Transcription
There's a bat in your house, and you don't like it. Now, assuming you won't just hide under a blanket and you want to actively try and get it out, here is what you do.
First, do not let the bat out of your sight. Bats are infamous for showing up inside houses and disappearing just as quickly, making homeowners nuts when they cannot find them. I've literally made an entire video on just this subject. Also, the professional company you call to remove the bat will charge you whether they find the bat or not, and likely at an after-hours service rate. So keep an eye on that bat at all times.
Two, do not turn out any lights; in fact, turn on as many lights as you can because bats can see at night, but you can't. Now, before you try to chase the bat or catch it, do these things first: cover your heat registers. This is because bats can and will dive down into your ductwork, especially if they're spooked or being chased. And, by the way, this is one of the main places that unwatched bats disappear into, and you don't want them dying in there either. Cover your heat registers with something heavy.
Try to isolate the bat in one room. Easy to do if it's hanging; hard to do if it's flying around. But when trying to isolate a bat, close the doors to other rooms and put towels under the doors. Bats can easily crawl under most interior doors, as building code requires they have an airspace underneath. Seal off that door to the basement first, especially in older houses or houses with unfinished basements. Good luck finding a bat if it gets down there.
Only now should you open up doors and windows to give the bat a way out of the house. Again, do not turn out any lights and watch that bat at all times. Now, if the bat is not flying around, the best tool for grabbing it is a fishing net with a mesh size of half an inch or smaller. Anything larger, and the bat might squeeze through. Next best is the classic container and cardboard. If the bat is stationary, place the container over top and slide the cardboard underneath, and then take it outside. Your last resort is thick gloves and nerves of steel, but do not let the bat bite you, as they have sharp teeth and can often bite through gloves. I know from personal experience that rabies shots are not fun, particularly those big ass needles they stick in your thigh.
If the bat is flying around, you can again use a fishing net to catch it or wait for it to land, as it will have to do so eventually. Or you can get a big blanket and hold it up to cut off its airspace and push it towards an open door. This is also a great method for pushing bats down the stairs or to another room. Don't be surprised when a bat does not immediately fly out an open door or window; they have no idea what doors and windows are. But with you cutting off their airspace, they are sooner or later going to fly out that open door or window or land in a place where you can catch them. Try not to panic as you do all this, as it's extremely unlikely that they have rabies; most are usually just lost and desperately looking for a way out of the house. So once again, watch the bat at all times, turn on lights, cover the heat registers, close interior doors, put towels underneath, basement first, then open doors and windows. If hanging, try to catch it with a fishing net with ½ inch mesh or containers and cardboard, then gloves if there's no other options. If flying, push it towards an open door or window with a sheet or a blanket. Once you get it outside, you may want to know how this happened, why it's not a fluke, and will probably happen again, and to do that you should watch this video right here.