Bats are the ultimate house guests from hell. They mess with your head, they poop in unmentionable places, and they’ll suck your blood if given half a chance. If you don’t believe us, see for yourself by watching this video of a Vampire Bat Drinking Human Blood or this one of a fruit bat licking human saliva off its own lips. If you’re thinking of going Full Evil and capturing these flying rats to keep as pets you know like cats have bats think again. Bats aren’t exactly cuddly companions; in fact, even experienced zoologists can be injured by them when provoked. Here are some tips on how to lure a bat out of hiding in your house:
How To Lure A Bat Out Of Hiding In Your House?
- Make sure you are prepared before encountering a bat, you should be wearing heavy clothing with long sleeves. Most bats carry rabies and are very aggressive. They will bite everything in sight and will flee for their lives if threatened by humans. Make sure you have an emergency rabies shot kit handy or have had your shots updated recently if you’d like to capture the creature alive. Check this video out if you think it’s still a good idea to catch a bat as a pet.
- Remove any clutter from the area where the bat is hiding so that it doesn’t fly around aimlessly while it’s trying to find an exit route out of your house or office space (if you see it flying around, use steel wool to cover all the holes so that the bat can’t squeeze through).
- Find out where the bat is hiding by tracking its nocturnal movements around your house using infrared cameras and radar technology. If you’re not up to the challenge, try enlisting a bat removal service.
- Once you’ve found the bat, play some soothing music in the room while running a fan to blow air toward where the bat is hiding. This will force it out of its hiding place so that it can be caught or killed safely with extreme prejudice.
Set Out Food And Smells
- Bats are often attracted to all sorts of food that, from a human perspective, would seem downright unappetizing. Dried fruits and berries, such as sunflower seeds, raisins, and peanuts are just some of the things bats will eat. But if you really want to lure out your bat, you need to really go for broke and set out two moist foods: peanut butter and raw fish. Like the image of raw fish and peanut butter? Try setting these foods out on a bread crust or even more daringly in an empty flower pot.
- If you’re not up for getting all messy with raw fish (though if you have a bat problem you may be willing to do anything), try putting down raspberry jam or pears instead—both are sweet smells that will attract fruit bats instantly
- When it comes time to come up with these smelly snacks, try putting the peanut butter in a narrow-necked bottle (like an old ketchup bottle) and the fish in a jar.
- You can also try using dead fish as bait, and no, we don’t mean you should kill one yourself (we’re not crazy). Instead, put out actual dead fish—one that is rotting. Many bats love to eat the flesh of the dead (have you seen those vampire bats?), so this a good way to lure them out… though it may be less than pleasant for you! If it helps convince your kids that you have a serious bat problem, tell them it’s an educational opportunity for them!
Fake Bats
- Hang a fake bat outside of your house to get the attention of bats in the area. Use an upside-down broom to nail it up high on a tree. You can also use a Halloween bat decoration, but make sure it’s in good condition first.
- The fake bat you place up should be about three times bigger than a real bat (though not so big that it looks ridiculous). It should also have some tufts of fur on it and make some noises when disturbed (thanks to the wind blowing against it, or movement from passersby).
- Keep checking your fake bat regularly; if you notice that no bats are coming near it anymore, replace the fake one with a new one. This will help keep your trap more effective and believable.
- If you can’t afford a real or fake bat right now (or if you want to save money), just hang upside down a piece of white cloth or paper that will flap and make noise in the wind.
Sounds That Bats Find Irresistible
- A squeaking bat. These tiny mammals emit a high-pitched sound like the one you make when you take a picture with your cell phone.
- A squeaking bat on a squeaky ladder. Specifically, the sound of a ladder slowly descending while fingernails are being run down one of the rungs—as if someone is climbing down the ladder very slowly, very creepily, and very stealthily. The sound of a kitten meowing is also effective. But only if it’s coming from inside your closet.
- Squeaking bats on brooms and umbrellas, or other musical instruments (the more annoying the better). Some bats find these sounds even more irresistible than the ones mentioned above; it’s worth trying out some noise-making instruments to see what works best for your bat. The most irritating thing about these sounds is that there doesn’t seem to be an obvious pattern in terms of what makes them so irresistible.
Try A Little Tenderness
- First off, keep calm—screaming or freaking out will just scare the bat away.
- Turn off the lights—all of them, not just those in the room where you think the bat is hiding; it’ll be able to find its way out if it doesn’t know where it is.
- Now that all the lights are off, turn on a penlight and shine it around slowly until you see a pair of glowing eyes staring back at you. Remember, bats have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell, so try dousing yourself in something with a strong scent that animals can smell but you can’t (like Eau de bat poop).
Conclusion
And there you have it: how to lure a bat out of hiding in your house. But this is just a temporary solution. Bats aren’t really pets, so you’ll need to call a wildlife expert to come and remove the bat once it’s out in the open. If you want to keep bats in your home permanently as pets, you’ll have to get a permit to do so. Bats are actually one of the cleanest and most eco-friendly creatures in the world. They eat a lot of bugs, including mosquitos and other insects that are harmful to people. So if you have bats in your house, there’s no need to get rid of them. Just let them be, and they’ll do you a favor.
