Catch him with gloves. Or use a net if you need to & then handle w/ gloves on. Or open a window & try to usher the guy out. Don't get bit! & if you aren't able to get him out tonight, don't (you or anyone else) fall asleep in the same room or open area that the bat is in. You don't want to get rabies. :O
Be careful. Rats carry rabies. It's also very possible to have been bitten by a bat without knowing it/feeling it (if you were asleep). And if you have rabies and haven't been vaccinated your are pretty much screwed. Good luck.
First of all, we're going to need a photo to know what kind of bat we're dealing with here. Free bat removal? Is that really a thing?
You get the vaccination after you are bit. But yes, if you didn't know you had been bitten until you started experiencing symptoms, you will almost surely be dead very soon.
Raid. Air freshener. Windex. Jk. I would wear protective clothing and maybe get a broom to get him towards a open window or door.
Luckily the dam this is in my living room. I think it may have left through my front door. I don't see I anymore but I that doesn't mean it's hiding. My neighbor told me once she got Texas wild life to come remove one for her. I wonder how long it will take to die
Even if the bat is gone you need to make sure it didn't get in by means other than your door/windows. You could have a bat colony in your closet. I would sleep with the lights on if I were you.
Bats can be a host for rabies, but a very very small % of them are rabid. It's a common misconception.
I just went through this. Dude. Nightmare. I was all "Shoo him out of the house" but he had flown around my whole house for hours at a minimum when I found him flying around in the night, kids and pet asleep, dog water dishes out... was gravely advised by health professional not to let him go and have Animal control test it for Rabies. They will do it for free and let you know. If you don't find it, or it gets away, some will advise you to get expensive Rabies shots (multiple shots) without knowing if you were exposed or not. Also, if you have pets, you need to make sure their rabies vaccinations are up to date, and they are collared and tagged when animal control comes, otherwise they can ticket you or even take your pet to quarantine. Up to you, as I'm sure some will just say "it's fine" but there are definite concerns, and rabies can remain dormant for a good while (a year I think) and once you start to show symptoms (much like other symptoms you wouldn't initially go to doctor for like fever) ... it's too late. You also need to seal up any cracks / entry points to the inside of your home, and may want to inspect the exterior of house to see if they are swarming in an out in the evenings, or have a professional inspect. All that said, man up. I caught mine in a 4' long 6" opening poster tube after chasing him around the house and wearing him out from flying. Was quite the scene. Do you even work out, breh? And yes, mine was a mexican free-tailed bat. and yes, he did like to fly to the tallest point of the room, and hang upside down in the little corners and crevices he could find.
Forget catching it, I don't see why you wouldn't kill the thing if you can. Then as another poster said, have it tested.
Why would you kill it? It's not just a bug you smush. It's a mammal! Catch it & have it tested. If it tests positive, you get the shots. I hear the shots are very painful btw.
