A bat is in the house right now
Stay calm, keep it in one room, and read the next section before you let it go.
First: was anyone exposed?
This matters more than anything else on this page. Bats are a rabies vector species in North Carolina. Most bats don’t carry rabies, but bites can be small enough to miss.
Don’t release the bat if any of these are true:
- It was in a room where someone was sleeping
- It was near a young child or someone who can’t say whether they touched it
- A person or pet had any contact with it
- Someone found it in bed or on their body
In those cases, contain it if you can do so safely and call your doctor or the local health department. They decide whether it should be tested. Then call us.
If no one was exposed
- Close it into one room. Shut interior doors and keep pets and kids out.
- Turn off the lights and open a window or exterior door in that room. Bats use echolocation to find open air.
- Give it time. Watch quietly from the doorway. Many bats leave within a few minutes.
- If it lands and won’t leave, call us. If you have to act, put a container over it, slide cardboard underneath, and take it outside. Gloves, always.
What we do when we come out
We get the bat out safely. Then we look for how it got in, because that’s the real question. Fireplaces with no chimney cap, gaps around attic hatches, recessed lights under an attic, and unfinished basements are common routes for a stray. A bat that came from a colony in the walls or attic is a different story, and that’s where bat removal and exclusion comes in.
Why a bat ends up inside
- Young bats in late summer. Pups born in early summer start flying in July and August, and inexperienced flyers get lost inside.
- A colony next door to your living space. Bats in a wall void or attic can find a gap into a room.
- Someone sealed the wrong hole. Closing a colony’s exit forces them to look for another way out, often into the house.
- Open doors and unscreened chimneys. Sometimes it’s just bad luck.
If this is the second or third bat you’ve seen inside, there’s almost certainly a roost. Call for an inspection even after this one is gone.
Head back to the Triangle Bat Removal home page or call (984) 246-0981.
Related bat services
Questions we hear a lot
Do you come out at night or on weekends?
We take emergency calls. One customer's review describes calling on a Saturday evening about a bat in the fireplace and having it out about three hours later. Call and we'll tell you how soon we can be there.
Does one bat in the house mean I have a colony?
Not always. A single bat can wander in through an open door or chimney. Repeated bats inside, droppings, or noises at dusk point to a roost, and that calls for an inspection.
Should I try to catch it?
Only if you have to and can do it safely: thick leather gloves, a container, and a piece of cardboard. Never touch a bat with bare hands.
What if my dog or cat caught the bat?
Keep the bat contained without touching it, and call your vet and local health department. Make sure your pet's rabies vaccination is current.
What customers say
I cannot thank Joe and his team (Chris, Forrest, Mike & Grayson) enough for the work they put in for a successful bat exclusion and bat bug remediation. I reached out in June for noises I was hearing in the ceiling of my home office. They inspected very quickly & identified bats... They were able to close any other entry points, Chris fixed our exhaust vents and they successfully excluded the bats. They did a great clean up job & treated for the bugs twice.
Marian Morritt on Google
Mike from Integrated Wildlife Management came to my home recently to do an inspection of a bat colony that was roosting in one of our gable vents. He did a thorough inspection, pointed out some other entry points in our attic and gave a fair quote. He came back to do the removal and exclusion work this week and everything was done as promised. When I had a question about the warranty, Joe gave me a straightforward answer and addressed my concerns.
Peter Dooling on Google
Had an unexpected bat in our fireplace on a Saturday night at 5:30pm and a quick search led me Joe and the Integrated team. They had the bat out of the fireplace by 8:30pm and came back for a full inspection the next day! I was very impressed with their quick reply during weekend hours and their professionalism to get the job done right!
Nick H. on Google
Ready to get it handled?
- You'll talk with Joe Zets or his crew, not a call center
- Exclusion work backed by a warranty
- Homes, churches, campuses, and commercial buildings
- Emergency help when a bat is inside