them in the morning. But I thought I would see if any of you have experience with trapping a bat. There are no windows. Thanks for any help. I'm worried about it. Fortunately we were able to disconnect the attic fan.
 
See less See more
1
#2 ·
We caught a bat in our house with a butterfly net.
I doubt you have one, but a fishing net would work well, too. Perhaps, if you have a fishing neighbor, you can borrow it?

What's special about a butterfly net is its shape. It's very long, so that once you've whipped the net over the critter, and the critter is in the net, you can just quickly turn the handle so that it can't fly back out.

A simpler option is to give the critter a way outside and then just leave the area.
 
#5 ·
Imdead, what if they get rid of it, take two steps, and another one appears? That's no way to handle the situation.


In all seriousness, it really depends what you're comfortable with. One way to go about it is to just let it stay up there until you can call the Wildlife center. Another way is, if you are comfortable with direct contact and a small chance at rabies (but a 100% chance of giant rabies shots), to try and trap it with a shoebox or a net. What I would probably do is set a trap, get a mixture of both fruits, vegetables, and live insects (Just catch like five ants) and put them in a box, leave the box in the attic and wait for the bat to attempt to eat them, then sneak up and trap the bat. That method is a bit harder though...
 
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amy SF View Post

What?
I think it's a Pokemon reference but I don't understand it either, Pokemon being after my time....

Okay: I vaguely remember hearing something about leaving a light on in an attic where you have bats and you want to persuade them to leave. After you're sure they've left, you try to block whatever opening they got in. (You don't want to trap anybody inside so that they die; I'm not sure if bats leave their young in wherever they roost for the day. I don't know when they breed either.) Whatever government agency in your state handles wildlife will priobably be able to offer suggestions. My basic thought is that this would probably be less traumatic for both the bat and you than actually trying to capture him/her and release him outside.
 
#7 ·
I called the rehabbers groups today and got some ideas for capture. They suggested that we try to catch it today when it was less active - just placing a large can over it and using a piece of thin cardboard to slide under the can to contain it. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find it. Perhaps it got out the same way it got in? I keep checking the attic, but so far, no bat.
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poppy View Post

I called the rehabbers groups today and got some ideas for capture. They suggested that we try to catch it today when it was less active - just placing a large can over it and using a piece of thin cardboard to slide under the can to contain it. Unfortunately, we have not been able to find it. Perhaps it got out the same way it got in? I keep checking the attic, but so far, no bat.
I'd put food and water up there to see if s/he eats it. Maybe in a couple places, in case s/he's too weakened by thirst or hunger to travel far. I'd rather try to remove a live one than remove one who has painfully dehydrated or starved to death.
 
#11 ·
Still no sign of the bat.
I hope it found it's way back outside. Like most attics, ours has beams, boxes, furniture, insulation and Christmas ornaments! Hard to find anything, much less a small sleeping bat. I put a jar lid of water up there earlier, and just put a slice of apple. I'll probably just attract roaches!
 
#12 ·
You should generally call animal control for bats. They're often carriers of rabies and the health department usually wants any bats that could have come in contact with people or pets to be tested for rabies. Unfortunately, this can't be done without killing the bat, but its' better than having rabies.
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by imdead-goaway View Post

Thundershock, or run. They said they wanted to capture, so I'm assuming they're going for a full pokedex. Probably going to let it rot in Bill's PC - no one uses a zubat.
Untrue, I've seen people make that work. I suppose you just have to have the patience to level it up. Most are so ridiculously low that it's a pain and that's why they just sit there in Box 2 doing nothing.

I'm glad to hear the bat may have escaped.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top