How To Get A Bat Out Of Your Living Room Without Killing It
Turning on a light at night and finding a bat flying around in your living room can be a disturbing experience – especially since you've got to figure out a way to get it out of your house. If you are like many people, you won't necessarily want to kill the bat to remove it. Instead, you may want to try and catch it so you can release it outside. If you've never caught a bat before, here is how you can safely catch a bat so you can take it outside to release it.
Leather Gloves
You should wear a pair of thick leather gloves to protect your hands and fingers while trying to handle the bat. Bats in North America are insectivores (meaning they eat insects) and typically don't attack people when they are flying around, but they will bite if you handle them with your hands. Leather gloves will keep the tiny teeth of the bat from penetrating your skin. Don't use leather gloves used for driving your car in the winter. You want a pair of work gloves made out of rawhide.
Catching Bat on the Wall
You want to wait until the bat settles down before you do anything. If the bat is flying around, close the doors and leave the room for a while. Check every ten minutes to see if the bat is resting on the wall or floor. A stationary bat is much easier to catch.
If the bat is on the wall, grab something like a fishing net or lacrosse stick. Slowly walk over to it and then quickly place the net over the bat. Reach your gloved hand up under the net and push the bat into the webbing. Hold the bat in the net while you walk outside and let it go. Make sure to hold the net away from your face when releasing the bat.
Catching Bat on the Floor
You can use a towel when trying to catch a bat resting or walking on the floor. Slowly walk up to the bat and drop the towel down over it. Grab the towel with your gloved hands and gently wrap it up into a ball with the bat inside of it. Take the towel outside and place it on the ground. Lift the towel up to expose the bat so it can fly away.
Having a bat in your living room can be unnerving, but you should be able to catch it without much problem so you can get it out of your house. If you need help, contact a pest control company like Rice's Termite & Pest Control to catch and release the bat for you.
