What To Do When You
Find a Bat
*It's baby bat season! If you find a bat without fur,  please follow the baby bat directions below and contact us immediately.*

Call or text 480-313-2243: Tell us your name, address, the situation that you found the bat in, and send us a picture of the bat.

NEVER HANDLE A BAT BARE-HANDED!

• Prep a cardboard box with some air holes and get tape or something else to completely secure it. If you don't have a box, any container with a lid will work as long as it can be secured and has airflow. 

• Put cloth such as a t-shirt or pillowcase into the box. If you don’t have cloth, crumpled up toilet paper or paper towels are OK.

• Put on thick gloves like gardening gloves or get a thick cloth like a sweatshirt. DO NOT TOUCH BARE-HANDED, DO NOT USE THIN GLOVES OR THIN CLOTH.

• Slowly and gently scoop up the bat using gloves or the cloth to completely protect your hands. Put the bat into the box.

• Seal the box and put it somewhere safe until it can get to AZ Bat Rescue. Bats can squeeze through very small spaces so make sure the box is well secured.

• If you are bitten by the bat or have concerns about your exposure to the bat, contact a medical professional immediately. Arizona Bat Rescue cannot provide medical care or advice and is not responsible for any injury or harm. 

BABY BATS are born between May and July and are helpless without their mothers to care for them. A baby bat on its own is always in trouble so contain it as soon as possible and put it in a warm, quiet dark place and contact us immediately. Don't provide water, it can harm or even kill the baby if it is already dehydrated. Babies are fragile and need to be kept warm. Put them in a box with a soft cloth like a tshirt as described above and put a heating pad under half of the box. Make sure that the heating pad is on low and that half of the box is not heated.

PROTECT the bat. If you're unable to safely or comfortably contain the bat, do what you can to protect it where it is. Bring any pets indoors and close gates to keep other animals out. Keep an eye on the bat and see if it is crawling around or trying to fly. If you are able to, put a large box over the bat and weight the box down or lean something in front of it to give it some shade and protection.
Your bat might be fine even if it is visible during the day. Many bats have various day roosts that can include houses or trees in urban areas. Take a picture of the bat and contact Arizona Bat Rescue for advice on your situation. Never assume that a bat is fine and put it in a tree. Always contact us so we can help evaluate and advise on next steps.

BATS IN POOLS If you fish a bat out of your pool, it is likely that the bat has ingested water or is injured or ill. Contact us immediately for further instructions. To protect bats and other animals in the future, add at least two Frog Logs to your pool to give critters an escape route. Use code AZBATS20% to get 20% off your order (we don't make money on the sales, they were just kind enough to offer a coupon to bat lovers).

NEVER CARE FOR A BAT ON YOUR OWN. Bats require special care feeding. Even if you have rehabilitated other wild or feral animals, if you aren't trained with bats you are putting yourself and the bat in danger if you try to rehabilitate it on your own. It's also illegal to keep wildlife in your home without a license for that specific animal. There is a lot of incorrect or incomplete information online about how to care for bats. It may go well for a little while but ultimately the bat will die if you don't get it to us for proper care.

ARIZONA BATS are not fruit bats. They either eat insects or nectar so don't leave fruit out for them or put fruit into the box with them.

RABIES can be transmitted by any mammal but less than 1% of the bat population has rabies. To be safe, treat any wild animal as if it could be rabid and take proper precautions. Use thick gloves or thick cloth if you need to handle a bat. Rabies is transmitted by saliva; you can't get rabies from bat feces or urine or through the air. If you are concerned about rabies exposure, contact a medical professional. Arizona Bat Rescue can't give medical advice.
More information about rabies.