When I finally was able, the first thing I did after seeing the bat in the house, was to Google 'how to get rid of a bat.' (WHAT did we ever do without the interwebs?) And I was amazed over the lack of diverse answers to my question. There don't seem to be many ways to get rid of bats.
I did learn a few things about bats that I never knew, however. One thing I found out is that bat bites don't necessarily hurt--you might not know you have been bitten. What a comforting thought. And you know how, on TV and in the movies, you will see people swat at bats with tennis rackets? NOT a good idea. When they are hit like that, their heads tend to kind of explode and brain material will 'spray' around. This is definitely NOT a good thing, as some diseases (possibly rabies) that bats carry are airborne, so that only spreads what they have. Also, it is highly recommended that any bat that makes its way into your living area be caught, alive, and brought somewhere to be tested for rabies. Don't think THAT will happen in my house.
So, just HOW do you get a bat out of your house? Well, not very easily. I have been told that bats will go towards the light, so turn the lights off in other rooms and keep one room lit where you have an outside door. Then you just have to either 'shoo' the bat out or it will fly out on its own. None of the websites I went to gave this advice. Here is what, basically, all of the sites told you to do:
- Open ALL of the windows and outside doors in your house.
- Wait until the bat 'rides' the air currents and leaves your house.
EXCUSE ME!?!?!? My number one problem with this idea is "What if another bat came INTO the house while everything is opened up?" And with the amount of bats that are flying around my yard, it is almost GUARANTEED that we would get more bats in our house. I will NOT be opening up the house and 'waiting' the next time we get a bat.
This was one time that the Gore didn't do much to help me solve a problem. But then, there doesn't really seem to BE a good solution, so I can't blame the interwebs. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that we will never have another bat in our house.
