Bat Encounters

Generally, bats are benign, even helpful natural and nocturnal animals that feed on night-flying insects.

Unfortunately, some bats carry rabies, so care must be taken to prevent bats from coming into your living space.

• Make sure your windows have screens and that they are intact.
• Keep your doors closed.
  

Added precautions are warranted should one make its way into your home (see below).

What is rabies?

Rabies is a serious viral infection that affects the central nervous system. Rabies is transmitted directly from other mammals to humans (typically through a bite or a scratch). While all warm-blooded mammals can get rabies, it usually is transmitted to humans by raccoons, skunks, foxes and bats.

Incubation of the virus is typically two to eight weeks. Early symptoms include irritability, headache, fever and sometimes itching or pain at the site of exposure. Without treatment, the disease can progress in a matter of days to paralysis, spasms of the throat muscles, convulsions, delirium, and even death.  

Because of the serious nature of rabies, aggressive post-exposure treatment is necessary for those who are known to have been (or are suspected of having been) exposed to a rabid bat.

Is it possible to tell if a bat is "rabid" (i.e. carrying rabies)?

Possibly. You should be concerned if you see bats that:

• are active during the day. (Healthy bats are active at night and sleep during the day.)
  
• are exhibiting odd behavior or that appear incapable of flying from a height. (Most bats cannot "take off" from the ground, but start from a high place and swoop down to start.) 
• are found in places they normally wouldn't hang out, including your living quarters.

What should you do if you come in contact with a bat?

People cannot get rabies from seeing a bat from a distance, from simply touching a bat, or from contact with bat guano (feces), blood, or urine. However, getting bitten by a bat or getting infectious material (such as saliva) from a bat into your eyes, nose, mouth, or wound constitutes as a potentially-serious exposure.

• If you know you have been bitten by a bat, or had another serious exposure, wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and warm water. Take steps to ensure that the bat is tested for rabies (see below) and seek prompt medical attention. Call the Tompkins County Health Department at 607 274-6688 for details. After business hours, an on-call specialist can assist you.
  
• If you awaken and find a bat in your bedroom or see the bat in the room of an unattended child, it's possible that a bite may have occurred without notice. Take steps to ensure that the bat is tested for rabies (see below) and seek prompt medical attention. Call the Tompkins Tompkins County Health Department at 274-6688 for details.
  
• If a bat is simply in your living space but you know you have NOT had a serious exposure, do your best to help the bat leave your home safely. Confine it in one room and open a window through which it can escape. If it does not leave over time, capture it as described (below), taking care not to touch the animal with your bare hands, and then release it outdoors, away from pets and people.   

Capturing a bat for testing

1. If you are on the Cornell campus, you may either attempt to capture the bat yourself (see below) or call the Cornell Police for assistance.
   
2. If you are NOT on campus, you may either attempt to capture the bat yourself (see below), or call Acme Pest Control, Inc. at 607 844-8689 for assistance. This agency is located in South Groton, so it may take some time to arrive. 
   
3. TO CAPTURE A BAT ON YOUR OWN, follow the steps below and try to contain the bat safely without injuring the bat or yourself. NOTE: An intact bat is necessary for testing.

• Close all exits (doors and windows) to prevent the bat from escaping.
• Put on protective clothing. This includes a long-sleeved shirt, pants, hat, and gloves (leather work gloves if possible) Do NOT leave hands uncovered.  
• Wait for the bat to land.
• Place a container over the bat, trapping it against a surface. Your container may be a box, large can, etc. 
• Slide a piece of cardboard under the container to trap the bat inside.
• Tape the cardboard to the container to keep the bat inside.
• Keep the bat cool until it can be tested for rabies. If the capturing takes place over the weekend, you will be asked to "put your bat on ice" until it can be tested on Monday. (Yes, this would kill the bat.)

Rabies treatment

Rabies treatment consists of a series of shots given on five different days following exposure. Shots can be administered at Gannett or at the Health Department. You may be advised to receive post-exposure treatment if:

• the captured bat tests positive for rabies.
• you were not able to capture the bat for testing, but had a had a potentially-dangerous encounter with one.

Additional information

If you have questions about bat exposures, please contact Gannett by phone 24/7 or the Tompkins County Health Department at 607 274-6688.

You may also find the following websites useful:

Catch the Bat!, a short video (formatted for downloading) is a useful resource for those who need to capture a bat for testing (produced by the Westchester Department of Health).

Bats and Rabies, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers advice about: 

• keeping bats out of your home, including "bat-proofing your house"
• reducing a pet's exposure to bats
• resources for rabies awareness and prevention

Information About Rabies produced by the NY Health Department, provides a comprehensive overview of the illness with an emphasis on bats.