Bat Proof Your Home: Save Thousands of Dollars by Keeping Bats Out of Your Home

Save money by keeping bats out of your house. Most people don't even think about bat proofing one's home, but a bat in a cabin or house can easily cost thousands of dollars that in this tight economy you might not have. It can create a huge health risk for everyone in the building. If a bat gets in a bedroom or a place where someone is sleeping or otherwise unaware, there is no way to know if a person has been bitten. Small babies and children can not tell a person if they have been bitten. Bats transmit the deadly disease rabies. Rabies is unable to be detected by any tests. Once symptoms start, the disease is almost always fatal. The only way to stop it is through an expensive set of shots. They easily cost into the thousands of dollars. If it is not covered by insurance, you will be footing the bill.

Bats get into homes through very small areas. It is wise to make sure that window screens and door screens fit well. Chimneys should be screened, so that bats can not make it into the living areas. Wood siding or paneling, if there is not drywall behind it, needs to be caulked well, so that there are no areas they can enter into the main living area. Check around vent areas for holes that bats could enter through into the home.

If a bat gets into a living area, try to catch it safely. Do not handle a dead bat without gloves. Use a can or other means to scoop it up. Contact your health care provider right away and have the bat sent it in for testing to find out if it had rabies. If it is not caught, there is no way to know if the bat had rabies or not. This means rabies exposure can't be ruled out easily. Decide with your health care provider the next step. The post exposure tests may be needed, if it is not know when the bat entered the building. If there is any chance that a person may have been bitten, the shots are necessary. Bats do not need to be harmed if they are living outdoors. If fact they eat mosquitoes that also carry diseases. Steps just need to be taken to keep them outside. Do not leave doors or screens doors open. Check the house to make sure it is sealed tightly. Check chimneys to make sure there are no entry points there. Be bat aware, if a bat is acting strangely leave it alone. Make sure no one was in the area of the bat or touched it. Call your health provider if there are any questions about exposure. A little prevention can forgo a expensive health risk later.