Found a Bat in Your House in Colorado? What to Do and Who to Call

Most bats that end up inside a Colorado home are lost, not sick. But bats are the main rabies carrier throughout the state, and their bites can leave almost no mark, so what you do in the first hour matters. Here is what Colorado public health agencies ask you to do, and who to call in your county.

First, decide whether anyone could have had contact

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) names bats as the primary rabies reservoir throughout Colorado, with skunks the other main carrier on the eastern plains. Boulder County Public Health puts the risk in perspective: about 15% of bats submitted for rabies testing in Colorado test positive. Those are bats people had a reason to submit, not a random sample, but they show why the state does not leave this to guesswork.

The tricky part is that bat teeth are tiny. CDPHE says a bat bite may leave almost no mark, and a person may not know they were bitten or scratched. That is why the state treats these situations as possible exposures even when nobody saw a bite:

Someone touched the bat, picked it up, or had it land on them.
A bat was found in a room where someone was asleep.
A bat was found with a young child, or with anyone who cannot reliably say what happened, such as a person who was intoxicated or has a cognitive impairment.
A pet caught, played with or was found near the bat.

CDPHE's guidance for schools and child care is even stricter: any physical contact with a bat should be considered an exposure and reported to public health, and any bat found in a room with an unattended child should be tested.

If there was possible contact: don't let the bat go

This is the step most people get wrong. CDPHE asks that you not release, kill or dispose of a bat found in the house until you have talked to your local health department. A bat that tests negative can rule out rabies treatment entirely, which the state notes can save substantial medical costs. Rabies post-exposure treatment (wound care, human rabies immune globulin and a series of vaccine doses over two to four weeks) is close to 100% effective when started promptly, but no one wants it if testing could have ruled it out.

To contain the bat safely, Colorado county health departments give the same basic directions:

Keep people and pets out of the room and close the door. Jefferson County Public Health says to close the bat in the room and wait for instructions if it is safe to do so.
Put on thick leather gloves. Never use bare hands.
When the bat lands, cover it with a coffee can or similar container, slide a piece of cardboard underneath, and tape the lid shut. Weld County says to poke small air holes if the bat is still alive.
Keep the bat intact. El Paso County Public Health notes it must be undamaged for the lab to test it, so don't crush it or try to kill it.
Wash any bite or scratch right away with soap and water and call your doctor or the health department.

If nobody could have had contact

If everyone was awake, no one touched the bat, and no child or pet was alone with it, the risk is very low. Douglas County's guidance is to avoid contact and open a direct path to an exterior door so the bat can leave on its own, and not to try to capture it. Close interior doors, open a window or door to the outside, and watch from a distance. If you aren't sure whether contact happened, or how long the bat was inside, El Paso County's advice is simple: don't release it, and call.

Who to call, by county

Bat exposures are handled by the local public health agency, and in some cities by municipal animal control. These are the numbers the agencies publish for bat contacts along the Front Range:

Denver: Denver Animal Protection, (720) 913-2080. See our Denver bat guide.
Boulder County: Boulder County Public Health, 303-441-1564. See Boulder, Longmont and Erie.
Weld County: WCDPHE, (970) 400-2290, or (970) 350-9600 after hours. See Greeley and Windsor.
Larimer County: Larimer County Department of Health and Environment zoonosis line, 970-498-6666. See Fort Collins.
Jefferson County: Jefferson County Public Health, 303-232-6301, or Jefferson County Animal Control, 303-271-5070. See Lakewood and Arvada.
Arapahoe County: Arapahoe County Public Health, 303-795-4584. See Aurora.
Douglas County: Douglas County Health Department, 720-643-2400, with an epidemiologist available around the clock. See Castle Rock.
El Paso County: El Paso County Public Health, 719-578-3220. See Colorado Springs.
Pueblo County: Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, (719) 583-4307. See Pueblo.
Anywhere in Colorado: the Colorado Health Information Line, 1-877-462-2911, or CDPHE's directory of local public health agencies.

For a sick or injured bat outdoors that no person or pet touched, CPW asks that it be safely confined and reported to the local CPW office. Between December and June, CPW also asks the public to report any active or dead bats to its white-nose syndrome line, 303-291-7771, because bats out at that time of year may be sick with the disease.

If your pet caught or played with a bat

CDPHE says any pet found in close contact with a bat is assumed to be at risk for rabies unless the bat tests negative. Call your veterinarian and your local health department, and keep the bat for testing if you can do it without touching it. What happens next depends on vaccination records:

A dog, cat or ferret with documented rabies vaccination from a licensed veterinarian gets a booster, which CDPHE says should be given within 96 hours, and is then observed at home for 45 days.
An unvaccinated pet, or one whose shots were not given by a licensed veterinarian, faces either a strict four-month (120-day) facility quarantine at the owner's expense, if one is approved, or euthanasia.

Jefferson County Public Health points out that even indoor cats need rabies shots, because bats can get into homes through small openings, open windows and chimneys.

One bat inside often means a roost nearby

A single bat in the living room is sometimes just a wanderer that came through an open door. Often, though, it came from a colony in the attic, a wall void or a chimney, and found its way into living space through a gap around a light fixture, attic hatch or duct. Signs that point to a roost include droppings on a windowsill or below a gable, dark rub marks at a gap in the siding or fascia, and bats seen leaving the roofline at dusk.

CDPHE recommends a risk assessment from the health department plus a company experienced in bat mitigation when bats have settled into a home. Timing matters. During the summer maternity season, CDPHE asks that bats keep their outside access while you seal the gaps that lead into living spaces, because closing the outside entrance can push bats indoors. CPW asks property owners not to exclude bats from June through August. Once the young can fly, one-way devices let the colony leave, and the outside entrances can then be sealed so the bats don't return next year. Our fall exclusion guide covers that window in more detail.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do if I wake up with a bat in my room in Colorado?

Treat it as a possible exposure. Don't touch the bat and don't release it. Close it in the room, call your county health department, and contain it under a container with leather gloves if it is safe, so it can be tested. CDPHE says bat bites can leave almost no mark.

Should I let a bat out of my house?

Only if you are sure no one, including a sleeping person, a young child or a pet, could have had contact. In that case, open a door or window to the outside and let it leave. If there is any doubt, CDPHE says not to release it until your local health department has assessed the risk.

How many bats in Colorado have rabies?

Boulder County Public Health says about 15% of bats tested for rabies in Colorado test positive. That figure comes from bats submitted for testing, often because they were sick or had contact with someone, so it is higher than the rate in the general bat population.

Who do I call about a bat exposure in Colorado?

Your local public health agency. For example, Denver Animal Protection at (720) 913-2080, Boulder County Public Health at 303-441-1564, Jefferson County Public Health at 303-232-6301, or El Paso County Public Health at 719-578-3220. Statewide, the Colorado Health Information Line is 1-877-462-2911.

What happens if my vaccinated dog or cat caught a bat?

Call your vet and health department. Under CDPHE guidance, a pet with documented rabies vaccination from a licensed veterinarian gets a booster within 96 hours and is observed at home for 45 days. If the bat can be tested and is negative, the concern goes away.

Sources

See our bat removal service

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